George Gershwin
George Gershwin was born in Brooklyn on September 26, 1898, and began his musical training when he was 13. At 16 he quit high school to work as a "song plugger" for a music publisher, and soon he was writing songs himself.
Date of Birth: September 26, 1898
Date of Death: July 11, 1937 (38)
Birth Place: Brooklyn, NY
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BIO
George Gershwin was born in Brooklyn on September 26, 1898, and began his musical training when he was 13. At 16 he quit high school to work as a "song plugger" for a music publisher, and soon he was writing songs himself. "Swanee," as introduced by Al Jolson, brought George his first real fame and led to his writing a succession of 22 musical comedies, most with his older brother, Ira. The Gershwins' shows include Lady Be Good, Oh, Kay!, Strike Up the Band, Girl Crazy, and the Pulitzer Prize winning Of Thee I Sing. From his early career George had ambitions to compose serious music, and his classical masterpieces include "Rhapsody In Blue," "Concerto In F," "An American In Paris" and "Second Rhapsody." In the late '20s George became fascinated by the DuBose Heyward novel Porgy, recognizing it as a perfect vehicle for opera using jazz and blues idioms. The folk opera Porgy and Bess had its Broadway premiere in October of 1935. In 1937 George was at the height of his career. While working on the score of The Goldwyn Follies in Hollywood, he collapsed, and on July 11, died of a brain tumor. He was not quite 39 years old.
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Productions
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Connection
Movies
[ 1937 ] music by
[ 1938 ] music by
[ 1945 ] music
[ 1951 ] music by
[ 1957 ] songwriter
[ 1964 ] songs by
[ 2013 ] music
[ 2018 ] music and lyrics by
Awards and Nominations
George Gershwin, The Gershwins' Porgy And Bess
winner
George Gershwin, Crazy For You
Videos
Video: First Look at GOOD NIGHT, OSCAR at Farmers Alley Theatre
by Joshua Wright - 2026-04-22 15:31:56
Video: Brittany Renee And Ryan Speedo Green Sing From PORGY AND BESS At The Metropolitan Opera
by A.A. Cristi - 2025-12-29 20:41:17
News
by ErinMarie Reiter - Sep 20, 2026
'Good Night, Oscar' is full of comedy, music, celebrity, addiction, mental illness, ambition, and the uncomfortable bargain between an artist and an audience that wants to consume his genius. This production at North Coast Repertory Theatre handles it all with impressive performances and empathy.
by A.A. Cristi - Sep 18, 2026
Los Angeles Ballet has announced its 2026-27 season, featuring American Icons, The Nutcracker, Movers and Shakers, the company premiere of Coppélia and a special Hollywood Bowl engagement with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
by Rachel Stone - Sep 18, 2026
Pianist Lucas Debargue has released GERSHWIN VARIATIONS, a double album featuring recordings with Orchestre de Paris and original études inspired by George Gershwin's compositions.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Sep 17, 2026
Taige Wang, 16, has been named inaugural Artist-in-Residence for the MUSICON Music Festival, which will present its opening concert at The Blanc in New York City featuring classical masterworks and Wang's world premiere chamber composition.
by Rachel Stone - Sep 16, 2026
FIM in Flint, Michigan hosts October programming including THE ROCKET MAN SHOW on October 1, Jesse McCartney on October 3, LITTLE RIVER BAND on October 9, and the Flint Symphony Orchestra on October 10. The venue partners with the Security Credit Union Foundation's Pink Party to support breast cancer awareness.
by Rachel Stone - Sep 16, 2026
Violinist Bella Hristova will present performances with orchestras including the Buffalo Philharmonic and Charlotte Symphony, and release a recording of six newly commissioned solo violin works in spring 2027.
by A.A. Cristi - Sep 14, 2026
Grammy-nominated pianist and vocalist Judy Carmichael returns to Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor for an evening of swing and Great American Songbook standards from the 1930s and '40s.
by Stephi Wild - Sep 11, 2026
North Coast Repertory Theatre will present GOOD NIGHT, OSCAR, a play by Doug Wright directed by Tom Frey, at its Solana Beach location.
by Stephi Wild - Sep 9, 2026
Bridgehampton Chamber Music's autumn series will bring the MIRÓ QUARTET, soprano Susanna Phillips, and a Baroque holiday program to Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church on Long Island.
by A.A. Cristi - Sep 3, 2026
Lorna Dallas, a 2020 Bistro Award recipient, will present an encore performance of her cabaret show at The Laurie Beechman Theatre in New York City.
