Philip Springer has been nominated for a Webby Award.
Composer Philip Springer, playing Moonlight Sonata on the piano, has been nominated for a Webby Award and a Webby People’s Voice Award for Best Individual Performance. His playing has ended up with more than 25 million views, worldwide.
Now, 96, Springer played Moonlight Sonata for his daughter, Tamar, on her birthday in November, almost two years ago. She posted a video of him playing Beethoven’s piece and it went viral.
Springer’s daughter Tamar wrote in an email, “My dad is turning 97 on May 12 and it would be an amazing birthday gift.” Her father, a long-time Palisadian, is the composer of the popular Christmas song Santa Baby.
Established in 1996 during the Web’s infancy, The New York Times has hailed the Webby Awards as the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites and Mobile sites.
The Webby Awards received nearly 14,000 entries from all 50 states and over 70 countries worldwide this year, including Springer. Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include WP Engine, Canva, Verizon, Omidyar Network, NAACP, KPMG, Wall Street Journal, Podcast Movement, All Tech is Human and AIGA.
Springer was born in New York City and went to grade and high school on Long Island. In 1944 he graduated from Lawrence High School, where he was voted the most musical person of his class.
During WWII, he served as a truck drive and was Mickey Rooney’s musical director in 1945 at a show in Germany. When Rooney was discharged, Springer took over his role as composer on an Army Show “Don’t Touch that Dial.”
Springer studied composition at Columbia College and graduated in 1950 While there he started writing songs. His first top ten song was Teasin (lyrics by Richard Adler) in 1950 which was recorded by Connie Haines in the United States and by The Beverly Sisters in the UK.
He received a master’s degree from New York University, and his doctorate in composition at UCLA in 1973. Springer has been credited with 540 musical pieces, including songs for numerous well-known singers, such as Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Eartha Kitt and Elvis Presley.
To listen to Springer play, and to vote: Click Here