Frank Wildhorn

Frank Wildhorn (born November 29, 1958) is an American composer of both musicals and popular songs. His musical "Jekyll &amp; Hyde" ran for four years on Broadway. He also wrote the #1 International hit song "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" for Whitney Houston.
Early years.
Wildhorn was born in Harlem and spent his childhood in Queens before moving to Hollywood, Florida, at age 14. Soon after he taught himself how to play the piano, Wildhorn realized he wanted to compose music. During high school, he played in and wrote for various bands, ranging from rock and roll to Rhythm and blues to jazz. He attended Miami-Dade College for two years before transferring to the University of Southern California, where he studied history and philosophy. He started writing "Jekyll &amp; Hyde" with Steve Cuden, who was working at USC when Frank was a student. He is Jewish.
Career.
Popular music.
In the popular music arena, Wildhorn has worked with such artists as Stacy Lattisaw, Natalie Cole, Kenny Rogers, Trisha Yearwood, Tracy Lawrence, Trace Adkins, Patti LaBelle, Dennis DeYoung and Linda Eder, to whom he was married. His "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" was an international number one hit for Whitney Houston in 1988.
Wildhorn is Creative Director of Atlantic Theatre, an Atlantic Records division that develops new American musicals. In 2005, he co-founded GlobalVision Records with long-time collaborator Jeremy Roberts. GlobalVision releases include a new concept recording of "Dracula, the Musical" and a new studio recording of "Jekyll &amp; Hyde: Resurrection".
Stage.
In 1999, Wildhorn had three shows running simultaneously on Broadway: "Jekyll &amp; Hyde" at the Plymouth Theatre, "The Scarlet Pimpernel" at the Minskoff Theatre, and "The Civil War" at the St. James Theatre; however, all three shows closed without making a profit, for a total loss approaching $20 million. In 2004, he collaborated with Don Black and Christopher Hampton on a musical based on "Dracula".
Wildhorn has become a prominent composer globally, with many productions in Europe and Asia having long runs. "Jekyll &amp; Hyde" is one of the longest running musicals of all time in South Korea. The musical "Carmen", with music by Wildhorn and lyrics by Jack Murphy, premiered in Prague in October 2008. The musical "Count of Monte Cristo", music by Wildhorn with book and lyrics by Jack Murphy, received a workshop reading in November 2008, and opened at the Theatre of St. Gallen, Switzerland in March 2009. Another musical, with music by Wildhorn and lyrics by Don Black, "Bonnie and Clyde", received an industry reading in February 2009 and premiered at the La Jolla Playhouse in California in November 2009. Also in November 2009, another new musical, "" premiered at the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Art in Tampa, Florida, with another production following at the Alley Theatre, Houston, Texas, in January 2010.
Wildhorn is also the first Broadway musician to work with the Takarazuka Revue on the Cosmos Troupe's production of the musical "Never Say Goodbye".
Other musicals include "Camille Claudel", which ran in 2003 at the Goodspeed Opera House and a short developmental run at the NYMT Festival in 2004, and "Waiting for the Moon" starring Lauren Kennedy and Jarrod Emmick in New Jersey in 2005, with the musical being renamed "Zelda" for a run at Flatrock Playhouse in 2012. In 2015, Wildhorn created a musical based on the popular Japanese manga series "Death Note" (this would lead to more manga adaptations, such as "Fist of the North Star" in 2021 and "Your Lie In April" in 2022). In 2018, he debuted "The Man Who Laughs" in South Korea, based on Victor Hugo's novel. "The Man Who Laughs" won three awards at the 2019 Korean Musical Awards, including Best Musical.
Other compositions.
Wildhorn composed a full-length commissioned symphonic piece, "Danube Symphony", which was recorded by the 96-piece Vienna Symphony. A CD of the work was released on December 10, 2021. The Vienna Symphony is scheduled to premiere the piece live at Wiener Konzerthaus in 2022. The premiere took place on 3rd November 2022 in Wiener Musikverein.
Personal life.
Wildhorn married Linda Eder on May 3, 1998. They have a son, and he has another son from an earlier marriage. He and Eder divorced in 2004.
Wildhorn was engaged to Brandi Burkhardt, best known for playing the role of Crickett on "Hart of Dixie". He also wrote the roles of Alice in Wonderland and Bonnie in Bonnie &amp; Clyde for her. They separated in late 2010.
In 2014, he announced his engagement to Yoka Wao, a former Takarazuka male-role top star who played the lead role in "Never Say Goodbye" and the Japanese production of "Dracula". They were married on July 26, 2015, in Maui, Hawaii.
Cast recordings.
Wildhorn produced and composed a majority of Linda Eder's solo albums and is widely recognized for his ability to release a score before the show opens and have it sell really well. Below are the major concept and cast recordings he has made over his career that have been released in the United States.
The following concept albums were announced, but were never released.
Award nominations.
Additionally, Wildhorn's musicals "The Civil War" and "The Scarlet Pimpernel" were nominated for Best Musical at the Tony Awards, and "The Civil War" and "Bonnie &amp; Clyde" earned Drama Desk nominations for Outstanding Broadway Musical. "Jekyll &amp; Hyde", "The Scarlet Pimpernel", "The Civil War", and "Bonnie &amp; Clyde" also received nominations for Outstanding Musical by the Outer Critics Circle.