Amy Powers (born 1960) is a lyricist, songwriter and producer who writes songs for film, television, and theater.

Career

Early life

Powers graduated from

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely follo ...

, and then attended

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

(M.B.A) and

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

law degree

Musical theater

Powers co-wrote the lyrics for the musical ''Cinderella: A Musical'' with composer Dan Levy for

Riverside Shakespeare Company The Riverside Shakespeare Company of New York City was founded in 1977 as a professional ( AEA) theatre company on the Upper West Side of New York City, by W. Stuart McDowell and Gloria Skurski. Focusing on Shakespeare plays and other classical ...

at Playhouse 91 in New York, which ran in December 1991 to March 1992.Robbins, Norman. ''Cinderella: A Musical''
Rochester.edu. She wrote the lyrics and book for the stage musical ''Lizzie Borden'' with composer Christopher McGovern. The musical ran at

Goodspeed Musicals Goodspeed Musicals is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theater and the creation of new works, located in East Haddam, Connecticut. A distinctive feature of the view from the Connecticut River, the ...

Norma Terris Theatre (Chester, CT.) in November 2001.Jones, Kenneth
Musical ''Lizzie Borden'' is a Bloody Hit
Playbill.com, November 12, 2001 ''The Game'', a stage musical for which Powers is the co-librettist/lyricist, was produced at Barrington Stage Company in August 2003.Jones, Kennet
''The Game's'' Afoot in World Premiere of Dangerous-Liaisons Musical"
Playbill.com, August 7, 2003 She is the co/lyricist with

Michael Korie Michael Korie (born April 1, 1955) is an American librettist and lyricist whose writing for musical theater and opera includes the musicals ''Grey Gardens'' and '' Far From Heaven'', and the operas ''Harvey Milk'' and ''The Grapes of Wrath''. His ...

for ''

Doctor Zhivago ''Doctor Zhivago'' is the title of a novel by Boris Pasternak and its various adaptations. Description The story, in all of its forms, describes the life of the fictional Russian physician and poet Yuri Zhivago Yuri Andreievich Zhivago is the ...

'', a musical based on the Russian novel

, by Boris Pasternak."SUMMER STAGES: THEATER; Really Far Off Broadway"
''The New York Times'' The show was revised after its preview run at the

La Jolla Playhouse La Jolla Playhouse is a not-for-profit, professional theatre on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. History La Jolla Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, and Mel Ferrer. In 1983, it was revived under ...

, and premiered at the

Lyric Theatre, Sydney Lyric may refer to: * Lyrics, the words, often in verse form, which are sung, usually to a melody, and constitute the semantic content of a song * Lyric poetry is a form of poetry that expresses a subjective, personal point of view * Lyric, from t ...

in February 2011.Creative Team
, DrZhivago.com.au.Legit Reviews
Variety.com.
AustralianStage.com. The musical premiered on Broadway in April 2015. Powers has been acknowledged by the producers of ''

Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare in t ...

'' for an unspecified role in the development of four songs from that show, including "With One Look," "The Greatest Star Of All," "Sunset Boulevard" and "As If We Never Said Goodbye".

Film and television

Powers' first song for film was the title track for the Oscar-Winning ''

When We Were Kings ''When We Were Kings'' is a 1996 American documentary film directed by Leon Gast about the " Rumble in the Jungle" heavyweight championship match that was held on October 30, 1974, in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) between worl ...

'' (1996)."Movies: Complete Production Credits for When We Were Kings"
The New York Times.When We Were Kings (1996) Soundtrack
The Internet Movie Database. She has also written songs for the films ''Sweet Home Alabama'', ''Ella Enchanted'' and ''Aquamarine'' as well as television shows including ''Guiding Light'', ''All My Children'', ''Laguna Beach'', ''Castle'' and ''America's Next Top Model''.Amy Powers
The Internet Movie Database. Powers' songs have been featured in Mattel's Barbie Movies Moore, Rick
"L.A. Songwriter Series: Amy Powers"
americansongwriter.com, February 23, 2012 including ''

Barbie & the Diamond Castle ''Barbie & the Diamond Castle'' is a 2008 direct-to-video computer-animated musical film directed by Gino Nichele and produced by Mattel Entertainment with Rainmaker Entertainment. It first premiered on Nickelodeon on September 7, 2008, and it was ...

'', ''

Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper ''Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper'' is a 2004 computer-animated musical fantasy film. It was released to video on September 28, 2004, and made its television premiere on Nickelodeon on November 14, 2004. This film is the first musical in th ...

'', and '' Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams''.

Nominations

Powers was nominated for an Outstanding Original Song

Daytime Emmy The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (N ...

in the Children's/Animated category for "Shine" in ''Barbie and the 12 Dancing Princesses'' in 2007, and an

Annie Award The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in cinema and television. Originally desi ...

for Best Music in an Animated Feature Production for her work in '' Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams'' in 2007.Northam, Mark
"Annie Award Noms for Music Announced"
filmmusicmag.com, December 14, 2007

References

External links

Amy Powers at Internet Off-Broadway Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Powers, Amy Living people American lyricists Songwriters from California Columbia Business School alumni Harvard Law School alumni Vassar College alumni 1961 births