Michael Thurber

Last updated
Michael Thurber
BornTulsa, Oklahoma
Occupation(s)
  • Composer
  • songwriter
  • bassist
Instruments

Michael Thurber is an American composer, songwriter, bassist and actor. He is a co-founder of CDZA, [1] a YouTube music collective that performed at the YouTube Music Awards in 2013. [2] Thurber has composed scores for theater productions such as Antony and Cleopatra at The Public Theater and Sugar In Our Wounds at the Manhattan Theater Club. From 2015 to 2016 he was the bassist for Stay Human, the house band on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert . [1] He is on the Board of Directors of National Public Radio's From the Top and teaches at New York University's Clive Davis Institute. [3]

Contents

Early life

Michael Thurber was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma and grew up in Portage, Indiana. [1] He graduated high school from the Interlochen Arts Academy in 2005. [4] [5]

Career

In 2005, Thurber was accepted into The Juilliard School in New York City. [1] He was the first undergraduate to be accepted into both the Classical and Jazz divisions. [6] He was a member of Remington, a rock band he founded in 2005 with Ross Mintzer. [7] In 2007, he performed on NPR's From the Top with banjo player Bela Fleck. [8]

Stay Human and bassist

From 2015 to 2016, he was the bassist on CBS's The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as a member of the house band, Jon Batiste and Stay Human. [1] While in the band, he recorded The Late Show EP. [9] Currently, he performs international in a duo with violinist Tessa Lark.

Cdza and YouTube

In 2012, Thurber co-founded CDZA with Joe Sabia and Matt McCorkle. [10] CDZA was a YouTube-based music collective that featured over 100 young, conservatory trained performers. As of 2019, the CDZA YouTube channel has over 304,000 subscribers and over 36 million views. [11] In 2012, they created AT&T's "Thank You Notes", a digital ad campaign in collaboration with BBDO. [12] They performed at the first ever YouTube Music Awards, headlining alongside Lady Gaga, Arcade Fire, Eminem and M.I.A. [13] Thurber later worked with YouTube's event teams as Music Director. [6]

Theater

Thurber wrote the score for Antony and Cleopatra , a co-production between The Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford, UK and The Public Theater. [14] In 2013, Thurber's musical Goddess was accepted into The Eugene O'Neill Musical Theater Conference. [15] From 2012 to 2017, Thurber wrote the music for several of The Public Theater's Mobile Shakespeare productions including Pericles , Macbeth , and Twelfth Night . [16] Thurber also acted in Twelfth Night , performing the role of Antonio. [17]

In 2016, Thurber wrote and performed his one man musical The Booty Call, which was produced for a month long run at The Barrow Group Theater. [18]

In 2018, Thurber composed scores for the plays Sugar In Our Wounds [19] at MTC and Eddie and Dave at The Atlantic Theater Company. [20] In 2018, he received a Working Farm residency at SPACE on Ryder Farm. [21]

Concert music and other compositions

In 2015, Thurber wrote Three Musketeers: A Play for Instruments. The piece is a quadruple concerto written for and featuring pianist Kris Bowers, clarinetist Mark Dover and violinist Charles Yang. It was premiered on a live radio broadcast with The Interlochen Academy Orchestra. [22] That same year, Thurber also joined the board of NPR's From The Top and composed music for the dance piece "B Sides" choreographed by Tiffany Rea Fisher for Dallas Black Dance. [23]

In 2016, he composed "Jam Session", a horn piece for virtuoso hornist William VerMeulen, commissioned by the International Horn Society [24] and a violin concerto "Love Letter" for violinist Tessa Lark. [25] Thurber has written commercial scores for Vanity Fair , BBC America and CollegeHumor. [26]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane Krakowski</span> American actress (born 1968)

Jane Krakowski is an American actress. She is best known for her starring role as Jenna Maroney in the NBC satirical comedy series 30 Rock, for which she received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Krakowski's other notable television roles have included Elaine Vassal in the Fox legal comedy-drama series Ally McBeal (1997–2002) and Jacqueline White in the Netflix comedy series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015–2020). For the latter, she received another Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series nomination.

