Theatre

I work both as a composer and sound designer for live productions, including staged plays, dance recitals, and musicals. Each production has a unique story to tell and a unique soundscape to capture; therefore, I am quite accustomed to working with many different styles of music as well as different approaches to sound design. Below are some highlights from a selection of productions.

All music listed below belongs to the composer and may not be used by other parties without expressed permission. If you are interested in using any of my previous musical content in your own production, I do offer a license to use the audio tracks for each show listed below. For more information on availability and pricing, please feel free to reach out.

Little Women

Kate Hamill

Based on Alcott’s classic novel, Hamill’s contemporary adaptation of this well-known and beloved tale offers a lot of opportunity for musical storytelling. The script has many in scene musical moments, including character moments at the piano, on-stage dancing, and a few sung reprises of Battle Hymn of the Republic. The play also portrays a range of emotional moments, some filled with joy and humor, others with heartbreak and tragedy. As the play already lends itself to being so musical, my aim was to further highlight and enrich these moments through the power of music.

The Lehman Trilogy

Stefano Massini

An epic storytelling of the rise and fall of Lehman Brothers and the family that started it, this play demands three very compelling, energetic actors and a very strong design that supports their travels through time. The play consists of mostly narrations, many of which can be supported by underscoring. This production was probably the largest amount of music I produced for any theatrical production. My score mainly focused around the piano and the Jewish-German origin of the original three brothers.

She Kills Monsters

Qui Nguyen

Over the course of my career, I have had the privilege of composing for this show in three different productions. For each one, I produced a new set of tracks in order to properly accommodate the unique vision of each production. As the show requires a lot of movement and combat, my one consistent goal was to make my music and sound match the energy of everything performed on stage.

Men on Boats

Jaclyn Backhaus

This exciting play by Backhaus tells story of the true accounts of John Wesley Powell and his crew. In the year of 1869, the party sets on a geographical expedition down the Green and Colorado Rivers and, as expected, things get a little rocky. The play dives into themes of adventure, adversity, perseverance, friendship and brotherhood. The original score features the instrumental talent of fiddle and banjo duo Betse & Clark. More information on the players can be found at https://www.betseandclarke.com/.

Twelfth Night

William Shakespeare

Setting this play in the late 1920s, our goal for the music and songs of this production was to capture the spirit of the music of that time. Drawing inspiration from early jazz, stride piano, and the Great American Songbook, I dove into Shakespeare’s lyrics and set them to music. The goal in mind was to honor the intention of his text while capturing the musical essence of the time. Originally meant for the stage, this production was recorded via Zoom video calls due to COVID restrictions. Recordings feature actress Jess Andrews and pianist Bram Wijnands.