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“It was really a mission of mine to assemble an orchestra [The Broadway Sinfonietta] of majority female, BIPOC players ... to create a dynamic and a space where everyone feels taken care of, comfortable, supported, and excited to make music.”
Macy Schmidt, Orchestrator, Music Director, Producer
Chapter 1 - Macy Schmidt: Orchestrating Equity
When Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical (based on the Dis‐ ney animated film Ratatouille) began streaming on January 1, 2021, online viewers were treated to something rare. Every musician was female, and most were women of color. The Broadway Sinfonietta, the masterful orchestra that accompa‐ nied the musical, struck a chord with all who saw and heard it.
The Sinfonietta’s founder, Macy Schmidt, watched the show from her Manhattan apartment. Ten years earlier she had entered high school unable to read music. Now, barely out of college, she had not only founded her own orchestra, but she had also written the orchestrations they were playing.
While Ratatouille streamed, Macy’s social media feeds blew up. People were filled with hope by the sight and sound of the Sinfonietta.....
...Macy had started The Broadway Sinfonietta in response to inequities she had witnessed as a woman of color working in musical theater. Now, with Ratatouille, her activism had reached 350,000 strangers, and many were reaching back....
Named to the 2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 in Music List, New York-based musical theatre orchestrator, music director, producer, and orchestra leader Macy Schmidt is the youngest of our Music Mavens, yet her accomplishments are extraordinary.
(How did the 14‐year‐old who couldn’t read music come so far by age 23? Read Macy's story in Music Mavens.)
Photo Gallery
Macy Schmidt
Photo by Em Char Productions
In addition to being an orchestrator, Macy holds an accomplished resumé as a Music Director. Most recently, she has been providing Creative Music Direction to Broadway stars Adrienne Warren and Solea Pfeiffer on their solo performance careers. She has worked with renowned Tony Award-winning artists — from performing with Kelli O’Hara at the nationally televised twentieth anniversary 9/11 memorial concert, to music directing numerous Broadway benefits.
Video
"You're Gonna Hear From Me" | The Broadway Sinfonietta featuring Solea Pfeiffer
The Broadway Sinfonietta is an all female-identifying, majority women-of-color orchestral collective founded by Macy Schmidt. Their mission is to support the existence, excellence, and equity of female BIPOC musicians, orchestrators, and contractors in the Broadway industry.
Original Music & Lyrics by André & Dory Previn. Used with permission.
Credits: Orchestration by Macy Schmidt | Vocals: Solea Pfeiffer |Full credits appear on YouTube.
Here Comes the Change | Inauguration Eve | The Broadway Sinfonietta featuring Shoba Narayan
"Here Comes the Change" starring Broadway’s Shoba Narayan, honoring Vice President Kamala Harris. Arranged/orchestrated by Macy Schmidt for The Broadway Sinfonietta. Presented by BroadStream, in association with Wherehouse Media, on the eve of the 2021 US presidential inauguration. Song written by Kesha Sebert, Drew Pearson, and Stephen Wrabel, used with permission.
Summertime - Women of Color on Broadway
Women of Color on Broadway's production of "Summertime" is a fusion of opera, jazz, and spoken word. It incorporates a dance montage reflecting the interdependent mother-daughter relationship that is the backbone of African-American culture. Sponsored by MAC Cosmetics, "Summertime" premiered on Monday February 1st, 2021 on Playbill.com in celebration of Black History Month.
Orchestrator: Macy Schmidt | Orchestra: The Broadway Sinfonietta | Produced by Victoria Velazquez | Directed by Alexia Sielo Velazquez | Lyrics by Ira Gershwin, Dubose Heyward, and Dorothy Heyward| Composition by George Gershwin | Poem by Ayanna Fowler
Complete Soundtrack for Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical, Orchestrated by Macy Schmidt
During the COVID-19 pandemic, writing content for an imagined Ratatouille musical captured the imaginations of bored musical theater creatives on TikTok. They posted songs, costume ideas, even a digital, downloadable theater Playbill. In December 2020, Disney greenlighted Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical, a one-time benefit performance using TikTokers’ creations. The benefit, streamed by 350,000 households in early January 2021, raised $2 million to help unemployed actors. Macy Schmidt orchestrated the music and The Broadway Sinfonietta accompanied the cast.
Tracks: 0:00 Overture • 1:29 Anyone Can Cook • 5:03 Trash is our Treasure • 8:42 I Knew I Smelled a Rat (Prologue) • 9:35 Remember My Name • 12:53 Anyone Can Cook (Reprise) • 14:46 Kitchen Tango • 17:52 The Rat's Way Of Life • 21:14 I Knew I Smelled a Rat • 24:37 Ratatouille • 26:48 Finale • 29:03 Curtain Call • 31:30 Incidental Music
Full credits available on YouTube.
New Musical "Ride" | First listen
The titular track from new musical RIDE which opened at the Charing Cross Theatre in London's West End in August 2022. Set in 1895, this world premiere musical follows Annie Londonderry, who returns to America after becoming the first woman to bicycle around the world. The song is performed by Liv Andrusier as Annie Londonderry. Orchestrations by Macy Schmidt. Orchestra: The Broadway Sinfonietta.
"It Starts With Me" | The Broadway Sinfonietta featuring Lianah Sta. Ana
"It Starts With Me" is an original song commission for the 2021 Atlantic Festival, with music by Daniel Mertzlufft and lyrics by Kate Leonard, sung by Broadway's Lianah Sta. Ana.
Orchestrator/Conductor: Macy Schmidt | Orchestra: The Broadway Sinfonietta | Vocals: Lianah Sta. Ana | Full credits available on YouTube.
Start with a Bang (featuring Julie Benko & The Broadway Sinfonietta)
Start With a Bang is a new song written by Daniel Mertzlufft and Kate Leonard. Kate and Dan’s work has been recognized with awards and nominations from the Drama League, the Webbys, and ASCAP (Dan). In 2022, they were finalists for both the Kleban Prize (Kate) and the Fred Ebb Award.
Orchestrator: Macy Schmidt | Orchestra: The Broadway Sinfonietta | Full credits available on YouTube.
Links
The Broadway Sinfonietta
The Broadway Sinfonietta
The Broadway Sinfonietta
Visit The Broadway Sinfonietta's website to learn more.
Macy Schmidt's Website
The Broadway Sinfonietta
The Broadway Sinfonietta
Visit Macy Schmidt's website for the latest news and media.
Macy's Instagram
Macy's Instagram
Macy's Instagram
Keep up with Macy and the Broadway Sinfonietta in NYC on Macy's IG feed.
Macy in the News
Macy's Instagram
Macy's Instagram
How Macy Schmidt Created the 2023 Tony Awards Opening and Closing Numbers when no new original writing nor lyrics were permitted due to the WGA strike.
Music Mavens: 15 Women of Note in the Industry
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