Back on the road conducting 4U: The Music of Prince with Symphony!

Here are the dates:

5/07/19 - Morrison, Colorado @ Red Rocks Amphitheater

05/09/19 - Mesa, AZ @ Ikeda Theatre - Mesa Arts Center

05/10/19 - San Diego, CA @ Copley Symphony Hall

05/12/19 - Thousand Oaks, CA @ Fred Kavil Theatre - Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza

05/14/19 - San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic

05/16/19 - Spokane, WA @ First Interstate Center for the Arts

05/18/19 - Abbotsford, Canada @ Abbotsford Centre

05/20/19 - Seattle, WA - @ Moore Theatre

This has been an incredible experience at Paper Mill Playhouse.

The music team is represented by this multiple-choice water bottle picture.

My uncle Dr. John Knight is a professional conductor and he told me before my first 45-piece orchestra rehearsal as conductor to “Know the music.”

I’ll add 2 more bullet points to this advice: Know the music, know the instruments, and use the time wisely.

I have conducted 50+ professional and pickup orchestras in the past few years including material from a symphonic reinvention of Prince, to Foreigner hits with Lou Gramm, to the Nutcracker Suite.

The Atlanta Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, and Omaha Symphony remain my favorite experiences.

Music director for 20+ equity productions, even more labs, readings, cabarets, new works, industrials, and educational theater. Highlights include Newsies at Sacramento Music Circus, Once at the John W. Engeman, and the Broadway Swinger series with my collaborator Ben Eakeley.

Honestly, this is just an interesting photo from Carnegie Hall, and a reminder that once upon a time I only wanted to a be a professional pianist.

Currently I get to sub as Keyboard 1 at Mean Girls, Keyboard 2 at Waitress, Keyboard 3 at Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, and Keyboard I/Conductor at My Very Own British Invasion.

Keyboard programming is a hobby of mine, and I’ve used MainStage on all of my own shows plus assisted on several Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. Some highlights include A Chorus Line at City Center, Mamma Mia at the Engeman, and Fun Home at The Public.

Favorite keyboard is the Yamaha S90ES even though it’s 15 years old.

Nord Stage and the Kawaii MP series are the best new options.

Preferred DAW is Logic.

Cirque Musica presents Wonderland gave me the opportunity to not only conduct 45-piece orchestras, but to orchestrate, arrange, curate, compose, and music direct a show from start to finish, while also supervising a Canadian version of the same tour.

I music directed and conducted the inaugural tour of 4U: A Symphonic Tribute to Prince.

Hanging with Questlove in his studio at NBC is a highlight of 2018.

The show reenvisioned Prince’s catalogue for orchestra including hits (Kiss, 1999, Purple Rain), cult hits (Computer Blue, Under the Cherry Moon) to flat-out unreleased songs (It Ain’t Over Til the Fat Lady Sings, Venus de Milo).

My first experience as a Broadway copyist was with ON YOUR FEET! with my mentor, Russ Bartmus.

I may be the only copyist in New York who has a passion for both Sibelius AND Finale.

Currently the copyist for MY VERY OWN BRITISH INVASION.

Plus a lab I can’t talk about yet.

With my writing partner, Omri Schein, we have written several musicals that you’ve never heard of, so let me clue you in:

Gary Goldfarb: Master Escapist is the rave-NY-Times-review, Steele Spring award-winning 2013 NYMF production.

Mambo Italiano: The Musical will have it’s first equity production at Westchester Broadway Theatre later this year.

Withering Heights, a comedic play with music, achieved success in California in 2017.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, the 2010 Newbery Honor Award winner, is in the works.

Our original song, “Wonderland,” was the hit feature of the 2018 tour of Cirque Musica presents Wonderland (news spot here).

And other projects that I’m not allowed to discuss.

Not everything fits into a category.