Larry Blank
Larry Blank is a composer, arranger, orchestrator and conductor who has worked in theatre, films, television and concerts. He has been nominated for a Tony Award three times, for his orchestrations of Catch Me If You Can (with Marc Shaiman),White Christmas, and The Drowsy Chaperone. In 2012 his orchestrations were performed in Singin' in the Rain at the Palace Theatre in London.
Blank grew up in New York City and studied drama at the High School of Performing Arts. He studied piano, and acted as a rehearsal pianist for a variety of acts, reviews, and ultimately off Bway, touring and Bway shows beginning at the age of 16.
Blank first conducted on Broadway at the age of 22, leading the orchestra part-time for Goodtime Charlie and several other shows, and also did some conducting in summer stock. He was hired as Music Director for the International Touring Co. production A Chorus Line and later They're Playing Our Song. and several other productions.
Blank moved to Los Angeles to continue his studies in orchestration and composition and to pursue orchestration work in film and television. He arranged and/or conducted for many well-known directors, including Michael Feinstein, Marilyn Horne, Michael Crawford, Christine Andreas, and Joe Williams. He was music director/arranger for various charity galas, benefits and television appearances.
Blank has orchestrated/arranged two songs for the Boston Pops tribute to Jerry Herman, orchestrated the ballet Zorro for composer Charles Fox, performed by the San Francisco Ballet. He orchestrated and arranged Let the Eagle Fly, a musical about labor organizer Cesar Chavez, and arranged two songs for American Idol.
Blank's orchestration of eight songs for the Broadway production of The Producers was acknowledged by Doug Besterman and Mel Brooks at the Tony Awards.
Blank also created orchestrations for Tommy Tune/White Tie and Tails, Three Coins in the Fountain, White Christmas and Roman Holiday at the St. Louis MUNY. He conducted during for Michael Crawford´s 1999 and 2000 concert tours in Australia and the UK. He also spent two years conducting Phantom of the Opera in Los Angeles.
Other orchestrations, co-orchestrations and arrangements by Blank include Broadway's Fame Becomes Me, the Piccadilly Theatre's Guys and Dolls, Barry Manilow's recording of Rags to Riches, La Cage aux Folles at New York's Marquis Theatre, the West End musical Beautiful and Damned, the album John Barrowman Swings Cole Porter, Deborah Voigt´s 2003 concert with the New York Philharmonic, Carousel and Fiddler on the Roof at the Savoy Theatre and The Drowsy Chaperone at the Novello Theatre, A Christmas Story at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in Seattle, the International Achievement in Arts Awards in London, the UK The Sound of Music and Catch Me If You Can with Marc Shaiman.
...
Wikipedia