Mark Hummel

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SOME OF THE TOPICS DISCUSSED DURING THE INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL R. SMITH INCLUDE:

• His father was a conductor. His mother was a singer and a voice teacher.
• He played the piano, and the violin, and the tuba, and percussion.
• He got a degree in music in a college; his Undergraduate Degree in Accompanying.
• A New York producer called him to ask him to play at rehearsals he was having in his senior year.
• After two weeks he was asked to go to Broadway in NYC to become an assistant conductor.
• When the conductor goes out to watch the show, the assistant gets up on the podium and conducts.
• The conductor, nightly, is in charge of the overall tempo of the show.
• For Newsies, he is the Musical Director and the Conductor, but he also wrote the dance music for the show, and he’s written dance music for many Broadway shows.
• He’s conducted in Russia and Ireland.

Additional Details about Mark Hummel

MARK HUMMEL is currently the Music Director/Conductor/Dance Music Arranger for Disney’s Newsies,and recently wrote arrangements for Hugh Jackman; Back on Broadway, and Dance Music for Sister Act (Broadway and worldwide). As Music Director for the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular, Hummel composed three songs for their 75th celebration in 2007. A 3-time Emmy Award nominee, Mark has conducted and/or composed Dance Music for 15 other musicals on Broadway, and highlights are the Jerry Zaks’ 1992 revival of Guys & Dolls, The Boy From Oz, and Chita Rivera; The Dancers Life. Having played the White House twice with Karen Akers and arranging for 2 Academy Award telecasts and 3 Tony Award telecasts, Hummel also enjoys creating music with Tommy Tune, Bernadette Peters, Liza Minnelli, Shirley MacLaine, Donna Murphy, Rufus Wainwright, Barbara Cook, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and Amra-Faye Wright.

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