Forrest has become a fixture in TCR’s fabulous orchestra, having played upward of 30 shows for them since 2011, including piano-conducting several. He has served as music director for Ordinary Days, The Secret Garden, and 25th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee at Giving Tree Theater, and has played for other musicals at venues throughout the Corridor.
With a degree in Music Composition and Theory from Coe College – and after playing in local bands for many years – his forays into musical theater finally inspired him to turn music into a full-time job. In 2014, Forrest became a church organist/musician for Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, started teaching piano privately and feels beyond blessed to do what he loves for a living! He would like to thank TCR – as well as all of those who have helped and encouraged him along the way – for giving him the opportunity to channel this passion even further and turn it into a living dream.
Approach/Style…
As a musician/pit performer, my main goal is to encompass the emotion and ‘feel’ of the music; to ensure that it’s symbiotic with the performers’ interpretation. While the music is almost always written to be performed “as such”… I am always open to compromises that fit the artists’ style. Like a mentor of mine put it, the music should feel as organic as possible – living, breathing, and responsive! My years of accompanying helps me carry this concept over into the realm of music direction. We strive to make the music as technically accurate and illustrative as possible, but yet… we make it OURS! I want to help every performer – from amateur to aspiring professional – break through any and all barriers and create a musical product that we can all be proud of.
Forrest joins our 19/20 season as…
- Music Director, Spring Musical to be announced 7/1