Stephen Flaherty
With lyricist Lynn Ahrens, he composed the sweeping, era-defining scores for 'Ragtime' and 'Once on This Island', giving voice to the American tapestry.
Born 1960 (age 66)·American composer·Birthday: September 18·Baby Boomers
Biography
Stephen Flaherty's music doesn't just accompany a story—it builds its emotional world from the ground up. Teaming with lyricist Lynn Ahrens in the 1980s, he forged one of Broadway's most enduring and versatile partnerships. Flaherty possesses a chameleonic ability to channel distinct musical idioms, from the stirring, Scott Joplin-inflected rhythms of 'Ragtime', which gave musical grandeur to a novel about a changing America, to the infectious Caribbean calypso of 'Once on This Island', a fable of love and class. His score for 'My Favorite Year' evoked 1950s television variety shows, while 'Seussical' twisted his melodies into playful, whimsical shapes fit for Dr. Seuss. Beyond the stage, his work for animated films like 'Anastasia' produced standards like 'Journey to the Past'. Flaherty's gift is for emotional clarity; his melodies instantly telegraph yearning, joy, or defiance, making complex historical moments and fantastical tales feel intimately human.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Stephen was born in 1960, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Stephen Was Born
The biggest hits of 1960
#1 Movie
Swiss Family Robinson
Best Picture
The Apartment
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Stephen's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1960Born
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1965Started school
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1973Became a teenager
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Could drive
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1978Could vote
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1981Turned 21
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1990Turned 30
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 40
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 50
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 60
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 66 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the Tony Award for Best Original Score for 'Ragtime' with collaborator Lynn Ahrens.
- Composed the music for 'Once on This Island', which won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical in 2018.
- Received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for the song 'Journey to the Past' from the film 'Anastasia'.
- His musical 'Ragtime' received 13 Tony Award nominations in 1998.
Did You Know?
He and Lynn Ahrens first collaborated on a children's musical about dinosaurs for a theater workshop.
Flaherty is a dedicated teacher and has served on the faculty of the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop.
He originally moved to New York City to pursue a career as a concert pianist before turning to theatre composition.
“The music has to come from the character's heartbeat.”
