Lyricist and Composer Stephen Sondheim Receives Literary Award
Carrie Bebermeyer
Public Relations Director
carrie.bebermeyer@slu.edu
314-977-8015
Reserved for members of the media.
10/09/2018
On Thursday Oct. 4, Stephen Sondheim accepted the 2018 Saint Louis Literary Award, given by the Saint Louis University Library Associates, at Sheldon Concert Hall.
A sold-out crowd packed the concert hall and an overflow audience gathered to watch a simulcast in the Anheuser-Busch Auditorium at the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business as the renown lyricist and composer was honored.
The evening began with performances of Sondheim songs by area university and high school students, including SLU senior Blake Howard who sang “Finishing the Hat” from Sunday in the Park with George.
After remarks by SLU President Fred Pestello, Ph.D., the Von Kaenel Memorial Walter J. Ong, S.J. award for Excellence in Student Research was presented to SLU adjunct professor and English graduate student Christina Hildebrandt by professor of English Toby R. Benis, Ph.D.
After the Literary Award was presented to Sondheim, Mike Isaacson, artistic director
and executive producer at The Muny, and a SLU alumnus, led a discussion with the composer,
asking questions gathered from the audience.
Sondheim shared anecdotes, memories and advice. He spoke about his teachers and mentors,
calling teaching a sacred profession.
Isaacson posed an audience question to Sondheim: “What do you say to that young writer,
actor, singer, dancer, stage designer who is considering a life in the theatre?”
Sondheim replied, “Clearly the only answer is banal one. Pursue your dream and try
not to get discouraged by all of the things that come in your way.”
As the evening came to a close, Isaacson offered his own reflection back to Sondheim,
noting a moment when he realized “What would my life have been without this man’s
work? And, I know that if you’re in this room you feel the same way, too.
"What I hope you leave here with is really understanding that for all of us, your
work has been a gift to our lives.”
The event was recorded live for later broadcast and presentation by HEC-TV.
About the Saint Louis Literary Award
The Saint Louis Literary Award is presented annually by the Saint Louis University Library Associates and has become one of the top literary prizes in the country. The award honors a writer who deepens our insight into the human condition and expands the scope of our compassion. Some of the most important writers of the 20th and 21st centuries have come to Saint Louis University to accept the honor, including Margaret Atwood, Salmon Rushdie, Eudora Welty, John Updike, Saul Bellow, August Wilson, and Tom Wolfe.
About the Saint Louis University Library Associates
One of the oldest literary and cultural organizations in St. Louis, the Saint Louis University Library Associates seeks to build a closer relationship between the University and the community and to promote an appreciation for the value of literature. The Library Associates work to enhance the visibility of the Saint Louis University Libraries and to support the development of their world-class collections and services.