A frequently asked question: "What's the difference between an orchestration and a reduction?"
​
ORCHESTRATIONS require special skill in adapting the music for instrumentation and mostly new music. As the orchestrator, I am listening to a piano part or looking at the piano-vocal score and I build/expand the sound to give more instrumental color to the piece of music.

REDUCTIONS are taking existing orchestrations, and scaling them down to fit the theatre company's budget, production, space (the actual location where the musicians play in the theater), and performance venue. Many theatre companies cannot afford or fit the full orchestration to titles including My Fair Lady, Sweeney Todd, West Side Story, Into The Woods, Guys and Dolls, and Ragtime, etc, which requires many instruments. Sometimes it can even be a 12-piece or a 9-piece, and that is still too large or too much money for that particular production and theatre company.

When reducing an orchestration, my job is to honor both the composer and the original orchestrations. I do not "arrange", "alter", "fix", or "create" new orchestrations. I simply make the written orchestration work for that size orchestra; making a 7-piece sound like a 15-piece or a 9-piece sound like a 20-piece, etc.
​
For more information about reduced orchestrations and rates, please Contact me.
Please check out my work previous reduced orchestrations!

She Loves Me  (6-piece)

Playmakers REP
Music Director: Mark Hartman
Orchestration: Reed, Violin, Cello, Keyboard, Piano, Percussion

Oklahoma!  (13-piece)

North Shore Music Theatre
​Music Director: Mark Hartman
Orchestration: Flute, Clarinet I & II, Horn, Trumpet I & II, Trombone, Keyboard (covers Oboe, Horn II, Bassoon and additional strings), Harp, Violin, Cello, Bass, Percussion

My Fair Lady (12-piece)

Servant Stage Company
Music Director: Kendra Bigley
Orchestration: Piccolo/Flute, Clarinet, Bassoon, French Horn, Trumpet, Trombone, Keyboard, Violin I & II, Cello, Bass, Percussion

Ragtime  (7-piece)

Playmakers REP
Music Director: Mark Hartman
Orchestration: Reed (Flute, Clarinet, Alto Saxophone), French Horn, Violin, Piano, Keyboard, Double Bass, Drums/Percussion

Sweeney Todd:
The Demon Barber
​Of Fleet Street  (9-piece)

Ephrata Performing Arts Center
Orchestration: Reed I (Flute/Piccolo), Reed II (Clarinet/Bass Clarinet), Trumpet, Trombone, Keyboard, Violin, Cello, Bass, Percussion

PREVIOUS / IN-PROGRESS REDUCED ORCHESTRATIONS

1776 (8-piece)
  1. Reed (Piccolo, Flute, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet)
  2. Trumpet
  3. Trombone
  4. Keyboard
  5. Violin
  6. Cello
  7. Double Bass
  8. Drums/Percussion
Annie (9-piece)
  1. Reed I (Flute, Piccolo, Clarinet, Soprano Saxophone, Alto Saxophone)
  2. Reed II (Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Bass Clarinet)
  3. Reed III (Flute, Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone)
  4. Trumpet
  5. Trombone
  6. Piano
  7. Keyboard
  8. Double Bass
  9. Drums/Percussion
Assassins (8-piece)
  1. Reed (Piccolo, Flute, Clarinet, Soprano Saxophone, Alto Saxophone)
  2. Trumpet
  3. Trombone
  4. Keyboard I
  5. Keyboard II
  6. Guitar
  7. Bass
  8. Drums/Percussion
Brigadoon (9-piece)
  1. Reed I (Piccolo, Flute, Clarinet)
  2. Reed II (Bassoon)
  3. French Horn
  4. Trumpet
  5. Keyboard
  6. Violin
  7. Cello
  8. Double Bass
  9. Percussion

