ABOUT MICHAEL RENo (Member ascap & aea)
Michael's primary home is in Musical Theatre. He began his professional career at age 19 as Music Director at the Barn Theatre in Augusta, Michigan. He continued to work in that field as Producer / Director / Music Director / Arranger and Orchestrator of over 150 stage productions as well as Business Theatre and Corporate events. His work has taken him all over the world to numerous theaters and venues ranging from Montreal's Place des Artes , the Vienna Concert House, the Shanghai Center Theatre, to New York's Madison Square Garden, L.A.'s Universal Amphitheater, the White House, the Kennedy Center, and practically every major hotel in Las Vegas.
Along with singer Mary Donnelly Haskell, he founded the children's music series "My Songs."
With former Disney studio chief Peter Schneider, he produced "Sister Act", and collaborated on other stage productions such as Robby Benson's "Open Heart", the opera "Regina", and the re-conceived productions of "Pal Joey" and "Grand Hotel" under the auspices of the Rodgers and Hammerstein organization.
He spent a number of years in San Francisco doing local cabaret and theatre, where he became known for his song "San Francisco Bye-Bye," which became an unofficial anthem of the city at the time.
(Hear Glenda Glayzer's recording of "San Francisco Bye-Bye)
(The DISCO version . . .)
Michael made his mark in Los Angeles with the West Coast Premiere of "Working" for which he won the L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award and Drama-Logue Award for Outstanding Musical Direction. Other awards include a DMA award for best original Corporate Musical “The Spark of Imagination,” the “Best of Fringe” award for Best Production at the 2010 Canadian Fringe Festival, and more recently, the Broadway World award for best Music Direction of the musical “Once” at Coachella Valley Repertory Theatre.
His film credits include "The Lion King" (as arranger - demo on the "Past Projects" page). As composer he wrote scores and music for "North 'Cross Jordon", "Time on Their Hands," "Coming to Ametrica", and the Hallmark seasonal favorite "Twice Upon a Christmas." His television credits also include "The Miss America Pageant", and various projects for NBC including "An Evening at the Improv" and "The Great American Laugh Off."
From 1995-2005 he was Vice President of Command Performance Productions, providing original music and entertainment for corporate clients.
His recent projects include "Between Judy and the Moon: Stonewall ," a work for male chorus which is a musical homage to the story of the the Stonewall Inn Riots of 1969 (Demos on the "Stonewall Project" page.) He has also recently created a revue musical, "Judy & Johnny's I Doo-Wop Wedding," and composed a series of original Country songs.
Michael also recently wrote music and lyrics for a new musical, "High Pockets", which tells the true story of Claire Phillips, who was an American spy, entertainer, club owner, and author most noted for her exploits in the Japanese-occupied Philippines during WWII. He is also working on a stage adaptation of his Stonewall project.
He currently resides in the Palm Springs area of California, where he is happy to be part of the vibrant Musical Theatre community in the Coachella Valley.