Kevin Farrell works as a composer, conductor, arranger, and pianist on both the Broadway and concert stages.  Some of his theatre credits include musical direction of the Tokyo production of Rent; the Tony Award winning Fiddler On the Roof with Topol; Cathy Rigby in Peter Pan; Cats, both on Broadway and in Los Angeles. As a performer and musical director he created the role of Bob in the recent off-broadway musical, Open Heart. His involvement with The King and I spans from the Broadway revival with Yul Brynner, for which he was pianist, to musical direction of the two most recent US National Tours.  He premiered Evita in Rome and was musical director/supervisor for four  US National Tours. This same position he held for the recent production of Bombay Dreams.  Mr. Farrell was the recipient of the Los Angeles Theatre Critic’s award ‘Best Musical Direction’ for the Royal National Theatre’s production of Carousel.  He was twice Music Director of New York’s Radio City Music Hall (during which he appeared as such in the movie Annie) simultaneously conducting Jerome Robbin’s Lincoln Center revival of Fiddler on the Roof. He was for two seasons music director of Lee Theodore’s The American Dance Machine, an organization dedicated to the preservation of theatre dance. He has been a frequent guest conductor at the St. Louis Municipal Opera, and was privileged to have performed for three American Presidents, both in the theatre and at The White House, and last year he conducted the Paris premier of THE SOUND OF MUSIC at the theatre Chatelet where he was privileged to meet President and Mrs Sarkozy and family.    

 

In Italy, he conducted concerts highlighting the works of Copeland, Thomson, and Bernstein.  At La Fenice in Venice, he premiered Gershwin’s Lady Be Good, which was the first time an Italian Lyric opera produced an American musical.  He subsequently repeated this production with the San Carlos Opera in Lisbon, Portugal.  In recital with singer Kim Criswell he has appeared at the San Carlo Opera house in Naples, Verdi Conservatorio in Milan and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. He toured Sicily with Teatro Massimo’s orchestra and chorus, and has twice conducted the opening of the Summer Music Festival of Ravello and most recently at Italy’s Ravenna Festival.   

 

Mr. Farrell’s arrangements have been heard in the U.S. and on BBC London, and his compositions have been commissioned by New York's Circle in the Square and the Berkshire Theatre Festival, among others.   Recently he conducted an international broadcast with the BBC Concert Orchestra in a tribute to the music of Jule Styne.   His song “Christopher” was featured in the touring musical Heartstrings.  For two years Mr. Farrell was a creative consultant for Disney Entertainment. He has worked with such names as Jerry Bock, Gower Champion, Agnes de Mille, Nicholas Hytner, Harold Prince, Jerome Robbins, Charles Strouse,  and Onna White.  He has also conducted for, among others, Lauren Bacall, Kim Criswell, Sandy Duncan, Shirley  Jones, Howard Keel, Lyle Lovett, Maureen McGovern, Hayley Mills, Anthony Newley, Marie Osmond, Stefanie Powers, Faith Prince, and John Raitt.

 

Mr. Farrell resides in New York with his wife, Karin, and daughter, Emily.