The music orchestrator is a lesser-known but crucial figure in the world of music. While composers and performers are frequently in the spotlight, orchestrators operate behind the scenes, transforming compositions into rich, vibrant, and multidimensional audio works of art. But what does a music orchestrator do?

Musical theatre is a unique and captivating art form that combines storytelling with music and drama. Your role as an orchestrator is to create an enchanting and immersive musical backdrop that enhances the story and engages the audience. In this article, we will explore five essential music orchestration tips tailored for the world of musical theatre.

The short answer is “when your show is ready”. The first question I’ll ask you is, why do you need orchestrations right now? Have you staged your musical or had it performed in front of an audience? Has it been through a workshop and several readings with rewrites and revisions? Do you have more interest in your show other than friends and family? Is your script and score formatted and ready for the next plunge?

This is one of the most frequently asked questions from our clients. It goes something like this... "Can you arrange this for orchestra?". Let's first define the difference between the two. Sometimes, in a musical theatre setting, the orchestrator can also function as an arranger and vice versa.