The composer behind the acclaimed musical Wicked will be making a special appearance live in Malta, for a concert showcasing his greatest hits.

Oscar, Grammy and Tony award-winning composer Stephen Schwartz will perform at the Mediterranean Conference Centre on September 29 in a first-of-its-kind show for the island called Stephen Schwartz: Defying Gravity − Live in Concert.

He will be accompanied by the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra and a host of major national and international guests to be announced in the coming weeks.

A movie adaptation of Wicked, starring an A-list cast including Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, will hit cinema screens worldwide this November.

The American Broadway star is also the writer of global hits including When You Believe, performed by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston for the animated movie The Prince of Egypt, a Schwartz and Hans Zimmer collaboration.

Schwartz’s other film collaborations include many works with Alan Menken including Colors of The Wind from Pocahontas, Out There from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, as well as the popular live action/animation musical cross-overs Enchanted and Disenchanted from Walt Disney Pictures.

Schwartz is most renowned for the hit musical phenomenon, Wicked. This musical ranks as one of the bestselling shows in all of Broadway history, second only to The Lion King on a global scale.

Schwartz has written over 14 musicals and is the only songwriter in Broadway history ever to have three shows run more than 1,900 performances with Wicked hitting that record back in 2008.

His theatre works include Godspell, Pippin, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Baker’s Wife, Children of Eden and The Prince of Egypt, with themes often centred on magic, family and perseverance.

Limited tickets will be available in the coming days at showshappening.com.