New York City’s world famous Broadway industry may have just concluded another box office breaking season; however, there is no time line when it comes to making American Theater history for there are four African-Americans doing just that.
This marks the first time in the history of Broadway that this many African-Americans are in executive roles in major productions running contemporaneously.
These four men of music during one moment in time found themselves simultaneously heading Broadway orchestras. This is a first. Broadway veterans; Shelton Becton, Joseph Joubert, Zane Mark and Daryl Waters were too busy to even wrap their brains around this important moment. However, all four had something to say when asked what this moment meant to them.
Here are quotes from those four Broadway conductors: Zane Mark, is the most recent addition to the list of conductors with his show “Holler If You Hear Me,” just opening on Broadway at the Palace Theatre. He is also, dance arranger for the current hit shows “Motown The Musical” and “Pippin” and served as conductor for the seminal “Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk.”
Zane says: “I’m so proud to be a part of this group of men that I know personally as well as professionally. This group of men can compose, arrange, orchestrate, and conduct anything. The only negative thing about being in this group; is that it’s so small.”
Joseph Joubert added “First of all, I don’t think this has ever happened before. We’ve had so few Black conductors on Broadway that we need to celebrate this moment. There are so few Black players in pits also but I can count on one hand the few Black conductors we’ve had.
When I was coming up in the business there were Margaret Harris and Linda Twine. I’m sure it wasn’t at the same time. Of course it shouldn’t have to be a big deal. At least we can say we’ve come a long way in this business of discrimination that there’s hope for us as a people. Talent should be recognized no matter what the color of your skin is. Let’s hope this positive trend keeps up!”
Joseph is conductor of the hit show “Motown the Musical.” A few of his other credits include; associate conductor of the musicals “The Color Purple” and “Nice Work If You Can Get It.” Joubert’s work as an orchestrator is represented in the shows “Violet” and “The Color Purple.”
Shelton Becton is currently conducting, accompanying and, also, acting in “Lady Day At The Emerson Bar and Grill” now on Broadway. “Having three other Black conductors on Broadway at this historic time means that we are beginning to be recognized for our abilities as trained musicians and artists,” said Becton. “It also means that other Blacks are getting their creations supported and produced for a larger Diaspora. We are the offspring of such trailblazers as Joyce Brown, Linda Twine, Harold Wheeler, Luther Henderson, and more. Hopefully it means that there is a greater acceptance of individual qualifications and less consideration of skin hues.” Becton’s other credits as conductor include; “Memphis,” “The Color Purple,” “Baby Its You” and “The Wiz.”
To sum it up, Tony Award winner for orchestration for the hit musical “Memphis” and conductor of the star studded orchestra of the critically acclaimed musical “After Midnight,” Daryl Waters says; “It means there are more opportunities for Black conductors to hone their craft. As Broadway continues to diversify in both audience and material, I can only hope this trend will also continue.”
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JOSEPH JOUBERT
Talent has taken him not only across the continent, but also throughout the world. As his reputation for solo and ensemble work grew, he performed with some of the top symphonies in the world as both a solo performer and ensemble player. He has appeared in New York City’s major concert halls. For two seasons, he served as staff pianist for the Metropolitan Opera Company’s revival of Porgy and Bess. Abroad, he has performed in the International Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy and in Nice, France. He also has performed at the Pushkin Museum Of Arts in Moscow, Russia.
He has collaborated with Kathleen Battle, Angela Brown, Florence Quivar, Wilhelmenia Fernandez, Harolyn Blackwell, Marvis Martin, Simon Estes, Hilda Harris, William Brown, Morris Robinson and Esther Hinds to name a few. He has performed at the White House with Kathleen Battle for President Bill Clinton and President Boris Yeltsin.
He has enjoyed success in musical direction. For five years he was musical director for Judy Collins in connection with which he performed with the London Symphony and many of this nation’s symphony orchestras. He served as assistant musical director of the Broadway show “Five Guys Named Moe” and was assistant conductor/pianist for the award-winning “Big River.” He served as musical director for the Gala of New York’s Shakespeare Festival, in which he worked with Kathleen Battle, Kevin Kline, Wynton Marsalis, Melba Moore, Mandy Patinkin, Ben Vereen, and Christopher Walken.
He is also a record producer and arranger/orchestrator. He has successfully produced and arranged for Sony Records Tramaine Hawkins CD “To A Higher Place” and “The Promised Land.” His other recording collaborations include Ashford and Simpson, Diana Ross, George Benson, Patti Labelle, Whitney Houston, Cissy Houston, Jennifer Holiday, Dione Warwick, Luther Vandross, Patti Austin, Diane Reeves, Wintley Phipps, Florence Quivar, The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and The Boy’s Choir of Harlem. And the list goes on.
He received a Drama Desk Award nomination for his work as orchestrator for the Off-Broadway show “Violet” produced by Playrights Horizons and a Grammy Award nomination along with Buryl Red and the Centurymen as Best Classical Cross-Over Album. He along with Buryl Red and Michael McElroy have a Grammy Award nomination for Best Instrumental Accompanying Vocalists for “Joy To The World” from the CD “Great Joy—A Gospel Christmas.”
He was one of the orchestrators for Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori’s Musical “Caroline or Change” and was orchestrator, musical director and pianist for the premiere of “Three Mo’ Divas” at the San Diego Repetory Theatre.
He has recorded Coleridge Taylor-Perkinson’s “Grass” for piano, strings and percussion with Paul Freeman and the Chicago Sinfonietta released on Cedille Records.
He was featured as conductor/arranger/pianist for the PBS special “Three Mo’ Tenors” along with the CD on BMG records. He was the pianist/associate conductor for the Broadway Show “The Color Purple” and has credits with additional arrangements.
