Draft:Megan Cavallari

Megan Cavallari (born February 13 1965) is an American composer, lyricist, producer, and writer best known for her work in film, television, and musical theater. She is from Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

Career
Early Career

Cavallari graduated from New York University with a B.S. in Music Composition in 1987 and then attended the university's Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program, graduating in 1991. While working on her undergraduate degree she won the prestigious Founders' Day Award. After graduating she moved to Los Angeles, California and worked as an assistant to composer Danny Elfman on The Nightmare Before Christmas and other films including Delores Claiborne. She later went on to work as an assistant to composer Jerry Goldsmith.

Musical Theater

Cavallari wrote music and served as co-lyricist alongside playwright Paul-Hildago Durand for the musical Echo Park, produced by Oskar Eustis in 1992. She also wrote songs alongside David Goldsmith to create Hot Shoe Shuffle, a revision of the 1992 Australian musical Hot Shoe Shuffle. She composed songs for the musical The Game with Amy Powers and David Topchik, which was produced at Barrington Stage Company in August 2003 and produced again in 2011.

Cavallari is currently writing writing a new musical inspired by Holocaust heroine Irena Sendler with book writer and co-lyricist Kait Kerrigan.

Film and Television

Cavallari has also written songs for film and television including "I Am a Girl Like You" for Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper (2004). She has also composed songs for Barbie franchise films including Barbie as the Island Princess (2007) and Barbie: The Princess & the Popstar (2012). Cavallari wrote a song for the 2011 film The Family Tree. She also has provided songs for television shows including Me, Eloise, Handy Manny, All Dogs Go to Heaven, Sid the Science Kid, Little People, Street Sharks, Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child, and Higglytown Heroes. She has also composed the score for the films including Life After Tomorrow, Love Street (1992 film), The Road Rebellion (2015 documentary), Triggerfish (2015 film) , and A Christmas Carol (1997 film) (co-scored with John Campbell). She has recently completed work co-scoring for the short film The Oh Gees and has collaborated on a song for the 2022 film The Hyperions.

Albums

Cavallari provided two songs for the 2007 album "Broadway Bound," released by Varese Sarabande. She served as an arranger and conductor for the album Mathis on Broadway. She worked as an assistant on several Danny Elfman albums including The Nightmare Before Christmas, Music for a Darkened Theatre: Film & Television Music Volume Two, and the Danny Elfman & Tim Burton 25th Anniversary Music Box.

Other Work

Cavallari has provided commercial music for the Los Angeles Kings hockey team. She is also a published writer and a member of the Industry Expert Advisory Group at the Tell School of Music at Millersville University.

She also appeared as herself in the 2006 documentary Finding Kraftland.

Awards

Cavallari is the recipient of two Telly Awards for Best Score and Best Song, a Cynopsis International Press Award for Best Score and Best Main Title, 3 BMI Awards, 2 ASCAP Awards, and the LA Women's Theatre Festival Integrity Award in 2017. She also won two IRNE Awards for her work on The Game and the FAHF Humanitarian Award in 2016.

She is a member of the League of Professional Theater Women and The National Association of Musical Theater.