R & H Org. to offer automated musicians to "enhance" live performances

[morosco]

Posted: 10/11/06 at 8:31pm

THE RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN ORGANIZATION and REALTIME MUSIC SOLUTIONS ANNOUNCE NEW PRODUCTS TO ENHANCE LIVE PERFORMANCES OF CLASSIC MUSICALS

New York - The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization and Realtime Music Solutions proudly announced today the creation of two new products to enhance and support live performances of classic musicals, from rehearsal room to the theatre. AccompanEase and InstrumentalEase are two new groundbreaking computer based systems that will assist in the rehearsal and performance of great musicals from the R&H Theatricals catalogue.

AccompanEase is a rehearsal tool that allows for unlimited teaching, training, and practice of individual vocal parts and dance sequences. It gives performers constant access to a tireless “coach” who will patiently review any and all musical parts on demand. InstrumentalEase is a performance tool that can supplement an orchestra of any size, offering a larger, fuller sound. Both products are based on Realtime Music Solutions' industry leading Sinfonia® technology, which allows a musician playing a standard musical keyboard to cover a multitude of individual parts.

R&H Theatricals, a division of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, will begin making these products available to its customers in early 2007. The first five titles in the R&H Theatricals catalogue to feature AccompanEase and InstrumentalEase are ANNIE GET YOUR GUN (1999 version), CINDERELLA, JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT, ONCE UPON A MATTRESS and THE SOUND OF MUSIC.

"The classic musicals we represent were written for acoustic orchestras,” says R&H President Ted Chapin. "The simple fact is that a 25+ piece orchestra is simply not always available today. At the same time that we are restoring the brilliant original orchestrations, we are using those restorations to inform these high quality performance tools. If community theaters, amateur and student productions, among others, can experience the musicality of these great shows through these modern techniques, then we are doing a service both to the composers and to modern productions."

Charlie Scatamacchia, Vice President for R&H Theatricals, points out that "our number one priority is to help our customers do our shows. Any tool we can provide that will help make the challenge easier is one we are proud to offer, and both of these products fit that bill." Adds Bruce Pomahac, R&H Director of Music, "I find these computer programs to be absolutely amazing. InstrumentalEase will make a contemporary orchestra of 18 sound like a grand orchestra of 35 from Broadway's Golden Era, and I know quite a few musical directors and choreographers out there who will be thrilled to have AccompanEase help them multi task!"

"We at Realtime Music Solutions are all musicians, and we are passionate about Musical Theatre," says Realtime Music Solutions' CEO, Jeff Lazarus. "So we are tremendously honored that, with AccompanEase and InstrumentalEase, we can help more organizations do more great musicals, inspiring ever more enthusiasm for the art form."

[justme2]

Posted: 10/11/06 at 11:48pm

"The simple fact is that a 25+ piece orchestra is simply not always available today..."

I thought that the problem is that orchestra members ARE available, but shows are not hiring them...in order to cut costs. Isn't this the case?

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 10/11/06 at 11:49pm

Well, not always available to community theatre, college, and high school productions.

PErsonally, I think this is a great tool for small theatre groups that don't have any other options. It would be a shame if people started taking advantage of it, though, and started using it just to save money.

[justme2]

Posted: 10/12/06 at 12:03am

That's immediatley what I thought of, though. Not the community productions that could be helped, but the Broadway shows finding yet another way to cut orchestra's out of live Broadway shows.

I know I have been reading countless articles lamenting the loss of orchestra size on Broadway, and I thought...how sad that R&H are buying into this.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 10/12/06 at 12:04am

I don't think this will effect Broadway at all.

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 10/12/06 at 12:23am

This won't have any impact on Broadway orchestras, whose minimum sizes are contractually mandated until 2013. Last I heard, the Realtime Solutions stuff was basically just a sequencer controlled by tapping notes on a keyboard. (Maybe they've updated their system, this was a few years ago.) This sort of thing has been showing up in low budget tours for quite a while. I don't think it sounds good enough or is musical enough for any first class production to want to use it, but the technology will no doubt improve over time.

