Brent Crayon Explained

Brent Crayon
Birth Place:New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Genre:Musical theatre
Occupation:pianist, musical director, orchestrator, copyist, educator
Instrument:piano, keyboards
Years Active:1997–present

Brent Crayon is an American pianist, musical director, orchestrator and copyist.

Early life and education

Crayon was born and grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana.[1] He graduated from Loyola University New Orleans with a Bachelor of Music degree in music performance, in 1995.[2] He subsequently earned a Master of Fine Arts in piano performance from the California Institute of the Arts, in Valencia, California, in 1997.[3]

Musical director

Crayon began his musical career as a trained classical pianist. After serving as the musical director for several productions at the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura, California and elsewhere, he made his Los Angeles theatrical debut at the Mark Taper Forum, with the pre-Broadway revival of Flower Drum Song, in 2001.[4] [5] Since then, he subsequently musical directed productions of Les Miserables in Alaska,[6] Dreamgirls in Tokyo,[7] Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris,[8] Ecstasy, the Musical,,[9] A Class Act,[10] Triumph of Love,[11] The Spitfire Grill,[12] The Fantasticks,[13] West Side Story[14] and others.[15]

Major collaborations

Crayon has worked and collaborated with several prominent composers and artists, including Stephen Schwartz, John Bucchino, Paul Gordon, Jason Robert Brown and directors Richard Maltby, Jr., Chen Shi-Zheng and John Caird among others.[16] He was the musical director for the world premieres of It’s Only Life,[17] Bubble Boy: The Musical,[18] Snapshots[19] When Garbo Talks[20] and The Devil and Daisy Jane;[21] [22] the associate musical director for the world premiere of Empire, the Musical;[23] and the musical director of the west coast premieres of First Date,[24] Songs for a New World[25] [26] and Tick, Tick... Boom![27] and the Los Angeles premiere of A Catered Affair.[28]

Crayon also served as the musical director, performing with the Upright Cabaret band, for the west coast debut of composers Kait Kerrigan and Bree Lowdermilk songs, which featured performers Sarah Hyland, Melissa Benoist, Barrett Foa, Max Ehrich, Dezmond Meeks, Meghann Fahy, Laura Dickinson, Matt Sax, Morgan Karr, Arielle Jacobs, Colleen Ballinger and others.[29]

Piano soloist

As a featured piano soloist, Crayon has performed with the Ventura Chamber Orchestra, the Long Beach Symphony and the Santa Monica Symphony.[30]

Composer

In 1998, he served as the composer for an original children's theatre production of Rapunzel, based on the German fairy tale, which was successfully performed in repertory.[31]

Teaching

Crayon is also an accomplished accompanist and has been a summer program faculty member at the Idyllwild Arts Academy, in Idyllwild, California.[32] He has also been on the staff of El Camino College, in Torrance, California, serving as the musical director and conductor.[33]

Recordings

He served as an orchestrator on the original cast recording of the musical, Bubble Boy, by the writing team of Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio.[34] He also played the synthesizer for the album Michael Byron: Music Of Nights Without Moon Or Pearl, featuring the music of composer Michael Byron.[35] [36]

Awards

In 2015, Crayon was nominated for an Ovation Award for Best Musical Direction for his work on The Last Five Years at the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura, California.[37] [38] He was previously nominated for an Ovation Award in 2005, in the same category for Songs For a New World, also at the Rubicon Theatre. A 2010 production of this musical at the International City Theatre in Long Beach, also garnered Crayon a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award nomination.[39]

In 2008, Crayon won a DayTony Award for Best Musical Direction for his work on Snapshots at the Human Race & Victoria Theatre, in Dayton, Ohio.[40] [41] In 2011, he was nominated for an NAACP Theatre Award, in the category of Best Music Director for Jacques Brel is Alive and Well And Living in Paris at the Colony Theatre in Burbank, California.[42]

