We hear this a lot! So here's what you can expect. Accompanists play instruments like a keyboard or guitar and support vocalists, dancers, and theater performers. Accompanists wear a lot of different hats; for example, they may accompany the church choir as pianists and/or accompany guest performers for a segments for a television show. A collaborative pianist typically performs with vocalists and dancers in a rehearsal setting. Lots of accompanists double as teachers or educators and are capable of teaching and supporting a student's performance while playing as well.
Accompanist.com
We provide professional accompanists and music directors to the performing arts community.
Friday, November 4, 2022
I want to be a professional accompanist?
Thursday, September 8, 2022
The world is your oyster
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April Alsup discusses Scottish Cèilidh Music with Sandy Brechin from Edinburgh Scotland |
Friday, June 10, 2022
Accompanist for Scottish Cèilidh dancing
We get all sorts of accompanist requests over the course of a year and we can usually find someone who can fit right in. Most of our inquiries are for an expert piano accompanist for auditioning actors for an upcoming music theater work. We've worked with a lot of different theaters in and around the Denver metropolitan area. Sometimes the requests that come in are for a last minute substitutions for an instrumentalist who may have become ill or for a church service when the staff organist, singer or music director has a vacation planned or some other conflict.
In any case, we get some unusal requests from time-to-time too; for example, we recently heard from a Denver area creative team looking to identify someone familiar with Scottish Cèilidh dancing. So we reached out to several area Scottish dance organizations and were able to find a professional Scottish dance team living in Colorado who were involved with Cèilidh dancing in Scotland. We had a Skype call with our accordion resource to discuss the specifics and penciled in a date to all get together. Everyone was eager to participate and learn more about the Scottish dances and the culture behind them too. We played tune sets for a Gay Gordon, a Reel and a Jig and the client was thrilled. It was so much fun! 🎭
Tuesday, March 1, 2022
Do Accompanists use Streaming Audio Services?
SoundCloud |
Spotify |
Apple |
Amazon |
YouTube |
Recently, April Alsup expanded her music distribution channel to include several major streaming audio services; Spotify, Apple, Amazon and YouTube, but she still uses Soundcloud for music theater performers looking for rehearsal and/or audition materials because it's easy to use and you don't have to jump through a bunch of hoops to get your practice parts out there for people.
Monday, December 20, 2021
Professional accompaniment services from your friends at www.accompanist.com
With the new Omicron variant sweeping across the country we've seen an uptick of inquiries regarding remote accompaniment capabilities. The staff and contractors at accompanist.com are available seven days a week and we are familiar with the latest teleconferencing tools from Zoom, Google, Skype, Facebook and Microsoft. Just let us know your music genre, instrument ensemble and any accompaniment requirements and we'll make sure to contact you to discuss talent and scheduling options.
"Accompanist.com has demonstrated a unique combination of technology insight, musicianship and professionalism over the pandemic." The Performing Arts Project.
Tuesday, August 10, 2021
Looking for an accordionist in the Denver area?
There's been a growing interest in the accordion. The popularity of the instrument has really gained a lot of momentum with younger audiences and we're finding more interest from people in Colorado looking for an accompanist with the ability to read and/or arrange accordion music. The music notation is similar to a piano, but there are a lot of differences too.
The right-hand manual is notated the same way as piano music, but the treble clef is used almost exclusively for piano accordions since the written range extends no lower the three ledger lines below the staff. On the other hand (no pun intended), the Stradella system is always written in the bass clef. Single notes are written in the lower half while the chordal buttons are notated in the upper half. This is in accordance with the official AAA notation standard adopted around the world.
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April Alsup Accordion Accompanist |
Monday, May 24, 2021
What is a Sitzprobe rehearsal?
In musical theatre, a sitzprobe (from the German for seated rehearsal) is a rehearsal where the actors sing with the orchestra, focusing attention on integrating the two groups. It is often the first rehearsal where the orchestra and singers rehearse together. It really is a milestone for any Musical production since the entire team is involved. In the early stage of a production the actors usually work with only an accompanist, who plays a simplified (Piano/Conductor) score with the singers. During the sitzprobe the music director takes over and works with the team as a whole to tweak various parts of the show.
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April Alsup working with Sisyphus Music Director |
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Sisyphus Rehearsal with ensemble |