What this could impact in the short term is rehearsal pianist jobs. Obviously that's the purpose of AccompanEase. (Insert your own raunchy joke about that product name, I'm trying to behave myself...) I can't believe that a sequencer can replace a good rehearsal pianist, but I'm afraid it will be very tempting for some low budget producers to try it.

[erikaamato]

Posted: 10/12/06 at 12:39am

This news depresses me.

[justme2]

Posted: 10/12/06 at 1:32am

If it won't effect Broadway shows, then I am not worried. Community productions can use a lot of sweetening. I'm glad to hear that the orchestras are indeed protected, as Techeverlasting pointed out.

Thanks for that info!

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 10/12/06 at 2:20am

they're only trying to keep up with MTI. MTI has been offering this type of service for quite a while now.

[Jon]

Posted: 10/12/06 at 5:03am

I work at a small (180 seats) professional theatre. We have two choices: do musicals using a maximum of three musicians, or don't do musicals at all.

You'd be surprised how "full" two keyboards and a percussionist can sound.

[Ourtime992]

Posted: 10/12/06 at 12:04pm

Nmerous musicians make a living just putting together minus tracks like this anyway. At least now the rights organizations that actually own the scores can cash in on them.

[Enjolras77]

Posted: 10/12/06 at 12:48pm

I think that this is a great asset for high school and community theatres. Many of these groups would LOVE to be able to hire extra musicians but cannot afford it. I have been to numerous high school productions where the orchestra consisted of a piano. The community theatre that gave me my start in performing has always had trouble just making ends meet, much less being able to hire additional musicians. Most of our productions are accompanied by what Jon mentioned -- 2 synthesizers -- and every once and a while a percussionist or random brass or wind player. It has always been a concern of the actors (and audience) what shape the "orchestra" would be in come opening night. They did Evita last season and used similar technology to what is described in this article and it make a HUGE difference. I am excited for what this could do to bolster community theatre and school productions. There is no way that this technology should be used as a cost-cutting method in professional productions and especially not on Broadway, but I don't forsee that happening and I don't think that is the intent by R&H or MTI.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 10/12/06 at 2:11pm

I agree, Jon.

I have musically directed and accompanied many small shows upstate. As long as you have a good piano player, it's really all you need for most shows.

[singingwendy]

Posted: 10/12/06 at 10:54pm

A few thoughts:

---"The classic musicals we represent were written for acoustic orchestras,” says R&H President Ted Chapin. "The simple fact is that a 25+ piece orchestra is simply not always available today.

---Not always true. And, I will tell you that most high school students, and most community theatre performers would have a VERY hard time being heard over a 25 piece orchestra.

---By using recorded music, which is what this is, either as your only orchestra or to supplement, majorly inhibits the flexibility and musicality of having live musicians. Once the track starts, you're stuck with that tempo and volume that was recorded. Maybe if you're lucky, you get a few ritards or a rubato section, but you are still bound to what's "on the tape". And if any of your performers "gets off track"....forget it, there's no way to make a quick adjustment. I know that there is technology out there that "follows along", but I doubt that most high schools or community theatres have access to that.

---High school productions should use high school musicians whenever possible. We need to realize that as much as we want a professional atmosphere for our students, it's still a learning experience. That means that the high school kids should be in the pit.

---That said, I can also see the benefits of performing with "the whole package". I've sat through productions where attempts were made to synthesize and play the whole thing on a synthesizer with really bad settings, and it was more distracting than supportive to the cast. However, I would have rather seen the show done with one piano player, bass and drums.

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 10/12/06 at 11:04pm

Sorry singingWendy I don't agree. First of all if a community or high school theatre program can hire musicians, they've got enough money for mics. Actually where I come from we still used mics even with volunteer orchestras. 2nd have you HEARD a high school/community theatre orchestra/. It's just awful!