A Christmas Carol [Broadway version, Menken] (10-piece)
  1. Reed I (Piccolo, Flute, Clarinet, Alto Sax)
  2. Reed II (Flute, Clarinet, Tenor Sax, Bass Clarinet)
  3. French Horn
  4. Trumpet
  5. Trombone
  6. Keyboard I
  7. Keyboard II
  8. Violin
  9. Double Bass
  10. Percussion
The Color Purple (8-piece)
  1. Reed I (Flute, Clarinet, Alto Sax)
  2. Reed II (Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Tenor Sax) 
  3. Trumpet
  4. Keyboard I
  5. Keyboard II
  6. Guitar
  7. Bass
  8. Drums/Percussion
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (9-piece)
  1. Reed I (Piccolo, Flute, Clarinet, Soprano Saxophone, Alto Saxophone)
  2. Reed II (Flute, Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Bass Clarinet)
  3. Trumpet
  4. Trombone
  5. Keyboard I
  6. Keyboard II
  7. Guitar (Acoustic, Electric, Banjo)
  8. Bass (Acoustic, Electric)
  9. Drums/Percussion
A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum (8-piece)
  1. Reed I (Piccolo, Flute, Clarinet, Alto Sax, Tenor Sax)
  2. Reed II (Flute, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Baritone Sax)
  3. Trumpet
  4. Trombone
  5. Keyboard I
  6. Keyboard II
  7. Double Bass
  8. Drums/Percussion
Guys and Dolls (9-piece)
  1. Reed I (Alto Saxophone, Piccolo, Flute, Clarinet)
  2.  Reed II (Tenor Saxophone, Oboe, Clarinet, Flute)
  3. Reed III (Bari Saxophone, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet)
  4. French Horn
  5. Trumpet
  6. Trombone
  7. Piano
  8. Double Bass
  9. Drums/Percussion
Hello, Dolly! (9-piece)
  1. Reed I (Piccolo, Flute, Clarinet, Alto Sax)
  2. Reed II (Flute, Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone)
  3. Reed III (Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Baritone Sax)
  4. Trumpet
  5. Trombone
  6. Piano
  7. Keyboard
  8. Double Bass
  9. Drums/Percussion
Into The Woods (6-piece)​
  1. Reed I (Piccolo, Flute, Clarinet)
  2. Reed II (Bassoon)
  3. Piano
  4. Violin
  5. Cello
  6. Percussion
Into The Woods (9-piece)​
  1. Reed I (Piccolo, Flute, Clarinet)
  2. Reed II (Bassoon)
  3. French Horn
  4. Trumpet (B flat)
  5. Keyboard
  6. Violin
  7. Cello
  8. Double Bass
  9. Percussion
A Little Night Music (8-piece)​
  1. Reed I (Piccolo, Flute, Clarinet)
  2. Reed II (Bassoon)
  3. Piano / Conductor
  4. Harp
  5. Violin
  6. Viola
  7. Cello
  8. Double Bass
Man Of La Mancha (9-piece)
  1. Reed I (Piccolo, Flute)
  2. Reed II (Clarinet, Bass Clarinet)
  3. French Horn
  4. Trumpet
  5. Trombone
  6. Keyboard
  7. Guitar
  8. Double Bass
  9. Percussion
Peter Pan (10-piece)
  1. Reed I (Piccolo, Flute, Clarinet)
  2. Reed II (Bassoon, optional Bass Clarinet)
  3. Trumpet
  4. Trombone
  5. Keyboard I
  6. Keyboard II
  7. Violin
  8. Cello
  9. Double Bass
  10. Drums/Percussion
The Producers (9-piece)
  1. Reed I (Piccolo, Flute, Clarinet, Alto Sax)
  2. Reed II (Flute, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Tenor Sax)
  3. Trumpet
  4. Trombone
  5. Keyboard I
  6. Keyboard II
  7. Violin
  8. Double Bass
  9. Drums/Percussion
Victor/Victoria (10-piece)
  1. Reed I (Piccolo, Flute, Clarinet, Soprano Sax, Alto Sax)
  2. Reed II (Piccolo, Flute, Clarinet, Tenor Sax)
  3. Reed III (Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Baritone Sax)
  4. Trumpet
  5. Trombone
  6. Keyboard I
  7. Keyboard II
  8. Violin
  9. Double Bass
  10. Drums/Percussion
West Side Story (13-piece)
  1. Reed I (Flute, Piccolo, Clarinet, Alto Sax)
  2. Reed II (Flute, Piccolo, Clarinet, Tenor Sax)
  3. Reed III (Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Baritone Sax)
  4. Trumpet I
  5. Trumpet II
  6. Trombone (Tenor and Bass)
  7. Piano
  8. Keyboard
  9. Violin
  10. Cello
  11. Double Bass
  12. Percussion I
  13. Percussion II (Drums)
The Wiz (9-piece)
  1. Reed I (Piccolo, Flute, Alto Sax)
  2. Reed II (Flute, Clarinet, Tenor Sax)
  3. Trumpet
  4. Trombone
  5. Keyboard I
  6. Keyboard II
  7. Guitar
  8. Bass
  9. Drums/Percussion