John Clancy (orchestrator)

John Clancy
Born	Newtown, Connecticut, United States
Education	Hartt School of Music
Occupation	Orchestrator
Spouse	Irene Clancy (m. 2015)
Awards	Outer Critics Circle Award

John Clancy is an American orchestrator who is best known for orchestrating Broadway musicals, such as Fun Home , Kimberly Akimbo and The Notebook .

Early life and education

John Clancy began his career as a back-up drummer for performing artists, such as Randy Newman and Carly Simon. While playing back-up for Billy Porter at Joe's Pub in 2003, he met composer Jeanine Tesori who later contacted him to help create the drum part of her new Broadway musical, Caroline, Or Change . He also played drum in the orchestra. This launched Clancy's career as a theatrical musician and orchestrator, as well as his two-decades long working relationship with Tesori. ^[1]

Career

Clancy continued performing as a percussionist on Broadway after Caroline, Or Change , appearing in the 2007 revival of Grease and the 2011 premiere of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark . During this time, he also served as associate orchestrator on Tesori's Shrek: The Musical , earning his first nomination for the Tony Award for Best Orchestrations alongside Tesori.^{[ citation needed ]} As composer, Tesori crafts the melodies—and often the harmonies—through piano and vocal lines. Clancy then chooses the instrumentation and arranges the parts, shaping the full sound heard in the theater or on a cast recording. ^[1]

Clancy received his first full Broadway orchestration credit in 2015—again collaborating with Tesori—on Fun Home , which earned him a second Tony nomination for Best Orchestrations. The musical went on to win the Tony Award for Best Musical at the 69th Tony Awards, with Tesori also winning the Tony Award for Best Score.^{[ citation needed ]} In 2016, he orchestrated the Broadway production of Tuck Everlasting and contributed dance arrangements to the revival of Cats that same year.^{[ citation needed ]} Throughout the late 2010s, Clancy's credits included Mean Girls and The Prom , with the former earning him a third Tony nomination. ^{[2] [ better source needed ]}

He went on to orchestrate Diana in 2021, followed by both 1776 and Kimberly Akimbo in 2022. The latter brought Clancy his fourth Tony nomination and won the Tony Award for Best Musical, with Tesori again taking home the Tony Award for Best Score. His orchestrations can also be heard in The Notebook , in collaboration with Ingrid Michaelson, and he is set to debut new orchestrations in The Queen of Versailles starring Kristin Chenoweth in November 2025. ^{[2] [ better source needed ]}

Credits

Selected Credits

Year	Production	Credit	Venue	Ref.
2004	Caroline, Or Change	Percussion	Broadway, Eugene O'Neill Theatre	[3]
2007	Grease	Drums/Percussion	Broadway, Brooks Atkinson Theatre
2008	Shrek The Musical	Associate Orchestrator	Broadway, Broadway Theatre
2011	Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark	Percussion	Broadway, Foxwoods Theatre
2015	Fun Home	Orchestrator	Broadway, Circle in the Square Theatre
2016	Tuck Everlasting		Broadway, Broadhurst Theatre
	Cats	Dance co-arrangements	Broadway, Neil Simon Theatre
2018	Mean Girls	Orchestrator	Broadway, August Wilson Theatre
	The Prom	Additional orchestrations	Broadway, Longacre Theatre
2021	Diana	Orchestrator
2022	1776		Broadway, American Airlines Theatre
	Kimberly Akimbo		Broadway, Booth Theatre
2024	The Notebook		Broadway, Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
2025	The Queen of Versailles		Broadway, St. James Theatre

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Work	Result	Ref.
2009	Tony Awards	Best Orchestrations	Shrek: The Musical	Nominated	[2]
2014	Drama Desk Awards	Outstanding Orchestrations	Fun Home	Nominated	[2]
2015	Tony Awards	Best Orchestrations		Nominated	[2]
2018			Mean Girls	Nominated	[2]
2020	Drama Desk Awards	Outstanding Orchestrations	Soft Power	Nominated	[2]
	Outer Critics Circle Awards	Outstanding Orchestrations	The Secret Life of Bees	Honoree	[4] [5]
2022			Kimberly Akimbo	Nominated	[2]
2023	Tony Awards	Best Orchestrations		Nominated	[2]

References

1. Wild, Stephi (February 12, 2025). "A Peek Behind the Instrumentation of Kimberly Akimbo with Orchestrator John Clancy". Broadway News. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
2. "John Clancy – Playbill Vault". Playbill. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
3. "John Clancy – Broadway Cast & Staff". IBDB. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
4. "2019-2020 – Outer Critics Circle" . Retrieved November 16, 2023.
5. "Moulin Rouge! Leads 2020 Outer Critics Circle Award Honorees". Playbill. Archived from the original on August 10, 2025. Retrieved September 1, 2025.