Music Man: In Concert

Stage Left look of the orchestra during a performance I conducted

Photo taken by Sophie Smekens

For Metropolis’ production of Music Man: In Concert, I served as the rehearsal accompanist and assistant conductor. This was a wonderful experience for me since I had the chance to lead the wonderful 25 piece JAM orchestra for a performance, and it was absolutely incredible.

Working under Aaron Kaplan, I learned quite a bit about conducting and what it means to be a good conductor. Understanding every single part, giving all entrances, and being able to listen and lead at the same time were large pieces of work to help me become a better conductor. As well, with a large live orchestra, I found how to trust an orchestra and create music flow rather than just mechanically pointing at sections for sound to come out.

Our production involved more than just actors standing up and sitting down in chairs. We staged the musical, created costumes, taught a barbershop quarter, and involved 28 members of the School of Performing Arts, all within a short rehearsal period of 3 weeks. While tech week was quite demanding, we created a wonderful show that audiences greatly enjoyed.

Kevin Zhou conducting Till There Was You

Conducting Till There Was You