The Story of Adam Guettel: Grandson of Richard Rogers and Accomplished Composer

The singer tells the story Annie Putniņa

Richard Rogers is one of the most famous American composers of the 20th century. Wrote 43 musicals, among them the well-known “Sounds of Music”, “Oklahoma”, “Carousel”, as well as more than 900 songs. Obtained the prestigious Emmy, Grammy, Tony and “Oscar” awards. Such success is hard to beat, however, his grandson Adams Getels (Adam Guettel) also became a well-known composer, author of lyrics and stories, as well as a teacher.

Adam Gethel was born in 1964 in America. He is now 58 years old and his home is still in New York. Adam was interested in composing at an early age. He also managed to show his compositions to his grandfather Richard Rogers, who positively assessed his grandson’s talent. During high school and college, Adams played bass guitar in various rock bands and jazz ensembles, but later realized that his true calling was in the musical theater genre and composition, so he continued his education at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York.

Adam Gethel gained greater fame when the world got to know the musical he wrote, “The Light in the Piazza”, which premiered on Broadway in 2005. The musical takes place in the Italian city of Florence and the story is about a young American girl who falls in love with an Italian boy. This musical won 6 “Tony” awards and continues to be on stages not only in America, but also in other parts of the world.

His musical credits include “Floyd Collins” and “Saturn Returns,” among others, but he’s looking forward to the Broadway premiere of a brand new Adam Gettel musical, “Days of Wine and Roses,” which will be seen and heard in 2024. in January. It also stars famous musical singer and actress Kelly O’Hara.

Adam Gettel is inspired not only by the works of his grandfather Richard Rogers, but also by such composers as Benjamin Britten, Igor Stravinsky, Steven Sodheim, Stevie Wonder, Bjork and many other artists, and not only in the field of music, but also in architecture, journalism and history of art.

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