<i>Larks Tongues in Aspic</i> 1973 studio album by King Crimson

Larks' Tongues in Aspic is the fifth studio album by the English progressive rock group King Crimson, released on 23 March 1973 through Island Records in the UK and Atlantic Records in the United States and Canada. This album is the debut of King Crimson's third incarnation, featuring co-founder and guitarist Robert Fripp along with four new members: bass guitarist and vocalist John Wetton, violinist and keyboardist David Cross, percussionist Jamie Muir, and drummer Bill Bruford. It is a key album in the band's evolution, drawing on Eastern European classical music and European free improvisation as central influences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Estelle Parsons</span> American actress

Estelle Parsons is an American actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Cook</span> American actress and singer (1927–2017)

Barbara Cook was an American actress and singer who first came to prominence in the 1950s as the lead in the original Broadway musicals Plain and Fancy (1955), Candide (1956) and The Music Man (1957) among others, winning a Tony Award for the last. She continued performing mostly in theatre until the mid-1970s, when she began a second career as a cabaret and concert singer. She also made numerous recordings.

"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" (1939) is a short story by James Thurber. The most famous of Thurber's stories, it first appeared in The New Yorker on March 18, 1939, and was first collected in his book My World and Welcome to It. It has since been reprinted in James Thurber: Writings and Drawings, is available on-line on the New Yorker website, and is one of the most anthologized short stories in American literature. The story is considered one of Thurber's "acknowledged masterpieces". It was made into a 1947 film of the same name, with Danny Kaye in the title role, though the film is very different from the original story. It was also adapted into a 2013 film, which is again very different from the original.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shoshana Bean</span> American actress and singer-songwriter (born 1977)

Shoshana E. Bean is an American singer, songwriter, YouTuber, and stage actress. She has released three records and has appeared on many theater cast recordings and film soundtracks. In 2022, Bean received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance as Susan Young in Mr. Saturday Night.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jett Pangan</span> Filipino musician (born 1968)

Reginald Jose Pangan, better known as Jett Pangan, is a Filipino actor, singer and guitarist best known for fronting the Filipino rock bands the Dawn, and the now defunct, the Jett Pangan Group. He is also an actor, appearing in several theater plays, TV, and films, most notably his role in Tulad ng Dati and his lead role in the musical production of Sweeney Todd. Jett played the Beast in Beauty and the Beast.

Robert Cuccioli is an American actor and singer. He is best known for originating the lead dual title roles in the musical Jekyll & Hyde, for which he received a Tony Award nomination and won the Joseph Jefferson Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award, the Drama Desk Award, and the Fany Award for outstanding actor in a musical.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barrett Foa</span> American singer, actor, and dancer

Barrett Conrad Foa is an American singer, dancer, and actor, with over a decade in Broadway theatre shows. He has played many leading characters in off-Broadway and regional theatre productions. He has appeared in multiple Broadway shows, including Mamma Mia! and as Princeton and Rod in Avenue Q. From 2009 to 2021, he portrayed Eric Beale on the military police procedural NCIS: Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Arden</span> American actor

Michael Jerrod Moore, known professionally as Michael Arden, is an American actor, singer, musician, and theatre director. Arden won a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical in 2023 for the revival of the musical Parade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Kitt (musician)</span> American composer and musician

Thomas Robert Kitt is an American composer, conductor, orchestrator, and musician. For his score for the musical Next to Normal, he shared the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama with Brian Yorkey. He has also won two Tony Awards and an Outer Critics Circle Award for Next to Normal, as well as Tony and Outer Critics Circle nominations for If/Then and SpongeBob SquarePants. He has been nominated for eight Drama Desk Awards, winning one, and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album for Jagged Little Pill in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ross Mintzer</span> American musician and performer (born 1987)

Ross Philip Mintzer is an American musician and performer. He has led the Ross Mintzer Band since its formation in 2012. Mintzer was featured on National Public Radio show From the Top. In 2011, he started a girls' choir in Karachi, Pakistan and has been recognized by the National Association for Music Education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Late Show Band</span> American jazz band

The Late Show Band is a band originally founded and led by American musician Jon Batiste as Stay Human. They became the house band for Stephen Colbert's late-night talk show The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on September 8, 2015. When Batiste departed the show on August 12, 2022, Louis Cato became the new bandleader and Stay Human was renamed The Late Show Band, a change that took effect on September 6, 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ophelia (The Lumineers song)</span> 2016 single by the Lumineers

"Ophelia" is a song recorded by American folk rock band the Lumineers. It was released as the lead single from their sophomore album Cleopatra on February 5, 2016.

