Scott Wasserman (born September 27, 1988) is an American musician, composer, orchestrator, musical director, and electronic music programmer who has worked on many shows both on and off Broadway. He originated the technical role of Ableton Programmer for Hamilton, and has reprised that role for Dear Evan Hansen and Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812.[1]
Scott Wasserman | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 27, 1988 |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, Orchestrator, Arranger, Conductor, Musical Director, Electronic Music Programmer |
| Years active | 2010- |
| Spouse |
Meghan Wasserman (m. 2016) |
Background
editWasserman was born in East Hampton, Connecticut. He attended East Hampton High School, and then Carnegie Mellon University's School of Music, where he earned a BFA in Music Composition.
Career
editWasserman worked as Music Production Assistant on the Broadway musical Leap of Faith,[2] as well as the 2012 Broadway revival of Annie, on which he worked with orchestrator and arranger Alex Lacamoire.[3]
Wasserman went on to work with Lacamoire on the original Broadway production of Hamilton, for which Lacamoire was Music Director; Wasserman was credited as "Ableton Programmer/Beatmaster", as well as Music Assistant, for Hamilton.[4] Wasserman was involved early in the production, including the show's off-Broadway production at The Public Theater, and has since been involved in subsequent productions of Hamilton as well, training each orchestra and serving as rehearsal DJ.[1] The show's Original Broadway Cast Recording was released digitally on September 25, 2015, and by Atlantic Records as a two-disc set on October 25, 2015.[5] It won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in 2016.
Wasserman also worked with Lacamoire on Dear Evan Hansen, for which Wasserman is credited as Ableton Programmer.[6] Wasserman has been interviewed about the way the Ableton software has been incorporated into Dear Evan Hansen's multimedia production.[7] The show's Original Broadway Cast Recording was released digitally on February 3, 2017[8] and in compact disc on February 24, 2017.[9] It won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in 2018.
Wasserman is also credited as Ableton Programmer on the Broadway production of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812,[10] and as Rehearsal Pianist for the La Jolla Playhouse production of the Jimmy Buffett musical Escape to Margaritaville.[11]
In addition to his work on stage productions, Wasserman has also contributed to productions on TV and radio. He was a musician and co-orchestrator on 21 Chump Street, a musical created by Lin-Manuel Miranda for This American Life.[12] He was also a musician and orchestrator for The CW's Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.[13]
Since 2016, Wasserman has co-hosted a weekly podcast, Song Salad, with writing partner Shannon Deep, in which the duo compose a song about a "random topic" (using Wikipedia's random article function) in a "random music genre".[14]
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Grammy Award | Best Musical Theater Album | Hamilton | Won |
| 2018 | Grammy Award | Best Musical Theater Album | Dear Evan Hansen | Won |
References
edit- ^ a b Morgan, Kate (May 2017). "DJ Broadway". Dramatics. Educational Theatre Association. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- ^ "Inside the Playbill: Leap of Faith - Opening Night at the St. James Theatre". Playbill. Philip S. Birsh. 26 April 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- ^ "Inside the Playbill: Annie - Opening Night at the Palace Theatre". Playbill. Philip S. Birsh. 8 November 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- ^ "Inside the Playbill: Hamilton - Opening Night at the Richard Rodgers Theatre". Playbill. Philip S. Birsh. 6 August 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- ^ "Satisfied?! Release Dates Set for Hamilton Cast Album". Broadway.com. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
- ^ "Inside the Playbill: Dear Evan Hansen - Opening Night at the Music Box Theatre". Playbill. Philip S. Birsh. 4 December 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- ^ Barbour, David (January 2017). "The Social Network" (PDF). Lighting & Sound America. PLASA Media Inc. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- ^ "Dear Evan Hansen Announces Cast Recording | Playbill". Playbill. 16 November 2016. Retrieved 2017-02-03.
- ^ "Dear Evan Hansen Cast Recording Makes Billboard Top 10 – Playbill". 13 February 2017.
- ^ "Inside the Playbill: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 - Opening Night at the Imperial Theatre". Playbill. Philip S. Birsh. 14 November 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- ^ "Escape to Margaritaville". La Jolla Playhouse. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
- ^ "The Radio Drama Episode". This American Life. Episode 528. 20 June 2014. Transcript. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- ^ Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Original Television Soundtrack (Season 1 - Karaoke Album) (CD). WaterTower Music. 12 January 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
- ^ "Comedic Songwriting Podcast SONG SALAD Celebrates First Anniversary" (Press release). Broadway Music World.com. 26 January 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2018.