Mr. Joubert was an orchestrator for the film “Nights In Rodanthe” starring Diane Lane and Richard Gere.
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SHELTON BECTON
From the tender age of 4 he taught himself to play the piano. He accompanied his first church choir at 7.
During his intermediate years, Shelton refined his talents by furthering his education through private study. This led him to attend Howard University, where he graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance.
Being well versed at the piano, pipe organ, synthesizer, and as a vocalist, Shelton has served in a variety of professional capacities. His expertise as a musical director, arranger, and vocal accompanist has been commissioned by such artists as Judy Collins, Roz Ryan of TV’s “ Amen & The Andersons, Roberta Flack, Phylicia Rashad and Patti Austin.
Shelton’s vocal accomplishments are in a multitude of genres. Singing pop, urban contemporary, classical, country and gospel styles are a few of the selling features of his vocal agility. Well-known artists such as Anita Baker, Billy Preston, Bette Midler, Rickie Lee Jones, and Wintley Phipps have sought his signature performance style.
With his inimitable gospel style, he opened the 1999 summer music festival for New York’s Lincoln Center. In that same year he was commissioned to arrange the Negro spiritual “Great Day” for the Negro Spiritual Scholarship Foundation in Orlando, Fla.
Shelton’s vocals have also graced recordings by Vanessa Williams and Celine Dion. One of his original Christmas spirituals entitled “Oh, How Precious” was featured on the Arsenio Hall Show in 1993. It continuses to be the finale for the Christmas tour called “The Colors of Christmas”. The original tour featured Patti Austin, Jeffrey Osborne, Roberta Flack and Peabo Bryson.
Metropolitan opera star Denyce Graves enlisted three of Shelton’s original Negro spirituals for her “Angels Watching Over Me.”
Shelton’s compositions have been hailed and featured by prestigious choirs such as the Morehouse and Spellman Choirs, and the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. His compositions have been televised on The Cosby Show, Christmas in Washington, and the UNICEF Broadcast taped in Amsterdam.
He was awarded the very first accompanist trophy at the Jung und Musik Festival in Vienna for pinch-hitting for competing choirs in the performance of Borodin’s Polevetsian Dances.
His role as producer/arranger can be witnessed on Disney World’s “Zip-a- dee- doo-dah” and “Supercal” TV commercials. His expertise in composing and arranging for vocals was evidenced on ABC TV’s “The City.”
In musical theatre Shelton has conducted productions of “The Wiz ” and “Ain’t Misbehavin,’” “The Color Purple,” “Memphis” and “Baby, It’s You.”
He also arranged two pieces for the revue “Three Moe Tenorr,” which toured the country and aired on a PBS special. He also conducted the critically acclaimed “Nativity—A Life Story” with Stephanie Mills, BeBe Winans, Phylicia Rashad, Lillias White, and Freddie Jackson.
Marvin Hamlisch, gave rave reviews for Shelton’s composition “Because This Child Was Born” when it was performed with the National Symphony Orchestra.
He recently served as conductor of the Tony Award winning Broadway musical—“In The Heights.” It is his honor to serve as music supervisor for the 2014 production of “Ragtime.”
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DARYL WATERS
Music supervisor/conductor for “After Midnight” Opening Night. “After Midnight” is the Broadway production of City Center Encores’ Cotton Club Parade. The musical celebrates Duke Ellington’s years at the Cotton Club using his original arrangements and performed by a world-class big band of 17 musicians.
Former special guest stars: Fantasia Barrino, k.d.lang, Toni Braxton, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, Vanessa Williams.
Other special guest star: Patti LaBelle (through June 29) Featured performers: Dulé Hill, Adriane Lenox, Karine Plantadit, Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards, Jared Grimes, Julius “iglide” Chisolm, Virgil “Lil O” Gadson Besides conducting the show, his conducting duties include rehearsing new cast members and musicians and maintaining the integrity of the show by giving notes to actors and musicians on their performances.
Bio: Music Supervision: Holler If Ya Hear Me; After Midnight (Broadway); A Civil War Christmas (Off-Broadway); Love U, Teresa (Asia); Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk; Street Corner Symphony (Broadway); Turn of the Century (Regional). Orchestrations: Holler If Ya Hear Me; Memphis (Tony/Drama Desk Awards); Frog Kiss (Regional); Love U, Teresa (Asia); Noise/Funk; Street Corner Symphony; (Broadway). Dance music arrangements: The Color Purple; Jelly¹s Last Jam (Broadway). Music direction: The Seven; The Colored Museum (Off-Broadway). Original music: Noise/Funk (Tony/Grammy nominations), Drowning Crow (Broadway); In Real Life; Blue Door; (Off-Broadway). Mr. Waters was the longtime music director/conductor for Eartha Kitt. He is a graduate of Livingstone College in Salisbury, NC.
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ZANE MARK
Holler If You Hear Me: Musical Director/Conductor
Motown The Musical: Dance Music Arranger
Pippin (2013 revival): Dance Music Arranger
All Shook Up: Dance Music Arranger
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: Dance Music Arranger
Never Gonna Dance: Dance Music Arranger/Musician
The Full Monty: Dance Music Arranger/Assoc. Conductor
Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk: Co-Author/MD/Conductor
Bubblin’ Brown Sugar: Musician
The Wiz: Musician
The Brother Sister Plays: Vocal Arranger
Ray Charles Live: Dance Music Arranger
Imagine Tap: Co-Author/Arranger/MD
Radiant Baby: Orchestrator
George Wolfe’s: “Harlem Song”: MD/Arranger
Thunder Knocking On The Door: MD ArrangerInsurrection:
Composer Betsy Brown: Musician
The Dancer Chronicles: Composer
Lackawanna Blues: Composer
Frances Ford Coppola’s: “The Cotton Club”: Actor
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