Lora Lee Gayer is an American stage actress. On Broadway, she originated the lead role of Linda Mason in Holiday Inn in 2016. She appeared on Broadway in the 2011 revival of Follies as Young Sally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashley Park (actress)</span> American actress (born 1991)

Ashley Jini Park is an American actress, singer, and dancer who is best known for her portrayal of Mindy Chen on the Netflix comedy series Emily in Paris. She originated the role of Gretchen Wieners in the Broadway musical Mean Girls, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical.

Antony & Cleopatra is a London-based musical duo consisting of Alexander Burnett and Anita Blay, also known as CocknBullKid. The two met in 2014 at a pop music writing session before coming together to form a musical duo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tessa Lark</span> American concert violinist from Kentucky

Tessa Lark is an American concert violinist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Rosen (musician)</span> American musician

Charlie Rosen is an American musician, composer, arranger, orchestrator, musical director, and music producer. He is best known for his work on Broadway, where he has worked on Be More Chill, Prince of Broadway, American Psycho, and, along with Bryan Carter, won the 2023 Tony Award for Best Orchestrations for Some Like It Hot. He is also the leader of The 8-Bit Big Band, a jazz orchestra specializing in video game music.

Mikey Freedom Hart is a Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He has worked with Bleachers, Taylor Swift, Empress Of, Dev Hynes a.k.a. Blood Orange, ASAP Rocky, Lana Del Rey, Tei Shi, and The Chicks. He has received two Grammy nominations, of which he received one win.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Suchow, Rick. "Michael Thurber: Staying Human with 'The Late Show' and Collective Cadenza". BassPlayer.com. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  2. ↑ della Cava, Marco. "YouTube to stage its own music awards show". USA TODAY. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  3. ↑ "Collaborate". ELISA MONTE DANCE. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  4. ↑ "Alumnus Michael Thurber Reinvents Musical Fun | Interlochen Center for the Arts". www.interlochen.org. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  5. ↑ Hepler Drahos, Marta (5 February 2015). "NPR's 'From the Top' returns to Interlochen". Traverse City Record-Eagle. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  6. 1 2 BWW News Desk. "T. Oliver Reid, Nancy Anderson and Michael Thurber to Lead PREMIERES' Inner Voices Series". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  7. ↑ "Band Offers Summer Program to Kids in Michigan | From the Top: Celebr…". archive.is. 7 August 2013. Archived from the original on 7 August 2013. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  8. ↑ "Thurber Plays Bass, Fleck Plays Banjo". NPR.org. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  9. ↑ ""The Late Show EP," By Jon Batiste And Stay Human, Is Now Available - CBS.com". CBS. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  10. ↑ Kalish, Jon. "Classical Pranksters Don't Just Play Music: They Play With It". NPR.org. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  11. ↑ "collectivecadenza". YouTube. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  12. ↑ Nudd, Tim (23 May 2012). "AT&T Serenades Hundreds of Fans in Real Time on Facebook". www.adweek.com. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  13. ↑ della Cava, Marco. "YouTube to stage its own music awards show". USA TODAY. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  14. ↑ "McCraney's 'Antony and Cleopatra' has its cast | Drama Queen". miamiherald.typepad.com. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  15. ↑ Saifi, Sophia (2013). "Tales from The O'Neill: Goddess Casts a Spell of Music". Playbill. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  16. ↑ "Michael Thurber". www.publictheater.org. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  17. ↑ "Review: Public Theater's 'Twelfth Night'". StageBuddy.com. 1 May 2017. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  18. ↑ Collins-Hughes, Laura (29 October 2016). "Review: A Portrait of Living With Mental Illness in 'The Pen'". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  19. ↑ Stasio, Marilyn (21 June 2018). "Off Broadway Review: 'Sugar in Our Wounds'". Variety. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  20. ↑ Franklin, Marc J. (2018). "Inside Rehearsals for the World Premiere of Eddie and Dave Off-Broadway". Playbill. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  21. ↑ "SPACE on Ryder Farm Announces 2018 Residencies". AMERICAN THEATRE. 11 May 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  22. ↑ "Three Musketeers: A play for instruments". From the Top. 10 April 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  23. ↑ "Dallas Black Dance Theatre Pushing Boundaries with Wireless Headphones". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  24. ↑ "About the IHS - IHS Online". www.hornsociety.org. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  25. ↑ Fleming, John. "MusicalAmerica - Where Are They Now?Violinist Tessa Lark". www.musicalamerica.com. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  26. ↑ "Michael Thurber". For Bass Players Only. 24 February 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.