Another highly successful week with 20 music directors from all over the globe. Goodspeed's resident music director Michael O'Flaherty brings together a top-notch team of professionals to cover:

• the audition process
  
• rehearsal process
  
• working with the director
  
• orchestrating for the musical theater
  
• use of electronic sound in musical theater
  
• conducting, business and legal tips
  
• working with the choreographer and vocal arranging
  

I have such a great time sharing with this talented group how to work with an orchestrator and how to work as one.

For more information check out their website:

What a wonderful time orchestrating these great tunes through both Irving Berlin and arranger Sam Davis' hands. I have to thank my great friend and colleague Michael O'Flaherty (Goodspeed's resident music director) for helping me score a few of these songs. The musicians at Goodspeed are truly unbelievable. Since we have so few in the pit, I ask each one of them to do the work of 3 musicians. They are so accommodating and talented, and deservedly have the reputation of sounding like a pit orchestra 3 times their size.

I finally got to score "Fiddler" at Goodspeed. I have played those songs since I was just a kid learning piano. Adam Heller was brilliant as Tevye. Michael Schweikardt's scenic design and John Lasiter's lighting were absolutely gorgeous.

I was called a month before the tour had its first performance in Manchester, U.K.! We threw this together based on orchestrations I had done for Goodspeed's production in 2010. The creative team wanted several changes, and thanks to the extremely talented music director Stephen Ridley, we had all the music ready for opening night. I had a very hot band there. Very proud of the music in this production. In fact, Bruce Pomahac from the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization is interested in licensing these orchestrations. Thanks to everyone in this production.
​Friendly, polite and inclusive -Very warm feelings for Manchester.

I had such a blast scoring "Damn Yankees" for Goodspeed Musicals. Opening night showed the quick thinking of actor Danny Lindgren when he found himself having to make the quick decision whether to let a baseball bat fly into the audience or grab it and fall into the pit. He chose the latter… Kudos to Dave Keiser for playing the rest of that show with a bent trombone slide. True professionals.  One of my favorite shows I've ever scored.