by Rachel Stone - Sep 3, 2026
Countertenor John Holiday has announced season highlights including a world premiere with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, a Wigmore Hall recital, and productions with Dutch National Opera and Komische Oper Berlin.
by A.A. Cristi - Sep 1, 2026
Cape Ann Symphony will launch its 75th season with THE 75TH FANTASTIQUE! at Manchester-Essex Regional High School, featuring a new work by composer Robert Bradshaw and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.
by A.A. Cristi - Sep 1, 2026
The San Francisco Symphony will honor Michael Tilson Thomas with a memorial concert featuring longtime collaborators including Audra McDonald, Yuja Wang, and Jamie Bernstein at Davies Symphony Hall.
by Rachel Stone - Aug 31, 2026
Itzhak Perlman will release his first new album in more than a decade, featuring new orchestral arrangements of American Songbook classics and a collaboration with Jon Batiste on "Summertime."
by Rachel Stone - Aug 28, 2026
Pianist Lucas Debargue will release a double album dedicated to George Gershwin, pairing orchestral works with the Orchestre de Paris and original études inspired by Gershwin's songs.
by A.A. Cristi - Aug 28, 2026
Violinist Joshua Bell will perform Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole as Alexander Shelley opens his inaugural season as Pacific Symphony's Artistic and Music Director at Segerstrom Concert Hall.
by A.A. Cristi - Aug 27, 2026
The newly merged Third Coast Symphony will perform at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, featuring pianist Jeremy Vigil, a world premiere by Kareem Roustom, and a James Bond-themed holiday concert with vocalist Cheryl Wilson.
by Debbie Gilpin - Aug 27, 2026
This year’s Proms season has been awash with commemorations of America’s 250th anniversary, the entire season beginning with Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” - and that piece featuring at several other points in various ways across the festival. So it was about time that there was a concert wholly focused on American composers, and celebrating the country’s more romantic aspects. It was only fitting that Marin Alsop curated the programme and was there to conduct the Philharmonia Orchestra.
by Juan-Jose Gonzalez - Aug 26, 2026
El espectáculo clausura la 29.ª edición de Nits de Jazz con un recorrido por algunos de los títulos más emblemáticos de Broadway junto al Mediterráneo
by A.A. Cristi - Aug 24, 2026
Cape Town Opera will present PORGY AND BESS with London's Chineke! Orchestra, opening Sept. 11, 2026 at the Philharmonie de Paris and touring through Lucerne, Berlin, Antwerp and Dortmund by Sept. 18.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
George Gershwin has written 48 shows including Half-Past Eight (Composer), La, La, Lucille (Composer), La-La-Lucille! (Composer), Morris Gest's "Midnight Whirl" (Composer), George White's Scandals [1920] (Composer), Snapshots of 1921 (Composer), The Broadway Whirl (Composer), George White's Scandals [1921] (Composer), The French Doll (Composer), George White's Scandals [1922] (Composer), Our Nell (Composer), George White's Scandals [1923] (Composer), Sweet Little Devil (Composer), George White's Scandals [1924] (Composer), Primrose (Composer), Lady, Be Good (Composer), Tell Me More! (Composer), Tip-Toes (Composer), Song of the Flame (Composer), Oh, Kay! (Composer), Strike Up the Band (Composer), Funny Face (Composer), Rosalie (Composer), Treasure Girl (Composer), Show Girl (Composer), Girl Crazy (Composer), Of Thee I Sing (Composer), Pardon My English (Composer), Let 'Em Eat Cake (Composer), Porgy and Bess (Composer), All Points West (Composer), Who Cares? (Composer), Do It Again! (Composer), Mr. Words (Composer), My One and Only (Composer), Gertrude Stein and a Companion (Additional Music), Reaching for the Moon (Composer), Crazy for You (Composer), The Gershwins' Fascinating Rhythm (Composer/Lyricist), Jolson & Co. (Composer/Lyricist), American Rhapsody: A New Musical Revue (Composer), George Gershwin Alone (Composer/Lyricist), Elaine Stritch At Liberty (Composer), Stairway to Paradise (Sketches/Composer/Lyricist), The Gershwins' An American In Paris (Composer), Come Fly Away (Composer), Nice Work If You Can Get It (Composer), A Night With Janis Joplin (Composer).
George Gershwin has been nominated for several awards throughout his career. Some of his notable nominations include Best New Musical at the Olivier Awards for "The Gershwins' Porgy And Bess" and the American Express Award for Best New Musical at the Olivier Awards for "Crazy For You". These nominations highlight the recognition and acclaim that Gershwin's musical works have received in the industry.
George Gershwin has won the American Express Award for Best New Musical (Olivier Awards) for "Crazy For You".
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