4-28-19 Interview

4/29/19 On May 6 2019 “The New York Theatre Barn is honoring co-founder and board member Sheilah Rae with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her exceptional contributions to musical theatre as a writer, composer, lyricist and performer for over 50-years, and her outstanding service and vision for New York Theatre Barn for more than a decade”. Sheilah found her life path very young. During the performance of “South Pacific” 5 year old Sheilah told her mother that she was “going to do that.” Her parents arranged for her to study dance with the renowned Edna McRae. Since Ms McRae also required that her students know music, 6 year old Sheilah began piano lessons. She was soon studying dance, piano, music theory and violin at the Chicago Conservatory of Music. She got her first role on Broadway in “Fiddler on the Roof” right out of college and never stopped adding to her arsenal of talents and accomplishments. Listen to this multi-talented, effervescent woman talk about a career in which she has done everything. And hear a song from one of her musicals (“I Married Wyatt Earp,” now called The Belle of Tombstone) lyrics by Sheilah and music by Michele Brourman.

12/8/15 Audio Interview

The multi-talented Donald Chan is a conductor, musical director, pianist and composer. His repertoire includes 75 or 80 musicals. He has guest conducted at the American Conservatory Theater, the Seattle Repertory Theater and the Cleveland and Seattle Opera Houses. Donald was the musical director for the St. Louis Municipal Opera, the largest theater in the United States, for 12 years. Today, with director/choreographer Joey Mc Neely, he travels the world bringing the real version of West Side Story which he has conducted more than a thousand times. Luckily for us he is currently bringing his experience and expertise to the stage at the Asolo Repertory Theatre. Although he has worked with Gene Kelly, Ethel Merman, Chita Rivera, Carol Lawrence, Joel Grey, Sid Caesar, Len Cariou, Clark Terry and Shelly Manne to name a few, Donald is soft spoken and self-deprecating. In this show listen to him talk about the outrageous schedule he kept during his time at the St. Louis Municipal Opera and his decision to courageously follow his passion to be a musician and a conductor, so clearly the right choice, even though it disappointed his father who wanted him to be a dentist, also hear Pam Wiley’s review of the Asolo’s production of West Side Story and some of its glorious music.