With regard to his own music, any arranger who expects to improve the quality of his work must be his own most severely demanding critic. He must constantly reevaluate his output, comparing his intentions with the results.

-Don Sebesky

In the end, an orchestrator is not writing for instruments as much as for instrumentalists. Every instrument in the modern orchestra has its own history and culture, which is preserved in teaching; gaining a sense of what it is to be a violinist, clarinetist or trombonist is essential in learning to write effectively for the orchestra.

-William Bolcom

I don't know anything about music. In my line you don't have to.

-Elvis Presley

email the arranger

Examples

All sheet music examples are in PDF format, and may be viewed with Adobe Acrobat Reader, available here. Audio examples are in MP3 format.

Vocal Music

Transpositions

"Someone to Watch Over Me" - George Gershwin
"Long Ago" - Jerome Kern
"Dream Variation" - Margaret Bonds/Langston Hughes

Transcriptions

"Il Adore" from Taboo
"See I'm Smiling" from The Last 5 Years

Lead Sheets

"My Romance" - Rodgers & Hart
"Fatso" - Jonatha Brooke

Choral Arrangement

"Beautiful City" from Godspell

Instrumental Music

Single-Instrument Parts

"The Star Spangeld Banner" Baritone saxophone part

Small Ensemble Arrangement

"The Star Spangled Banner" for Alto, Tenor and Baritone Saxophone
"Song for the Mira" for 2 celtic harps
"As Time Goes By" for 2 oboes and cor anglais

Orchestration

"Something Like a Mother" from Jubilee

Music Engraving

Composition for 12 Instruments - Milton Babbit
Synchronisms - Mario Davidovsky
Piece for 4 Pianos - Morton Feldman
"Lacrimosa" from Requiem Canticles - Igor Stravinsky
Kreuzspiel - Karlheinz Stockhausen
Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima - Krzysztof Penderecki

Audio Services

Piano Backing Tracks

"See I'm Smiling" from The Last 5 Years
"I Will be Loved Tonight" from I Love You, You're Perfect...Now Change
"Prelude 1" from 24 Preludes - Frederic Chopin

Orchestrated Backing Tracks

"It's Hard to Speak My Heart" from Parade