KORI BARKLEY
Staff Writer
Broadway’s most sought-after musical, “Kinky Boots,” is a story of finding friendship, inspiration and passion where you least expect it. It has won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Score, as well as a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album.
Its raging success can be contributed to Fredonia’s School of Music alum, Brian Usifer.
On Saturday, Usifer presented a lecture in Diers Recital Hall on how his musical studies and experiences have shaped his prominent success on the Broadway scene.
Usifer explained his decision to attend Fredonia. As a child, he took piano lessons from Fredonia alumna Heather Hallenback. During their lessons, Usifer recalled Hallenback telling him of her experiences at the School of Music and of piano professor Robert Jordan. When he received the chance to play for Jordan in a master class, his mind was made up.
At Fredonia, Usifer did it all. In 2001, he won the classical Concerto Competition, was director of Fredonia Jazz Ensemble (FJE) and played shows with rock bands and folk artists.
“What I liked about Fredonia, and what maybe shaped my career, was the wide range of music happening,” Usifer explained. “I was able to do what I liked best, and that’s [to] play everything … To me, all music is the same. It all sounds different, but it all has the same purpose … I think that is ultimately what got me into working in the theater world.”
After graduating, he moved to New York City, where he followed a similar lifestyle. He continued to perform with rock bands and big jazz bands, taught and earned his masters degree in collaborative piano at New York University and subbed in pit orchestras on and off Broadway in “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” “Sister Act,” “Wicked,” “Avenue Q” and “Altar Boyz.”
During this time, Usifer connected with Steven Oremus, an arranger and orchestrator, who invited him to be the Music Assistant of “The Book of Mormon,” written by South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker.
Earning nine Tony awards and a Grammy, the show became a huge success and went on tour nationally. Following the week of the tour, Usifer was granted another opportunity: a chance to collaborate in the writing of “Kinky Boots” and be named music director.
“As music director, I have one of those behind-the-scenes jobs with a lot of responsibility,” Usifer explained. “I run the music department … I teach music to the cast and rehearse with the bands. I conduct the shows every night while also playing keyboards.”
Between directing “Kinky Boots” and touring with companies in “The Book of Mormon,” Usifer feels as though he works two full time jobs, though he wouldn’t have it any other way.
Following his talk, an open discussion arose in which members of the audience asked Usifer questions regarding his viewpoints on the popular culture of music, some of his most crazy audition stories and a discussion of the hills and valleys of producing a Broadway musical.
Mark Montondo, a senior musical theater major, was inspired to see a musical and theatrical artist from Fredonia thrive professionally.
“I really appreciated the opportunity to talk to someone who is out there working on Broadway musicals right now,” Montondo said. “His willingness to answer questions about the past, present and future of the art form gave me a great perspective and excited me to get out into the real world and try to make my own mark on the musical theater scene.”