Minskoff Theatre
Opened November 13, 1997
The Lion King Musicians
Cherie Rosen
Conductor
Allen Farnham
Keyboard 1
Alvin Hough, Jr.
Keyboard 2/Associate Conductor
Paul Ascenzo
Keyboard 3/Assistant Conductor
David G. Weiss
Soloist - Wood Flutes / Panpipes / Flute / Piccolo
Robert DeBellis
Flute/Clarinet/Bass Clarinet
Patrick Milando
French Horn 1
Alexandra Cook
French Horn 2
Gregory Smith
French Horn 3
Keith O’Quinn
Trombone
George Flynn
Bass Trombone/Tuba
Carter McLean
Drums/Electronic Drums
Rolando Morales-Matos
Percussion 1 - Classical/ World Percussion/Assistant Conductor
Junior "Gabu" Wedderburn
Percussion 2 - World Percussion
David Mancuso
Marimba 1/World Percussion
Thomas Brett
Marimba 2/World Percussion
John Benthal
Electric & Acoustic Guitar/Ukelele/Kalimba
Tom Barney
Upright & Electric Bass
Sean Carney
Concertmaster
Avril Brown
Violin
Krystof Witek
Violin
Junah Chung
Violin/Viola
Eliana Mendoza
Cello
Diane Barere
Cello
Music Team
Michael Keller
Musical Coordinator
Robert Elhai, David Metzger, and Bruce Fowler
Orchestrators
Donald Oliver, Evan Morris, and Chelsea Music Services, Inc.
Music Preparation
Lion King Pics
The Lion King Media
The Lion King Official Broadway Site
The Lion King Facts
The Lion King first opened on November 13th, 1997
The musicians of The Lion King on Broadway bring a variety of extraordinary musical experiences showing a depth of talent that encompasses most of the music performing genre in New York and beyond.
Members of The Lion King Orchestra perform regularly with this amazing collection of ensembles:
American Ballet Theatre
American Classical Orchestra
American Symphony Orchestra
Lukes Phiharmonia Baroque
Metropolitan Opera
NBC “Saturday Light Live” Band
New York Composers Orchestra
New York Philharmonic
Paul Winter Consort
Philadelphia Orchestra
Philip Glass Ensemble
Ron Carter Foursight Jazz Quartet
Ron Carter Jazz Nonet
Lion King Musicians have also performed and recorded with Great Artist such as:
Tony Bennett, Phil Collins, Elvis Costello, Aretha Franklin, Jay-Z, Raul Julia, Madonna, Sting, Barry Manilow, Paul McCartney, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Bernadette Peters, and Lou Diamond Philips.
Lion King Bios
Allen Farnham
Keyboard 1
Allen Farnham has been active in the New York City jazz scene as a pianist, composer/arranger, producer and teacher since the early 1980's. He has performed and/or recorded with Joe Lovano, Chris Potter, Eddie Henderson, Frank Wess, Tom Harrell, Arthur Blythe, Special EFX, the John Fedchock NY Big Band, and Charlie Byrd. He has also accompanied a wide range of vocalists, including Mel Torme, Ernestine Anderson, Mark Murphy, Liza Minnelli, Susannah McCorkle, Roseanna Vitro, and Helen Merrill.
Mr. Farnham is active in the recording industry, having recorded extensively as both a leader and side musician, and has worked as a staff producer and arranger for the west coast based jazz label, Concord Records. He has also served as that company's director of national radio promotion. As a producer, he has produced over 50 albums for such artists as Charlie Byrd, Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, Lew Tabackin, Chris Potter, Buddy DeFranco and Jack McDuff. Mr. Farnham's arranging credits include recordings by Eden Atwood, Susannah McCorkle, Veronica Martell, Jesse Davis, and Monty Alexander, as well as his own albums. A 1997 release by Concord Records, "Allen Farnham Meets The RIAS Big Band," features his original compositions and arrangements for the renowned RIAS Big Band of Berlin, Germany.
A 1983 graduate of the Oberlin Music Conservatory, Mr. Farnham has been the recipient of grants from the National Endowment For The Arts and the Meet The Composer Foundation. He also holds a Master of Music Degree in Jazz Composition and Arranging from William Paterson University and has been commissioned to write works for the CUG Orchestra (Nagoya, Japan), NPO Glovill (Tokyo), the RIAS Big Band, and the Englewinds Chamber Ensemble. He is presently an adjunct faculty member of the jazz department at New Jersey City University, Jersey City, New Jersey.
