BIO
David Andrews Rogers is a Music Director and Conductor whose experience ranges from Broadway National Tours to Symphony Pops Concerts. He has Music Directed extensively in regional theatre, is an Orchestrator and Arranger, an Educator and Vocal Coach, and has been a performer in nightclubs and supper clubs all over the United States, in addition to numerous readings of new musicals in New York City.
In the Fall of 2016, David began a two-year engagement as Music Director and Conductor for the First National Tour of the acclaimed Broadway production of An American in Paris. That production will be on tour, through July, 2018.
David made his professional theatre debut at the age of twelve in the pit orchestra of a Texas summer stock production of Kiss Me, Kate. He made his conducting debut in 1979 at Dallas Repertory Theatre with a production of Shenandoah, and he went on to music direct and conduct dozens of additional productions at DRT. His other regional theatre experience includes Ford’s Theatre in Washington DC, Sacramento’s Music Circus, Westchester Broadway Theatre, the Gateway Playhouse on Long Island, the North Carolina Theatre, and numerous seasons at Lyric Theatre in Oklahoma City.
David’s touring experience includes being Music Director and Conductor for the Broadway national tours of Hal Prince’s production of Show Boat, Les Misérables, as well as Chicago, Cats, Fiddler on the Roof and the Andrew Lloyd Webber production of The Wizard of Oz. He began his Broadway touring career in 1995 as Associate Conductor of the national tour of The Phantom of the Opera. In 1992, he was Music Director and Conductor for the national tour of Heart Strings, and his work with that show was featured in the ABC-TV prime-time special, In a New Light, where he conducted for guest stars Joel Grey, Nell Carter, and Patti LuPone.
As a Symphony Pops Conductor, David made his Carnegie Hall debut with the New York Pops in 2003 in a tribute to Broadway composers John Kander and Fred Ebb. He returned to Carnegie Hall annually for several years as either a conductor or orchestrator or both. His other guest conducting experience includes New York’s Lincoln Center, the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra and Harlem’s legendary Apollo Theatre. In addition, David has been guest conductor for the Oklahoma City Philharmonic in 2012 (Waterloo), 2014 (The Midtown Men), 2015 (All That Jazz: A Symphonic Tribute to Kander & Ebb, starring Broadway’s Beth Leavel), and 2016 (The Spy Who Loved Me, starring Sheena Easton and Scott Coulter). He will return to the OKC Phil in November of 2017 to Guest Conduct The Wonderful Music of Oz.
As an Orchestrator and Vocal Arranger, David’s work has been played by orchestras all over the United States and Canada, and he has been represented on recordings including Broadway singer Sal Viviano’s “The Standards of Love”, RSVP ...the vocal group’s “No Holds Barred” (Manhattan Association of Cabarets MAC Award nominee), and the former star of the Moulin Rouge Debbie de Coudreaux’s debut recording, “Have a Little Paris On Me”.
David has been Music Director and Conductor for 1980s pop star Debbie Gibson in venues as diverse as Carnegie Hall, live appearances on Serius Radio, in casinos in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, and in concert in Singapore. His most recent orchestrations have been for Debbie in association with Cirque Musica, for Florence Henderson (2015) and for Kenita Miller (2016) in Broadway Backwards, and for The Midtown Men. In addition, he has conducted and/or written orchestrations for Broadway stars Patti LuPone, Joel Grey, Olivia Newton-John, Sutton Foster, Beth Leavel, Nell Carter, Kristin Chenoweth, Karen Ziemba, Bob Cuccioli, Sandy Duncan, Emily Skinner, Carol Lawrence, Billy Porter, Sam Harris, and many others.
Most recently, David was Associate Music Supervisor for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new production of The Wizard of Oz, including U.S. national tours in 2013-14 and 2015-16. In addition, he was Music Director and Conductor for the show - as Le Magicien D’Oz (and in French!) - at the Palais des Congrès in Paris and at the Forest National Theatre in Brussels.
In New York, David has been Music Director, Supervisor, and/or Arranger for numerous readings and workshops of new musicals including Caligula and Unlock’d, both at the New York Music Theatre Festival, as well as Boy Meets Boy, Merman’s Apprentice, Portofino, and most recently, Happy Hunting at the York Theatre. He made his Off-Broadway debut as Music Supervisor for The Vocal Lords at the Theatre at St. Clements. David has also been Music Supervisor, Arranger, and Orchestrator for two editions of Broadway Does Country at New York’s famed supper club, 54 Below.
David’s most recent regional theatre experience includes Summer 2016 productions of The Wizard of Oz, Fiddler on the Roof, and The Drowsy Chaperone (starring Emily Skinner), 2015 productions of Oklahoma, Mary Poppins, Big Fish and Billy Elliot, and a 2014 production of A Little Night Music (starring Dee Hoty, Emily Skinner and George Dvorsky), all at Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma.
David grew up in Texas, and lived in Dallas for 17 years. In Dallas, David was Music Director and Conductor for shows in most of the regional theatres in the area. In addition, for 4 1/2 years he was Music Director and Arranger for the 4-part harmony vocal group, RSVP who were based in Dallas but toured the country appearing in cabarets, theatres and supper clubs all over the U.S. including many sold-out engagements in New York City cabarets. His work with that group was featured on RSVP’s debut album, “No Holds Barred”, and with the group he was awarded New York’s Bistro and MAC Awards.
As an educator, David has been on the faculty of New York’s American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) and of Dallas’ Performing Artists Musical Theatre Conservatory, as well in his private voice studio in New York City and in master classes and workshops for the Broadway Classroom.
Educated at Southern Methodist University in Dallas and Queen’s College, Oxford University, David now makes his home in New York City.