ANDREW BYRNE
ARIE GONZALEZ
Arie Gonzalez (Aaron) is thrilled to be a part of such an exciting project. Although he has been involved in many genres of music (jazz, gospel, pop, barbershop, choral, etc.), Broadway is his favorite as it encompasses all these styles while telling a much broader story. In fact, he loves it so much, that if you were to roll up beside him on the street, he would probably be blasting his latest OBC. (That’s Original Broadway Cast, just in case you were wondering). Arie has written 5 original songs for the movie which include Dancing With My Voice, Love Song: A Love Song, First American Musical, Waiting In The Wings, and The World Needs Music. In addition, he has orchestrated all the musical numbers and recorded several instrumental tracks. It has been an honor to have been able to work on the music of such talented composers and lyricists. He has been musical director of several musical theatre pieces and an actor in several as well. He currently resides in Long Beach, CA and is working on his own original musical based on a hunted house tale. The best part of working on this project is being able to work with his long time friend, Jeff, who he met while working in the Entertainment Division at the Disneyland Resort.
Andrew Byrne (Songwriter for "Contemporary Musical Theatre Song") is a voice teacher, composer, performer and music director. He was twice named one of the “Favorite Vocal Coaches” in NYC in the Backstage Reader’s Choice Awards. New York: Les Misérables, A Class Act, The Bridge Project, Triumph of Love, John and Jen. Regional: Ragtime (North Shore Music Theatre), The Full Monty (Weston Playhouse), Stuck Elevator (Yale Institute and Sundance Theatre Lab), Medea/Macbeth/Cinderella (Yale Repertory Theatre). Television: America’s Got Talent. For more information about Andrew and his shows, please visit www.AndrewMByrne.com.
Danny Abosch (Songwriter for "If We Never" and Composer for "True Love") is the composer/lyricist of Placebo, a new musical that premiered in November 2010 at the University of Michigan and has since been performed at Oklahoma City University and Emerson College and will be performed this summer at the Pasadena Playhouse. Danny is also the composer/lyricist of Unwritten Rules, an original musical that had its world premiere in 2007 and placed in the Academy for New Musical Theatre’s 2008 Search for New Voices in American Musical Theatre. Originally from Deerfield, IL, Danny is a graduate of the University of Michigan with a B.M. in Music Education. Danny currently lives in New York City and is a student of NYU’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. Danny studied musical theatre writing as one of twelve participants in the Johnny Mercer Songwriter’s Project at Northwestern University in June 2009, where he worked closely with Broadway composers Lin-Manuel Miranda and Craig Carnelia. Danny also studied songwriting at Berklee College of Music. In addition to composition, Danny’s vocal arrangements of popular music are often performed by college and high school vocal ensembles. Danny is also the founder of the website BetterACappella.com. Music Direction and Conducting credits include Beauty and the Beast, Man of La Mancha, and Kiss of the Spider Woman at the University of Michigan. Danny is a certified teacher and a member of ASCAP.www.dannyabosch.com
Anne Markt (Lyricist for ""True Love") is a native Clevelander and current New York City resident. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a BFA in Musical Theatre. Since graduating, Anne has had the pleasure of being the Female Standby for THE FANTASTICKS off-Broadway and a Swing on the Nation Tour of HAIR! Anne has also performed in many Regional Theatres across the country, including the St. Louis Muny, Cain Park, and Great Lakes Theatre Festival. This summer, she is excited to be playing “Chava” in FIDDLER ON THE ROOF at the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera! Anne started writing music after reading The Artist’s Way. She then had the good fortune of meeting Danny in a class at U of M, where they began collaborating. Anne is thrilled and so grateful for this opportunity to share her writing! Proud member of Actors’ Equity. www.annemarkt.com
DANNY ABOSCH
ANNE MARKT
SONGWRITERS
Tony Asaro (Lyricist for “Gays, Jews, and Girls Who Need Love”) is the recent recipient of the Anna Sosenko Assist Trust Award for songwriting in 2008. Tony received his undergraduate degree from Santa Clara University in 1998 in Theatre and Music. At Santa Clara, Tony studied composition with Lynn Shurtleff. Tony served as Assistant Music Director for TheatreWorks' production of Pacific Overtures, and as Vocal Director for Santa Clara University’s production of Kiss Me Kate in 2004. Tony’s musical, Our Country (with Dan Collins) received its World Premiere in June of 2009 through the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. Our Country won four Planet Connections awards, including Outstanding Overall Production of a Musical, and Outstanding Book, Music & Lyrics of a Musical. It was subsequently published in the “2010: Plays and Playwrights” anthology of new plays published by NYTE Small Press, and enjoyed a successful run in NYMF in 2010. Tony wrote the libretto for Such Beautiful Things a new oratorio based on the Brothers Grimm fable, The Travelling Musician (Jeff Parola, composer). Such Beautiful Things was performed by the NYC based choir, Choral Chameleon in April, 2010. He also wrote libretti for two operas: Cycle (Clint Borzoni, composer) and All Wounds Bleed (Christopher Cerrone, composer). Both one-act operas were commissioned by American Lyric Theatre as part of their Composer/Librettist Development Program in which Tony participated in 2011. Tony's first musical, Family, a collaboration with Dr. Barbara Means Fraser for which he wrote music and co-wrote lyrics, has enjoyed two productions–one at SCU in 1999 and one at the Ryan Repertory Theatre in New York City in 2000. Tony’s other musicals include Women of Colors (various collaborators), The Many, Many Men of Tony Asaro, Broken (with Kevin Cummines) and Going Nowhere. Tony’s songs have been heard in cabarets at Barrington Stages, Goodspeed Opera House, and various venues in New York City and across the country. He currently lives in San Francisco, CA.
Robert Shapiro (Composer for “Gays, Jews, and Girls Who Need Love”) received an MFA from the NYU Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program in 2007 where he wrote the musical, SHELTER with composer Julia Meinwald.. His music and lyrics have been heard at William Finn’s “Songs by Ridiculously Talented Composers and Lyricists” at Barrington Stages, Summer Play Festival’s Composer Exposure, and at various cabaret venues around New York City. As a member of A Broken Umbrella Theatre in New Haven, he has written songs for the site-specific spectacles VAUDEVILLAIN and THUNDERBOLT. Rob has also created the theme songs for The Broadway Concierge web series for The Broadway League and "The 40 Year Old 20 Year Old" starring SNL's Kate MnKinnon. In 2011, Rob premiered his musical, 1 NIGHT ONLY: A HANUKKAH JAMBOREE at Ars Nova's ANT Fest. Current projects include the musical LE FOU with composer Julia Meinwald and playwright Bekah Brunstetter and CATCH, which he developed at the Dramatists Guild Fellowship Program (2011-2012). As producer, Rob has worked with Ryan Scott Oliver on RATED RSO (Joe’s Pub and NYMF), and he co-produced the world premiere of Isaac Oliver’s HE WHO LAUGHS LIVE with Melanie Hopkins. When he's not writing or producing, Rob works at Rodgers & Hammerstein: An Imagem Company in New York. www.thatrobshapiro.com.
ROBERT SHAPIRO