Alvin Hough, Jr.
Keyboard 2 / Associate Conductor
Alvin is currently the associate music director of Disney’s The Lion King, as well as the associate music supervisor of the Broadway run of Merrily We Roll Along, featuring Daniel Radcliffe. Other Broadway credits include Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, the recent revivals of Once On This Island and The Color Purple, as well as The Piano Lesson (featuring Samuel L. Jackson), where he provided both music direction and original incidental music. Alvin has also worked on numerous films and TV series, from “Schmigadoon 2” and “Spirited” to “Annie Live!” and the South Park 25th anniversary commercials.
Alvin started playing piano when he was 5 years old. Classically trained, Alvin has performed at the Kennedy Center, at the Capitol for Mother Teresa’s Congressional Medal of Honor Ceremony, and at the White House for the Clintons while growing up in Washington, D.C. Also, via the DC Boys’ Choir, he has both played and sung in Austrian opera houses and Parisian cathedrals. But when he turned 13, his piano teacher humbly realized her limitations and introduced him to colleagues who could expand his musical horizons. She strong-armed his church into letting him play during Sunday morning services, thereby allowing him to be influenced by gospel music. She also opened Alvin’s eyes to the world of musical theatre as he was introduced to The Who's Tommy in a summer theatre camp.
Believe it or not, Alvin’s musical training does not extend to conservatory. One of the more important things he likes to pass on is that there is no special formula to end up on Broadway. As proof, even though he's currently not using them, Alvin has a Bachelor’s from Harvard College in Earth and Planetary Sciences and a Master’s in Meteorology from the Georgia Institute of Technology. His passion for music pulled him away from Atlanta and up to New York, where he has now lived since 2009. He sends love to his wife, Rebecca, and their wonderful children, Samuel and Camille.
www.alvinhoughjr.com
Paul Ascenzo
Keyboard 3 / Assistant Conductor
Native New Yorker, Paul began subbing on The Lion King a few months after it opened in 1997, and joined as a regular in 2005. He continues to be amazed every day that a production that has so much artistic integrity could be packaged in such a commercially viable musical.
Along with his regular schedule of playing and conducting, Paul maintains and updates all the synth and synth related technologies that are required to keep the show running, including triggering stage effects from keyboards in the pit. He also set up and maintained the synth technology for The Lion King production in Las Vegas.
Paul is also the Synth Programmer, Synth Sound Designer and keyboardist for the New York Philharmonic where he has performed and programmed for John Williams, Andrea Bocelli, Esa-Pekka Salonen (who was recently the featured artist on the Apple.com home page) and Paul Gemignani (Company and Sweeney Todd - for concert and film), as well as many others.
Prior to The Lion King, Paul music directed and performed in many productions at regional theaters around the country including Hartford Stage, The Old Globe, Portland Stage and StageWest, as well as The Williamstown Theatre festival for two seasons. He was also first keyboardist for the final year of the first National Tour of The Full Monty.
Rolando Morales-Matos
Percussion 1 - World Percussion / Assistant Conductor
Rolando Morales-Matos is a well sought after Latin, Jazz and Classical percussionist. Rolando is a member of the Ron Carter Foursight Quartet, and frequently plays with The Philadelphia Orchestra as an extra percussionist. He has performed and/or recorded with artists and groups such as Ron Carter, Paquito D’Rivera, Dave Samuels, Dave Valentine, Celine Dion, Michael Bolton, Nexus Percussion Group, The Birdland Big Band, among others. He has recorded movie sound tracks including “Failure To Launch”, “The Pink Panther” and appears playing on-screen in the Disney film “Enchanted”.
In 2006, Rolando was the recipient of Drum Magazine's World Beat Percussionist of the Year Award. In 2008, he released his solo album “From the Earth” featuring the Hang Drum and most recently has released his Latin Jazz group debut album “Forward”.
Before arriving in New York City, Rolando had been the Principal Percussionist with Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia in Spain, and as Guest Principal Timpanist with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. He has also frequently performed as an extra percussionist with Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Symphony. He has toured the Caribbean, the United States, and Europe with many salsa and popular bands.