Here's the thing. If you want to give the school kids a chance to learn something. GREAT! Don't get the traks BUT it should be an option. We're not talking about taking away union jobs here really. I personally hated the Into the Woods production I did with 2 pianos in High School. It sounded a hot mess and I was enough of a music snob then to notice. I say give me a trak.

Will there be some inflexibilty? Yes Would we all love to have 25 piece acoustic orchestras? OMG YES! Is it always an option? No.

I DO think it should be only High Schools and Community Groups. Keep in mind this is very easy to track. There is a bit of paperwork involved with licensing a show.

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 10/12/06 at 11:05pm

While I can see why a 180 seat theater that can only hire three musicans would find these systems irresistable, I'm very uncomfortable at the idea of these machines appearing in high school productions. Yes, a "Sinfonia" can to some extent change tempo and correct for wrong vocal entrances, but only when used by a skilled operator. (Sorry Realtime, but I just can't bring myself to refer to tapping two keys and hitting some other control notes as being a musician.) I would much rather see high school musicians getting some real pit experience playing their instruments with shows, rather than sitting there tapping two keys, hoping like hell they don't get off by a beat. Absolutely piano bass and drums is better in this setting. Will the music directors of these shows be given enough information to make the best decision?

Updated On: 10/12/06 at 11:05 PM

[singingwendy]

Posted: 10/12/06 at 11:42pm

"First of all if a community or high school theatre program can hire musicians, they've got enough money for mics. Actually where I come from we still used mics even with volunteer orchestras."

Not necessarily...one high school in our district uses mics, the other doesn't. Both hire professionals to supplement their pits. As far as community theatres, there is only one I know of locally that has a sound system.

"2nd have you HEARD a high school/community theatre orchestra/. It's just awful! "

That's completely dependant on the situation. I've heard awful, and then I heard a high school orchestra master the scores of "Crazy for You" and "Into the Woods".

"We're not talking about taking away union jobs here really."

Actually, in my area, all but one of the community theatres hire union players for their shows, so yes, we are taking union jobs away.

As I said, I can understand the tempation, great big sound...no mistakes....but for me the lack of musicality that will result from basically karaoke performances is not worth the trade off.

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 10/13/06 at 12:16am

Wendy you're missing the point. For all the situations you've named the traks aren't needed. If you read my post you'll notice I've said several times that we all think live is better. But what about the places that DO need the traks. You're crippling some theatre companies because of your experiences. I just think the optionshould be presented if needed.

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 10/13/06 at 12:36am

>"2nd have you HEARD a high school/community theatre orchestra/. It's just awful!

Yes, there can be weaknesses in the quality of high school orchestras. After all, these are schools, where kids are (hopefully) learning. I don't so much have an argument with using this technology in community theaters, although I'd still rather see small groups of performing musicians as opposed to machine operators there.

Should we just have high schools rent their entire show professionally performed on DVD, project it on a big screen and have the kids sit in the auditorium with their parents at the performances, instead of singing all of those out of tune notes and having to deal with amateur musicians?

Here's a more realistic question: Before long flash memory will be cheap enough, and DSP will be flexible enough that systems like the InstruEeze (or whatever they call it) will also be able to reproduce vocal tracks. I know for a fact that this concept is already being worked on. Maybe they'll have two tracks that are all the chorus parts, available to enhance the onstage chorus. Certainly I've heard high school theater groups whose choruses were just as weak as the orchestras you described.

How do you feel about having "virtual vocals" enhancing high school performances? (We all know that plenty of professional shows use prerecorded vocals at times.) Why would this be any different than artifically enhancing a high school orchestra? If there's also a track of lead vocals on the machine, would it be okay if the kids who sing out of tune just lip sync to a prerecorded track?

If it's okay to replace an out of tune oboist, why not replace an out of tune male lead?

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 10/13/06 at 12:42am

you people are forgetting WHY Broadway uses vocal click tracks all the time. It's called sweetening. It's not to "replace" out of tune singers (you can still hear them). It's to make what's there stronger. That's the point of the tracks. I think that's R&H's point. Fill in the gaps. After re-reading the original article, it seems that's the whole point. Not total replacement but enhancement.

