Michael Kooman is an

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

nominated composer writing for the stage and screen. His television work includes songs on the

Disney Junior Disney Junior is an American pay television network owned by the Walt Disney Television (part of Disney General Entertainment Content) unit of The Walt Disney Company through Disney Branded Television. Aimed mainly at children two to seven yea ...

animated series, ''

Vampirina ''Vampirina'' is a computer-animated children's television series created by Chris Nee. Based on the ''Vampirina Ballerina'' series of books written by Anne Marie Pace and published by Disney-Hyperion, the series was announced in March 2016 and ...

'' and the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

series Ridley Jones

He is most known for his musical '' Romantics Anonymous (musical), Romantics Anonymous'' (written with

Emma Rice Emma Juliet Rice (born August 1967) is a British actor, director and writer. Hailed as a fearless director, Rice's work includes theatrical adaptations of ''Brief Encounter'', '' The Red Shoes'' and ''Wise Children.'' In 2022, Rice was named in ...

), which premiered in 2017 at

Shakespeare's Globe Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse for which William Shakespeare wrote his plays, in the London Borough of Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames. The original theatre was built in ...

Theatre in London. He is half of the writing team of

Kooman and Dimond Kooman and Dimond (Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond) are Emmy nominated songwriters for the stage and screenTheir television work includes the Disney Junior (Channel), Disney Junior series Vampirina and the Netflix series Ridley JonesTheir stag ...

Works

''Vampirina''

are the primary songwriters for the

series

, and were nominated for a 2020 Emmy for their work on the show. Following the story of a family of vampires as they move from Transylvania to Pennsylvania, the series features Isabella Crovetti,

James Van Der Beek James William Van Der Beek (; born March 8, 1977) is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Dawson Leery in the WB series ''Dawson's Creek'' and Johnny "Mox" Moxon in '' Varsity Blues'' (1999). He played a fictionalized version of hi ...

Lauren Graham Lauren Graham (born March 16, 1967) is an American actress and author. She is best known for her roles as Lorelai Gilmore on The WB/ CW television series ''Gilmore Girls'' (2000–2007), for which she received nominations for Screen Actors Guild ...

Wanda Sykes Wanda Yvette Sykes (born March 7, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actress, and writer. She was first recognized for her work as a writer on ''The Chris Rock Show'', for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1999. In 2004, ''Entertainm ...

Patti Lupone Patti Ann LuPone (born April 21, 1949) is an American actress and singer best known for her work in musical theater. She has won three Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, two Grammy Awards, and was a 2006 inductee to the American Theater Hall of Fa ...

, and

Brian Stokes Mitchell Brian Stokes Mitchell (born October 31, 1957) is an American actor and singer. A powerful baritone, he has been one of the central leading men of the Broadway theater since the 1990s. He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 2000 for ...

. Notable Broadway guest stars include

Andrew Rannells Andrew Scott Rannells (born August 23, 1978) is an American film, stage, television and voice actor. Rannells is best known for originating the role of Elder Kevin Price in the 2011 Broadway musical ''The Book of Mormon'' for which he was nomin ...

and

Christian Borle Christian Dominique Borle (born October 1, 1973) is an American actor and singer. He is a two-time Tony Award winner for his roles as Black Stache in ''Peter and the Starcatcher'' and as William Shakespeare in ''Something Rotten!''. Borle also ...

. By the end of the show's thirds season he's written over 150 songs for the series.

''Romantics Anonymous''

With a book by acclaimed British writer/director

, '' Romantics Anonymous (musical), Romantics Anonymous'' was adapted from the 2010 French-Belgian film of the same name. The show premiered to great acclaim in 2017 at Shakespeare's Globe. The Guardian hailed it as "A multifaceted gem, chic-full of love, generosity and joy" and Variety raved "Kooman's score and Dimond's lyrics soar to emotional heights". The show planned to tour internationally in 2020.

''Ridley Jones''

Continuing his collaboration with creator and executive producer

Chris Nee Christine Nee is an American children's television screenwriter and TV producer, producer. Nee is best known as the creator of ''Doc McStuffins'', which she conceived as ''Cheers'' for preschoolers. She has previously worked as an associate produc ...

, he began work writing songs for the

series Ridley Jones.