Rolando Morales-Matos is a faculty member at Curtis Institute of Music, Temple University, The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, New Jersey City University, and gives clinics and master classes at many Universities and conservatories.
Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Percussionist Rolando Morales-Matos began his musical studies at the prestigious high school for the performing arts, Escuela Libre de Música and started touring with popular artists at the age of 15. He moved to the States and received his Bachelor’s degree in Classical Percussion Performance from Carnegie Mellon University, Master’s degree from Duquesne University, and Certificate of Professional Studies from Temple University.
Thomas Brett
Marimba 2 / World Percussion
Thomas Brett, Ph.D., is an ethnomusicologist and musician who blogs about music, sound, and culture at:
He has written articles on fandom and creativity in experimental electronic music, therapeutic soundscape listening apps, and his work has appeared in the Grove Dictionary of American Music and the Journal Popular Music and Society. His compositions for percussion have been recorded on Eroica Records, and he has released two collections of electronic music. His most recent recording is Singing Bowl Music. (2014).
Carter McLean
Drums / Electronic Drums
Carter McLean is what sports writers call a" multithreat". Along with playing some SERIOUS drum set, he also plays tabla and piano. In addition, he's a composer, arranger, and synth programmer. And the guys only in his early twenties! -Modern Drummer Magazine.
Carter McLean was born in San Francisco California in 1978 and shortly there after moved to Connecticut. This is where McLean listened and fell in love with music and especially the drums. At age 10 he started his journey as a musician. Today living in NYC he has been exposed to every style possible. From big band at Birdland to the Lion King on Broadway. Mclean has been busy touring and doing studio work in the city as well as touring with brother Jamie McLean and R&B singer Martin Luther. McLean has also shared the stage with Victor Wooten, Anthony Hamilton, Bernie Worell (Parliament Funkadelic) Fred Wesley (James Brown), Leni Stern and many others. McLean continually tries to check out all the knowledge in NYC and grow as a musician.
John Benthal
Electric Guitar / Acoustic Guitar / Ukulele / Kalimba
Currently touring with Idina Menzel and Ute Lemper, John has done world and U.S. tours with R&B singer Regina Belle, saxophonist Warren Hill, jazz artists Chico Hamilton, Charles Earland, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and recorded/ worked with many other artists, including: Paul Simon, Peabo Bryson, Harry Connick Jr, Steven Van Zandt, #51 Bernie Williams, Denny Dougherty, Patina Miller, Jane Krakowski, Kelli O'hara, Wayne Newton(!), and others. In New York, he has performed with the American Symphony Orchestra, the New York City Ballet, many jingles and film soundtracks, on-camera mandolinist in the movie "The Royal Tenenbaums", and was the principal guitarist in many Broadway shows…John is currently the guitarist at Lion King NYC. Mr Benthal toured internationally for 10 years with the cutting-edge New-music ensemble "Bang on a Can All-stars" as an alternate guitarist. He has played on soundtracks for several award-winning movies, including: "Enchanted", "Nanny Diaries" ,"Doubt", "Sin Nombre", and was recently featured in the documentary "Listen to the World" in an interview and demonstration of ethnic instruments.
Sean Carney
Concertmaster
Sean is a violinist who comes from a musical family with all six members having graduated from The Juilliard School. After graduating, Sean has led a diverse freelance career performing as a regular member of eleven different Broadway productions and has recorded cast albums for sixteen different productions. He has also performed and/or recorded with artists such as Barbara Cook, Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse, Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga, Madonna and Paul McCartney. Sean has also performed with The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, The American Ballet Theatre Orchestra, The New York Pops, The Knickerbocker Chamber Orchestra and the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra. He is married to a very talented web designer, Kristine Carney, and has a son and daughter, Matt and Morgan, and a Rhodesian Ridgeback, Rocky.
Junah Chung
Violin / Viola
Junah Chung's dynamic and imaginative playing has been featured in recitals in America and internationally in venues from Korea to Iceland. He was the assistant principal violist of the Iceland Symphony and is currently the principal violist of Musica Viva. Recently he was the featured soloist with Musica Viva performing Vaughan Williams' Flos Campi. He also appears often at The New York Philharmonic and The Orchestra of St. Luke's.