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 10/13/06 at 8:48am

">It's called sweetening."

Sure, when it's done with professional Broadway casts it is called sweetening. Is this sort of "sweetening" appropriate for high school productions? If all the vocal parts are able to be digitally enhanced in a few years, should high schools use this technology to make their performances sound more professional? Won't this diminish the educational value of the production? (If so, why is it okay to do this with the band now?) I've already heard of high school talent shows that have had to ban lip synching, since so many kids now think this is what being a live performer is all about.

Personally I wouldn't want to see the vocals in high school shows sweetened, and I don't want to see high school pit orchestras digitally enhanced either. Let's give these kids a chance to play their instruments, and perhaps get some experience that they can use in other theatrical pursuits later on.

I'm fine with community or regional theaters using any tricks available to make their shows more presentable. They aren't in the business of educating kids.

Updated On: 10/13/06 at 08:48 AM

[singingwendy]

Posted: 10/13/06 at 12:10pm

"Personally I wouldn't want to see the vocals in high school shows sweetened, and I don't want to see high school pit orchestras digitally enhanced either. Let's give these kids a chance to play their instruments, and perhaps get some experience that they can use in other theatrical pursuits later on.

I'm fine with community or regional theaters using any tricks available to make their shows more presentable. They aren't in the business of educating kids."


YES YES YES YES YES!!!!! The whole idea behind a school production SHOULD be an educational experience. Student musicians should be given the opportunity to perform on their instruments, and if they need "enhancement", it should be with other community players. This gives them the experience of working with "real musicians" and the possibility of making contacts in the musical world outside of their school.

Plus, students need to learn that real, live acoustic music isn't perfect. There will be mistakes, there will be times people come in early, or forget an entrance. Our society is so used to hearing perfected recordings of things, they forget what live performance sounds like.

And, if your school or community group is doing a show that needs vocal and/or instrumental enhancement, then maybe you need to have chosen another show.

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 10/13/06 at 6:49pm

"The whole idea behind a school production SHOULD be an educational experience."

I've been all over this discussion. I played in the orchestras for my high school's shows, which is one of the things that got me interested in theater. At times I got to work with older professional players who were supplementing the school pit band. This was a great chance for me to meet other musicians and was really inspiring. Now I occasionally have the opportunity to be a hired hand for local school show orchestras, and enjoy meeting and encouraging younger players.

Yes, you can have the kids who play instruments join in with the Virtual Orchestra, but I'm sure glad I didn't have to do that when I was in high school. (I don't think that experience would have fostered a life long love of theater.) Playing along with a tap tempo controlled sequencer is not the same thing as playing in an ensemble with other musicians. I saw this system in use on a tour of Annie years ago, and it was just depressing. I imagine the sounds are better now, (I sure hope so) but the entire interplay of onstage singer, conductor and musician is lost. The V.O. operator tries to follow the conductor, and the other players listen to the V.O. with headphones and hope nothing goes awry.

None of the supporters of the widespread distribution of this technology have said whether they would support sweetening vocals in high school shows once that becomes possible. I'm genuinely curious.

Before all of this I had great respect for the Rodgers and Hammerstein organization for being one the only licensing companies that valued the musical aspect of musical theater.

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 10/13/06 at 8:01pm

Reading this thread makes me appreciate the fact that I go to a Performing Arts High School even more. In my production of Ragtime, I would approximate that there are more than 30 pit musicians.

[ILoveMyDictionary]

Posted: 10/14/06 at 2:48pm

I agree with high school musicians being in the pit for school shows. Why should the musicians of the school be left out? Obviously they should have to audition like the actors, and sure there would be one or two people who were bad at playing their instument, but aren't there quite a few bad actors on stage?

HS pits w/ HS students don't always sound horrible. It all depends on the type of music program there is at the school. My HS has ALWAYS used students for the pit, and we've always been a better part of the show.
Updated On: 10/14/06 at 02:48 PM