''The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes''

''The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes'', a musical comedy which chronicles the tale of an average man who wakes up one morning to discover that his life has become a musical, was first workshopped at the prestigious

Eugene O'Neill Theater Center The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit theater company founded in 1964 by George C. White. It is commonly referred to as The O'Neill. The center has received two Tony Awards, the 1979 Special Awa ...

in 2013, followed by workshops at the

Human Race Theatre Company The Human Race Theatre Company is the professional producing theatre company of Dayton Ohio, dedicated to producing works on universal themes that explore the human condition and startle us all into a renewed awareness of ourselves. The HRTC is l ...

and

Village Theatre Village Theatre is a major regional theatre located in the Seattle metropolitan area. It is a member of Theatre Puget Sound and the National Alliance for Musical Theatre. The theatre was founded in Issaquah, Washington, in 1979 and built a second lo ...

. In 2014

produced a workshop production of the piece. The show received its world premiere at

in the fall of 2018, with the

Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is a daily newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1891 and has been owned by the Blethen family since 1896. ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Washington st ...

giving it a rave, calling it "uproariously funny". A world premiere recording was released in 2019.

''Dani Girl''

's first book musical, ''Dani Girl,'' has been work-shopped at

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...

, the

American Conservatory Theater The American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) is a nonprofit theater company in San Francisco, California, United States, that offers both classical and contemporary theater productions. It also has an attached acting school. History The Ameri ...

The Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

, The ASCAP/Disney Musical Theater Workshop, and CAP-21. The piece is licensed by

Samuel French Samuel French (1821–1898) was an American entrepreneur who, together with British actor, playwright and theatrical manager Thomas Hailes Lacy, pioneered in the field of theatrical publishing and the licensing of plays. Biography French founde ...

. Its professional premiere was produced in Barrie, Ontario by Talk is Free Theatre, directed by Richard Ouzounian, and subsequently was remounted in 2012.

Harvest Rain Theatre Company Harvest Rain Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Brisbane, Australia, known for presenting professional musical theatre. Since its inception in 1985, Harvest Rain has produced theatre productions at a range of venues throughout Brisb ...

debuted the show internationally in Brisbane, Australia in 2010. The show was presented at the 2011 National Alliance for Musical Theater Festival of New Musicals and by Maryland's Unexpected Stage Company (Summer 2014). Dani Girl made its UK amateur premiere in Glasgow, Scotland by Epilogue Theatre.

''Orphie and the Book of Heroes''

''Orphie and the Book of Heroes'' was commissioned by

and premiered in 2014.

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

gave the show 5 stars and called it "An Epic Success". It has subsequently been produced at Orlando Repertory Theatre, Front Porch Theatre, and Interlochen Arts Academy. An album of the score was released in 2018.

''Judge Jackie: Disorder in the Court''

''Judge Jackie: Disorder in the Court'' is an audience participation based musical commissioned by the

Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera (Pittsburgh CLO) is a nonprofit professional theater company based in the Cultural District of Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Despite its name, the organization presents musical theatre classics rather than ...

which ran for 14 weeks at their cabaret space in downtown

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

in 2014. Reviews were positive, and the

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the All ...

raved "Musical comedy justice is served in a new CLO Cabaret show featuring catchy tunes, clever lyrics, juicy characters and important roles for audience members throughout the proceedings.”

''Golden Gate''

''Golden Gate'' premiered at the Williamstown Theater Festival Aug 12, 2009. It has subsequently been workshopped as part of

Millikin University Millikin University is a private university in Decatur, Illinois. It was founded in 1901 by prominent Decatur businessman James Millikin and is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Media Decaturian The ''Decaturian'', also known as ...

's New Musicals Workshop, culminating in a production of the latest incarnation of the show, which occurred in the spring of 2011.

''Someday Soon''

In 2012, Kooman and Dimond collaborated with director Alberto Belli to create the musical short film ''Someday Soon'', which was subsequently featured on

Funny or Die Funny or Die is a comedy video website and film/television production company owned by Henry R. Muñoz III that was founded by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Mark Kvamme, and Chris Henchy in 2007. The website contained exclusive material from a reg ...

''Homemade Fusion''

Their first collaboration was the song cycle ''Homemade Fusion'' in March 2006. Since the premiere, ''Homemade Fusion'' has been performed across the country as well as internationally. The show debuted at Carnegie Mellon University in 2006, with a subsequent production at the Pittsburgh CLO Cabaret Theater. This production featured Tony Award winner

Patina Miller Patina Renea Miller is an American actress and singer. Miller's breakout role was as originating the role of disco diva wannabe Deloris Van Cartier in the 2009 West End and 2011 Broadway productions of ''Sister Act'' for which she earned a Lauren ...