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.broadwayworld.com/los-angeles/article/BWW-Interviews-Brent-Crayon-Discusses-the-Life-and-Crazy-Schedule-of-a-Music-Director-20130411 BWW Interviews: Brent Crayon Discusses the Life and Crazy Schedule of a Music Director
  2. http://cmfa.loyno.edu/music/achievements-research/brent-crayon-%E2%80%9995-music-performance-rehearsal-pianist-kiss-me-kate Brent Crayon ’95 (music performance) is the rehearsal pianist for Kiss Me, Kate
  3. http://www.brentcrayon.com/BrentCrayon_resume_2016.pdf Brent Crayon resume
  4. http://www.playbill.com/article/flower-drum-song-resurfaces-in-mark-taper-season-2001-02-com-96746 Flower Drum Song Resurfaces in Mark Taper Season 2001-02
  5. http://www.broadwayworld.com/los-angeles/article/BWW-Interviews-Brent-Crayon-Discusses-the-Life-and-Crazy-Schedule-of-a-Music-Director-20130411 BWW Interviews: Brent Crayon Discusses the Life and Crazy Schedule of a Music Director
  6. http://www.broadwayworld.com/los-angeles/article/Somethings-Coming-WEST-SIDE-STORY-Headed-to-La-Mirada-Theatre-This-Spring-20170315 Something's Coming! WEST SIDE STORY Headed to La Mirada Theatre This Spring
  7. http://www.brentcrayon.com/BrentCrayon_resume_2016.pdf Brent Crayon resume
  8. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2010/04/theater-review-jacques-brel-is-alive-and-well-and-living-in-paris-at-the-colony.html Theater review: 'Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris' at the Colony
  9. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/06/review-ecstasy-the-musical-at-artworks-theatre.html Review: 'Ecstasy, the Musical' at Art/Works Theatre
  10. http://musicals115.rssing.com/chan-19771623/all_p19.html Musicals in LA
  11. http://www.musicaltheatreguild.com/about/archives/triumph-of-love/ Triumph of Love
  12. https://thisstage.la/2016/11/la-stage-insider-222/ This Week in L.A. Theatre
  13. http://www.abouttheartists.com/artists/363488-brent-crayon Brent Crayon
  14. http://www.ocregister.com/2017/04/24/la-mirada-delivers-a-fully-realized-west-side-story/ La Mirada delivers a fully realized ‘West Side Story’
  15. http://www.abouttheartists.com/artists/363488-brent-crayon Brent Crayon
  16. http://www.whengarbotalks.com/creativeteam.html Creative Team Bios
  17. https://variety.com/2008/legit/markets-festivals/it-s-only-life-1200508862/ Review: ‘It’s Only Life’
  18. https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/17/nyregion/a-review-of-bubble-boy-in-rahway.html ‘A Bubble Around My Heart’
  19. https://www.colonytheatre.org/bios/crayonBrent.html Brent Crayon
  20. http://www.whengarbotalks.com/creativeteam.html Creative Team Bios
  21. http://www.broadwayworld.com/los-angeles/article/THE-DEVILAND-DAISY-JANE-Comes-To-Hollywood-20110124 The Devil and Daisy Jane Comes to Hollywood
  22. http://www.thedevilanddaisyjane.com/creativeteam.html The Devil and Daisy Jane a new musical
  23. https://www.backstage.com/casting/empire-the-musical-87779/ 'Empire, The Musical'
  24. http://www.ocregister.com/2015/09/25/first-date-covers-much-familiar-terrain/ ‘First Date’ covers much familiar terrain
  25. http://www.playbill.com/article/benson-and-manough-to-star-in-rubicons-songs-for-a-new-world-com-123914 Benson and Manough to Star in Rubicon's Songs for a New World
  26. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/10/theater-review-songs-for-a-new-world-at-international-city-theatre.html Theater review: 'Songs for a New World' at International City Theatre
  27. https://variety.com/2005/legit/markets-festivals/tick-tick-boom-2-1200520118/ Review: ‘tick … tick … BOOM!’
  28. http://www.musicaltheatreguild.com/about/archives/a-catered-affair/ A Catered Affair
  29. http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=3261194 Kerrigan-Lowdermilk: West Coast Debut
  30. https://www.colonytheatre.org/bios/crayonBrent.html Brent Crayon
  31. http://www.ambushmag.com/is1198/otb.htm On The Boards
  32. http://www.idyllwildarts.org/summer/teens-kids/youthfaculty/ Teens & Kids Faculty Bios
  33. http://www3.elcamino.edu/studentservices/asb/upcoming.asp 2014-2015 EVENTS
  34. http://castalbums.org/blog/2017/07/REVIEW-Bubble-Boy-Original-Cast-Recording REVIEW: Bubble Boy - Studio Cast
  35. https://www.dramonline.org/performers/crayon-brent Album results.
  36. https://www.discogs.com/Michael-Byron-Music-Of-Nights-Without-Moon-Or-Pearl/release/704700 Michael Byron – Music Of Nights Without Moon Or Pearl
  37. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-2015-ovation-awards-spring-awakening-trevor-20151109-story.html Ovation Awards 2015: Wins for Deaf West's 'Spring Awakening,' Circle X's 'Trevor'
  38. https://thisstage.la/2015/09/announcing-the-2015-ovation-awards-nominees/ Announcing the 2015 Ovation Awards Nominees
  39. http://www.brentcrayon.com/BrentCrayon_resume_2016.pdf Brent Crayon resume
  40. http://brentcrayon.com/BrentCrayon_resume_2016.pdf Brent Crayon resume
  41. http://www.daytonys.org/daytonys/117-2007-2008 Excellence - Musical Direction. Professional Awards. 2007-2008
  42. https://thisstage.la/2011/08/naacp-theatre-awards-and-festival-weekend/ NAACP Theatre Awards and Festival Weekend

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