Visualization

The Wizard of 1:1:1

No. 1 Self / Dorothy 

DavidChaseMusic.com 🥹😍🤩

David Chase is living the dream! He gets to work with people at the top of their game: Schmigadoon, Maisel, Etoile, and more.

No one does exactly what David Chase does. His work is muscular — always carrying a strong point of view. He's the ultimate storyteller, hugely progressive in his politics. He thinks like a director, not just a musician - with meticulous attention to detail on musical or storytelling choices.

David tells stories through music. He knows how to build a number, bringing theatrical sensibilities to film, television, The Boston Pops, and even the choral world! His arrangements feel right and complete, transporting the audience on a journey – whether through joy, sadness, laughter, or revelation – making them different people by the end. He saves spirits through catharsis.

His music is classic and timeless, echoing the best of the late 40s/50s/early 60s when bandleaders and arrangers like Nelson Riddle and Duke Ellington were at their peak. He creates music that's truly intelligent, sophisticated, smart, joyous, and sexy. Because of his rich understanding of musical history, audiences love and appreciate his work - even if they can't explain why.

Looking at the industry, there are other wonderful dance arrangers – Glen Kelly, Sam Davis – whose work is admirable, but they don't have the leadership qualities to be a music director or work with actors. There are excellent arranger/orchestrator/music director types - Steven Oremus, Alex Lacamoire, Ian Eisendrat, Michael Kosarin - who excel in their roles but don't have the visual awareness David has for making music and visuals work together. There are pure orchestrators like Doug Besterman who are ideal collaborators, but they lack the social skills to bounce off everyone's creative energies.

David is ALWAYS in the room where it happens — working with dancers, actors, and musicians — and he's a great time. He has phenomenal "ears" and an incredibly chill and positive energy. He is passionate, dedicated, equanimous, unflappable, patient, and fucking smart - he has an astonishingly large mental storehouse of trivial information. Outwardly humble and secretly extremely confident, he makes people laugh.

He's probably the most important man in theater in the 21st century. He accomplished astonishing things as an arranger, and no one really knew who he was until the Tony Awards. I feel a very deep kinship with him and the way he approaches music. His "still waters run deep" approach and progressive disclosure of knowledge make his work fascinating to study. He's committed to teaching and promoting folks to learn and grow in their way. His approach of "research, research, research" and "data over dogma" makes him a beacon of intelligence and reason at a time when many manipulate the arts for selfish purposes.

His brain works like a puzzle master. He achieves Genius level on the NYTimes Spelling Bee every morning and completes several other puzzles ritually. He's a philologist – he loves linguistics, language, and wordplay. He studies the history of English and its etymology. Currently learning German; someday, he'll learn Latin. When the industry shut down during COVID-19, instead of arranging music, he arranged several rock walls around his home.

David isn't impressed by celebrities or fame, nor is he jealous or envious of anyone in the industry. He focuses on collaborating with anyone with a strong vision or point of view. He's fully committed - doesn't deal with any bullshit and egos. His greatest professional asset is speaking with authority while remaining respectful of everyone around him.

He's raising the profile of arrangers in theater and advocating for health insurance and pension benefits for arrangers. Everything he's done showcases the stories and histories behind the music. He wants to be remembered as a teacher and encourager of those younger than himself. He teaches at NYU and has led masterclasses at Berkeley, living and breathing music in a way that brings any piece to full life.

I just want to be a sponge around him and soak in all of his years of experience. That's why his new website, DavidChaseMusic.com, is like a treasure trove - housing all the stories and histories behind his extraordinary work.

David is a good person who loves his wife and kids deeply and has a great time with them. He's a good friend. He sings really well, too!

I have so much respect for him and am thrilled he's receiving an Honorary Tony Award. It's well-deserved recognition.

— Chase David

Stewart Lerman 
Trude Rittman 
Oscar Hammerstein 
John Ferris 
Dan McClellan
Nelson Riddle
Billy May
Juan Garcia Esquivel
Gene Puerling
Kay Thompson
Count Basie
Duke Ellington