A passionate chamber music musician, he is the founder (with his wife, the violinist Ragga Petursdottir), of the Greenburgh Chamber Players, and often appears at such well known festivals as The International Musicians Seminar at Prussia Cove, The Bright Lights Music Festival in Iceland, and Korea's Daejon Chamber Music Festival.
Mr. Chung graduated with a Masters from Juilliard in 1996 where his viola teachers were Lillian Fuchs and William Lincer. He studied chamber music with Joseph Fuchs and Felix Galimir. He also studied chamber music with William Pleeth in London and Eugene Lehner at the New England Conservatory. > Mr. Chung is active as a teacher privately and is on the CUNY Graduate Center faculty.
Patrick Milando
French Horn 1
Patrick has played extensively with major musical groups the world over. Formerly Principal Horn of L'Orchestra del Teatro San Carlo, in Italy, he has toured and performed on Live Broadcasts with the Metropolitan Opera, as well as on numerous tours and recordings with the New York Philharmonic. He is fortunately also to be among only a few musicians to have a participation Grammy for both the Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic.
He has also performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Orchestra of Paris, the Mariinsky of Russia, the New Jersey Symphony, the American Symphony Orchestra, and the American Composers Orchestra. Mr. Milando has performed as a soloist at Lincoln Center, nationally, and internationally including a live NHK TV Broadcast in Japan.
A member of ASCAP, Mr. Milando has composed and premiered several works both in Asia and at Lincoln Center. In addition, he has published with Musicians Publications, an orchestration of Dukas’s Villanelle for Horn and Chamber Orchestra.
On Broadway, Mr. Milando has the First Horn chair on Disney's The Lion King. He has also played on numerous national Radio and TV recordings and more than a dozen Movie Soundtracks.
Alexandra Cook
French Horn 2
Alexandra has been playing horn in the metropolitan area for the past twenty five years. She started her career as a chamber musician playing with the award winning woodwind quintet Vox Nova. Alexandra has performed with Orchestra of St. Lukes, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, New York City Opera, Brooklyn Philharmonic, American Composers Orchestra and Riverside Symphony, and has held positions with the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, New Haven Symphony, and Orchestra of New England. Miss Cook has also played numerous Broadway shows including Gypsy, Secret Garden, The Who’s Tommy, King and I, Titanic and is currently a member of the Lion King Orchestra.
As a student studying horn and performance practice at SUNY Purchase, Miss Cook pursued her interest in original instruments. As a result she has been an active member of the original instrument movement from the beginning of her career. On period instruments, Alexandra has performed and recorded with many early music ensembles; American Classical Orchestra, Philharmonia Baroque, Smithsonian Chamber Music Society, Amor Artis, Apollo Ensemble, Concert Royal, REBEL Baroque Orchestra, Trinity Baroque Orchestra, New York Collegium and American Bach Soloists. The American Classical Orchestra Recording of the Beethoven Sextet and Septet, was reviewed by the American Record Guide and writes “These are wonderful boyant performances…” “the best performance now available”.
Greg Smith
French Horn 3
Greg is proud to be a member of the Lion King horn section on Broadway. He has also worked on the Broadway productions of Jekyll and Hyde, Aida, Annie Get Your Gun, Oklahoma, Wicked and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Originally from Indiana, Greg studied at Carnegie-Mellon University, Northwestern University and SUNY-Purchase. Greg is active as a classical musician and plays with many groups in the New York area. In addition, he enjoys playing big band and jazz. Greg helped to found the Taiwan National Orchestra, which recently celebrated it's 25th anniversary, and also held a position in the Vienna Chamber Opera. When Greg isn't playing horn, he can be found hiking the trails near his home in Cold Spring, NY or on the tennis courts there. He is married to the accomplished writer, Mona Smith, and has a young son, Roy.
Greg is also director of the Vienna Festival Orchestra.
www.viennafestivalorchestra.com
George Flynn
Bass Trombone / Tuba
George has toured with Frank Sinatra, Buddy Rich, Liza Minnelli, Maria Schneider, Barbra Streisand, Mingus Epitaph Orchestra. Recorded with Maria Schneider, Tony Bennett, Ryan Truesdell's Gil Evans Project, John Fedchock's New York Big Band, Dream Theater, The Canadian Brass, Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle, Michael Jackson, Gladys Knight, Natalie Cole, Linda Eder, Amy Winehouse, Sinead O'Conner, Philip Glass, James Galway and others. George can be heard on many movie soundtracks and jingles.
