Armando’s Personae

I’m a classically trained musician (piano, music theory/arranging, etc.) and also play jazz, do some arranging, and a lot of Music Director work for local theaters. I don’t teach due mostly to lack of time, but contact me if you have an interesting arrangement in mind.

Musical training

• Classical piano, 1972-1990, with many instructors including concert pianist and educator Michael Boriskin. Listen to a performance excerpt: Liszt, Sonetto no. 104 del Petrarca (recorded June 1990 at WesTrax Studios, NYC)
• Certificate Program graduate, Preparatory School of the Mannes College of Music, New York, including comprehensive instruction in theory, ear training, composition, choir, history of music, ensemble and solo performance
• Woodwind instruction (clarinet, alto & tenor sax) since 2005 with Lynné Funkhouser

Performing For Fun

• Recent guest sololist with YeraSon, guest accompanist with the Pacific
  Mozart Ensemble
• Drummer and keyboardist (often simultaneously) for original & cover bands Spoon (MIT Battle of the Bands finalist), More At Eleven (MIT Battle of the Bands finalist), Reminiscent Jam (MIT Battle of the Bands semifinalist), many others. Sound excerpts coming soon….

Arranging/Orchestration

Many of these were done in the context of my musical theater work.

• Oklahoma!, Contra Costa Civic Theater, 1998. With Trevor Pering, reduced the original 30-piece orchestration to 7 pieces (rhythm combo, reed 1 & 2, trumpet, trombone). Hear an excerpt from the Overture and compare it to Robert Russell Bennett’s original orchestration.
• Company (Altarena, 2004)—orchestral reductions from 14 original books to 5 pieces: piano/synthesizer, bass, drums, violin, 1 woodwind (clarinet, bass clarinet, flute, alto flute, alto sax, baritone sax).
• Merrily We Roll Along (Altarena)—reduction from 14 books to 6: rhythm combo, horn (covering trumpet & trombone), reed 1 (flute, alto, clarinet), reed 2 (flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, baritone, oboe).
• Cabaret (Altarena)—additional arrangements including re-creation of Entr’acte used in 1998 (Sam Mendes/Roundabout Theatre) revival. Instrumentation: piano, drums, string bass (doubling fiddle), banjo (doubling tuba), accordion, trombone, trumpet, alto. (During the waltz section, the tuba player switched to banjo, and the fiddle player switched to upright bass for the 2nd half.)
• Oh My Godmother! (Altarena Playhouse), 2005. Created original piano arrangements from lead sheets for February 2005 workshop performances; later created 6-piece orchestration (rhythm, reed 1 & 2, trumpet) for full staging in August 2005. Some excerpts:
  • NOTE: All music & lyrics © 2004-2005 by Ron Lytle, Arrangements © 2005 Armando Fox; excerpts reproduced
    with permission on this site; further reproduction or redistribution prohibited without written permission of copyright holders. All sound clips recorded, mixed and mastered by Alex Fox.
  • Excerpt from Bitch: original lead sheet (PDF), and the corresponding MP3 clips of the original piano arrangement and
    of the final orchestration.
  • Excerpt from Opening/San Francisco: original lead sheet (PDF) and the corresponding MP3 clips of the
    href=”media/SanFranciscoExcerptPiano.mp3″>original piano arrangement and of the final orchestration.
  • Excerpts from original piano arrangement and final orchestration of the Overture.
• I also arranged One Hand, One Heart (from West Side Story) for string quartet, mezzo-soprano and baritone, for my wedding. You
  may use the arrangement free of charge if you mention my name as the arranger in the wedding program:
  • String parts: Violin I, Violin II, Viola, Cello
  • Piano reduction including vocal parts
  • MP3 file of Finale playing the arrangement (strings only)