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William David "Bill" Brohn (March 30, 1933 – May 11, 2017) was an American arranger and orchestrator, best known for his scores ofmusicals such asMiss Saigon,Ragtime andWicked. He won theTony Award for Best Orchestrations forRagtime and won theDrama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations three times.[1]
His work was eclectic, orchestrating many different styles of music. His modern scores are known for their keyboard writing for the orchestra pit, and their balance between acoustic and synthesised sounds. Brohn was one of the few theatre orchestrators to use theE-bow attachment to the electric guitar, which can be heard in his orchestrations forWicked andMary Poppins.[citation needed]
Born inFlint, Michigan, Brohn later studied Music Theory atMichigan State University, graduating with a Bachelor of Music in 1955.[1][2] He also studied Composition at theNew England Conservatory (1958) and took further education inTanglewood, Massachusetts and inSalzburg, Austria. He was also mentored by the celebrated arrangerRobert Russell Bennett. While a student, he performed on theContrabass with dance bands, and some of these jazz and pop elements can be seen regularly in his Broadway arrangements.
In the 1960s, Brohn began his career as conductor for theJoffrey Ballet,American Ballet Theatre, and theRoyal Ballet's tours of America. He then focused on orchestration during the next two decades, producing ballet scores forAgnes de Mille,Lar Lubovitch,Twyla Tharp,Susan Stroman and theAmerican Ballet Theatre.[3]
In 1989, Brohn began to collaborate withCameron Mackintosh, orchestrating approximately ten of his shows[4] also working on scores for musicals withTrevor Nunn and theRoyal National Theatre, London.[3]
Additionally, Brohn has provided arrangements forLiza Minnelli (the complete orchestrations to herMinnelli on Minnelli tour, 1999–2000)Marilyn Horne,Renée Fleming,Frederica von Stade,Plácido DomingoJudy Collins andJerry Hadley which have all been recorded. Brohn has also collaborated with conductors such asAndré Previn,John Williams andKeith Lockhart.
In 1987 Brohn was commissioned to make an adaptation of Prokofiev's film scoresAlexander Nevsky andIvan the Terrible which were later recorded onto CD. A Sony CD of his one-movement Suite from Bernstein'sWest Side Story for violin and orchestra, featuringJoshua Bell as violin soloist, was released in 2001. He also made arrangements forSir James Galway on his Sony CDWind Beneath My Wings. He has provided music for the Boston Pops Orchestra, including various adaptations of Christmas and theatre music, as well as for the Cleveland Orchestra and the Hollywood Bowl.
In 1996 Brohn was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Fine Art from Michigan State University and later presented a master class there entitled "The Future of Musical Theatre" in 2004.[2]
On 4 October 2009, the concertFrom Broadway to West End: By Special Arrangement was held in Bill's honour at theTheatre Royal Drury Lane in aid of the charity CLIC Sargent. The concert was conducted by his protégé Chris Jahnke and featured songs fromOklahoma!,My Fair Lady,Curtains,Wicked,Sweet Smell of Success,Miss Saigon,Mary Poppins,Ragtime,Oliver!,South Pacific,The Three Musketeers,Crazy for You andCarousel.
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