Kara Lindsay Kara Lynn Massey (born February 16, 1985), known professionally as Kara Lindsay, is an American stage actress and singer, best known for her roles as Katherine Plumber in ''Newsies'' (2012) and Glinda in '' Wicked'' (2014, 2016, 2018, 2019). Educ ...

, Anderson Davis, Andrew Kober, and many other Carnegie Mellon Drama School Alumni. In 2010, the show was performed at the Ambassadors theater in London. Songs from "Homemade Fusion" have amassed more than a million views on their YouTube channel. Part of the show was performed by the writers in 2009 at

's "Next Generation of Musical Theater" series.

Awards

Along with Christopher Dimond, he received the $50,000 2013

Fred Ebb Fred Ebb (April 8, 1928 – September 11, 2004) was an American musical theatre lyricist who had many successful collaborations with composer John Kander. The Kander and Ebb team frequently wrote for such performers as Liza Minnelli and Chita Ri ...

Award as well as the 2010 Jonathan Larson Grant. In 2011, they were awarded the first

Lorenz Hart Lorenz Milton Hart (May 2, 1895 – November 22, 1943) was an American lyricist and half of the Broadway songwriting team Rodgers and Hart. Some of his more famous lyrics include " Blue Moon", " The Lady Is a Tramp", "Manhattan", "Bewitched, Both ...

Award, given by the

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

Foundation. In 2009, he received the Burton Lane Award from the American Theatre Hall of Fame, and received a fellowship from both the

Dramatists Guild of America The Dramatists Guild of America is a professional organization for playwrights, composers, and lyricists working in the U.S. theatre market. Membership as an Associate Member is open to any person having written at least one stage play. Active Mem ...

as well as the O'neill Musical Theatre Festival.http://www.ascap.com/playback/2012/01/foundation/rodgers_hart_award.aspx He has completed the advanced

BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) is a performance rights organization in the United States. It collects blanket license fees from businesses that use music, entitling those businesses to play or sync any songs from BMI's repertoire of over 20.6 milli ...

and is currently a member of the

Album

On June 28, 2011, Kooman released "Out of Our Heads: The Music of Kooman and Dimond". The album features several Tony nominated performers including

Kerry Butler Kerry Butler is an American actress and singer known primarily for her work in theatre. She is best known for originating the roles of Barbara Maitland in ''Beetlejuice'', Penny Pingleton in ''Hairspray'', and Clio/Kira in '' Xanadu'', the latt ...

, and

Christopher Sieber Christopher Luverne Sieber (born February 18, 1969) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles Kevin Burke in ''Two of a Kind (American TV series)'' and Agatha Trunchbull in ''Matilda the Musical''. He was nominated for the Tony Awar ...

. The album release party was held at Birdland on July 18, 2011 featuring performances by

Laura Osnes Laura Ann Osnes (born November 19, 1985) is an American actress and singer known for her work on the Broadway stage. She has played starring roles in '' Grease'' as Sandy, '' South Pacific'' as Nellie Forbush, ''Anything Goes'' as Hope Harcourt, ...

Julia Murney Julia Kathleen Murney (born January 14, 1969) is an American actress and singer, also known for television commercial voice-overs. Until 2005, she was commonly known as the Broadway actress who had technically never appeared on Broadway. This wa ...

, Jeremy Jordan,

Kyle Dean Massey Kyle Dean Massey (born November 17, 1981) is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his leading roles in the Broadway musicals ''Wicked'' – for which he has played Fiyero on-and-off from 2007 to 2019 – ''Next to Normal,'' and ''P ...

, and Jose Llana.

Additional Sources

*https://www.goldderby.com/article/2020/daytime-emmy-nominations-list-of-nominees/ *http://koomandimond.com/biography.html *https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/theater/an-ordinary-man-is-trapped-in-a-musical-in-village-theatres-hilarious-the-noteworthy-life-of-howard-barnes/ *http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/artist_detail.cfm?artist_id=KOOMANMCHL *http://broadwayworld.com/article/Photo-Coverage-ASCAP-Foundation-Honors-Stephen-Schwartz-with-Richard-Rodgers-Award-20111208

*http://broadwayworld.com/article/Photo-Coverage-Patina-Miller-Laura-Osnes-Jeremy-Jordan-More-Sing-the-Music-of-Kooman-Dimond-at-Birdland-20110719 *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbbewRSc-C0

References

External links

*http://koomandimond.com/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Kooman, Michael Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American male composers 21st-century American composers American music arrangers American pianists Carnegie Mellon University College of Fine Arts alumni Place of birth missing (living people) Musicians from New York City American male pianists 21st-century American male musicians