Thursday, July 22, 2004
So Who Is the "Revered" Joel Fram?
We threw a lot of sterling adjectives Joel Fram's way in our earlier entry, so we figured we would take a step back and introduce you formally to the Musical Director for "A Little Princess."
It’s not a coincidence that Fram is so good at working with the young ladies that have been in music rehearsal for the last week. He has had a lot of experience working with kids on Broadway in shows such as "The Secret Garden" and "Falsettos."
As Fram himself put it: "For a while there, I felt like I worked with every little boy and girl in show business." Despite having worked with many a professional young performer, Fram has a special respect for our "Little Princesses".
"These girls are a particularly talented lot - they are all very warm, interesting performers, but each girl has a distinct personality, which makes for an intriguing group. They pick up music very quickly, and happily, they seem to grasp the need not just to learn the notes, but to perform them in a very, very specific way."
Fram never patronizes his younger colleagues, simply believing that honest critiques enable good learning and improvements. And the ladies have risen to his challenge, taking each notes without defensiveness or discomfort.
Fram has worked on "A Little Princess" before, but he says "I try not to refer to my old scores - I like to keep my ear open to new thoughts and spur-of-the-moment ideas. If an idea is worth repeating, your ear will hear it again...but your mind is free to come up with better ideas in the moment."
The cast of "Little Princess" is not only getting to work on a world premiere piece, but with a world-class team, including our revered musical director, Joel Fram!
It’s not a coincidence that Fram is so good at working with the young ladies that have been in music rehearsal for the last week. He has had a lot of experience working with kids on Broadway in shows such as "The Secret Garden" and "Falsettos."
As Fram himself put it: "For a while there, I felt like I worked with every little boy and girl in show business." Despite having worked with many a professional young performer, Fram has a special respect for our "Little Princesses".
"These girls are a particularly talented lot - they are all very warm, interesting performers, but each girl has a distinct personality, which makes for an intriguing group. They pick up music very quickly, and happily, they seem to grasp the need not just to learn the notes, but to perform them in a very, very specific way."
Fram never patronizes his younger colleagues, simply believing that honest critiques enable good learning and improvements. And the ladies have risen to his challenge, taking each notes without defensiveness or discomfort.
Fram has worked on "A Little Princess" before, but he says "I try not to refer to my old scores - I like to keep my ear open to new thoughts and spur-of-the-moment ideas. If an idea is worth repeating, your ear will hear it again...but your mind is free to come up with better ideas in the moment."
The cast of "Little Princess" is not only getting to work on a world premiere piece, but with a world-class team, including our revered musical director, Joel Fram!
