Coming Home To Cleveland by Jared Stein

[Blogmaster Note: Our music director, Jared Stein, is a native of Cleveland. We asked Jared to share a little bit about how he came to be a music director, his experience on the tour thus far, what it was like to be on The Price is Right in Los Angeles, and how good it feels to come home. Here is what he shares with you.]

Hey Everyone!
It's very exciting to be returning to my home town of Cleveland with the Spring Awakening Tour. I was born and raised here, (in Orange Village) and it's where I first discovered my love of theater and music. So it's very nice to bring these gifts back here to share.
I first started playing piano somewhere around age 8. I was following in the footsteps of my older sister. Once we started taking lessons, we had to keep on playing until we left the house for college. At times I was not happy about that rule, but I'm obviously happy now that I'm making my living doing exactly that. I didn't set out to be a Musical Director. I actually went to NYU to study musical theater, but have a heavy vocal background and my piano skills, my career took a turn to the music side of things, and I would never look back.
I'm very honored to be working on Spring Awakening, and lucky to have been able to musical direct and conduct the National Tour of RENT prior to this. Both shows have broken a lot of ground in terms of the Broadway musical, and both truly have something to say. It's nice to be a part of something that has a real impact on its audiences. I can't pick a favorite between the two because I love them both, but I must say the SA touring schedule is a bit more luxurious than the RENT schedule. Not bad to sit down in cities like San Francisco and LA for 6 weeks!
The touring life is great because you get to see the country and meet some amazing people along the way. But its not all glitz and glamour. We make a lot of sacrifices to do what we love, but obviously would never trade it. Plus, we get to do cool things like be on The Price is Right.
That whole experience is a bit of a blur.....very surreal. Watch the videos online if you haven't. [Blogmaster Note: The videos are no longer on CBS.COM. They only feature two months worth of episodes. Does anyone happen to have it?]
I had a blast and I know have the Tail Gating gear to prove it!
As for my personal musical tastes, I listen to everything. Classic Rock, old school R & B, singer/songwriter, folk, gospell and jazz. Lately I've been listening to Ray LaMontagne, Sara Bareilles, Mark Brousard, Damien Rice, and always Ben Folds. For those who don't know, I continue to play with an amazing writer, Declan Bennett. If you don't know his music, check it out!
Getting ready to play the weekend shows in East Lansing, MI, then off to Cleveland. Look forward to playing to the home crowd. Enjoy the show....see you there!
peace
jared







[Blogmaster Note: More photos at our Flickr group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/springawakeninggallery

WE START PERFORMANCES IN CLEVELAND TONIGHT!! CLEVELAND, ARE YOU WITH US??!]