Rob DeBellis
Flute / Clarinet / Bass Clarinet
Rob is a creative multi-reed instrumentalist based in the New York City area for 30 years. When Rob is not performing as a regular member of The Lion King orchestra on Broadway, his fluency on all saxophones, flutes, and clarinets has made him a versatile entity on the music scene. His interest in a wide array of musical styles has drawn him to like-minded improvising artists. He has recorded and/or performed internationally with artists such as Don Byron, Muhal Richard Abrams, Holly Cole, Mongo Santamaria, Uri Caine, Jason Robert Brown, Brad Jones, Joe Daley, The New York Composers Orchestra, James Emery, Marty Ehrlich, Phillip Johnston, and Kevin Norton. Robs solo CD, Parallax, on Vintone Records, features his compositional and improvisational perspectives in collaboration with a number of New Yorks top creative musicians. Mr. DeBellis has performed in numerous chamber music settings from pieces by John Adams at Lincoln Center, The Stravinsky Marathon at Symphony Space, and recently with The Knickerbocker Chamber Orchestra at the World Financial Center Winter Garden. During 2008-2009 he was the alto saxophonist in The New York Saxophone Quartet. His film and TV credits span a wide spectrum, from Class of 3000 and Roccos Modern Life on the Cartoon Network, to film scores by composers David Mansfield, Pat Irwin, Phillip Johnston and Jason Hwang. His woodwinds can be heard on the current season of HBOs Bored To Death. Rob has also recorded and/or performed with pop icons Jay-Z, Barry Manilow, Phil Collins, Marianne Faithfull, and Dave Stewart. Mr. DeBellis is a graduate of The University of Pennsylvania and has been directing ensembles and teaching woodwinds at The Dwight Englewood School, Englewood, NJ since 1985.
David G. Weiss
Panpipes / Bass Panpipes / Seven Wood Flutes / Flute /Piccolo
David G. Weiss (Dave Weiss) is a Brooklyn based musician, recording engineer, producer, video editor, and composer. He specializes in performing on flutes and woodwinds from all around the world, including American and Celtic flutes & whistles, Duduk and Middle Eastern woodwinds, African woodwinds, Panpipes, Recorders, Asian flutes, unusual woodwinds (Bass Flute, Great Bass Recorder, Ocarinas, Overtone Flutes), and western flutes, saxophones and clarinets.
An experienced remote session musician for almost two decades, Dave records with musical artists all over the world from his own professionally designed recording studio. He has performed on several hundred TV programs and commercials, Films, Games, Documentaries, and Compositions. He also collaborates with artists as a recording engineer, producer, and video editor.
Dave performs with Disney's "The Lion King" (the original Broadway production) as a featured orchestral soloist, playing thirteen instruments. He has been involved with the show since the beginning, and co-orchestrated much of its “world woodwind” music. The show has received numerous awards worldwide, notably six TONY awards (including Best Musical), the Grammy for Best Broadway Show Cast Album, and is the highest grossing Broadway musical of all time. Dave has also been involved with over 50 other Broadway musicals, and over his eclectic career he has performed with The Phillip Glass Ensemble, Aretha Franklin, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, among many others.
Dave has served as woodwind orchestration advisor for “The Lion King”, “Miss Saigon”, Lin Manuel-Miranda’s “In The Heights”, Sondheim’s “Pacific Overtures”, “Chess”, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”, and many of the Film/TV, CD, and Web projects he works on. He also works with students at the Film and Media Music Divisions at New York University (NYU) and Columbia University. He has re-tuned many of his instruments to western tuning A=440.
A graduate of Manhattan School of Music (Classical Flute Performance), Dave also studied at The Juilliard School, and The Aspen Music Festival where he received a Fellowship in Jazz Saxophone. His principal teachers include Andrew Lolya, Harvey Estrin, Harold Bennett, Erich Graf, Al Regni, Julius Baker, Harvey Sollberger, Tom Nyfenger, Joe Allard, Tom Beyer, and his late mom Janet Weiss, his first teacher.
Dave lives in Brooklyn NY with his wife, violist Kaya Katarzyna Bryla-Weiss, who is co-principal of The Orchestra Of St. Luke’s, and is a member of the New York City Ballet and New York Pops orchestras.