He is known as the "godfather" of contemporary theatrical sound design. He is one of the most knowledgeable guys in the business and mentor to several generations of sound designers: Abe Jacob* returns in the leading role of creative consultant for the 2010 Broadway Sound Master Classes, to be held May 21-23 at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in New York City.
Joining Jacob this year is a stellar list of sound designers, engineers, and industry experts: First up is Brian Ronan, with an in-depth look at his sound design for the new Green Day musical, American Idiot, which all BSMC attendees will have seen on Friday evening, May 21; Jonathan Deans (A British Idiot) will examine some of his most recent projects from Viva Elvis! for Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas to La Cage Aux Folles; and system optimization specialist Bob McCarthy addresses Complex Simplification: Management strategies for the design and tuning of complex multi-channel sound systems.
Day two of the BSMC kicks off with Tom Clark and other members of Acme Sound Partners in “You Say Tomahto… Transferring the Sound Design of a Broadway Musical to London’s West End,” and John Taylor of d&b audiotechnik providing A Fresh Look at Some Sound System Fundamentals." The faculty also includes Robert Kaplowitz, sound designer for the hit Broadway musical, FELA!
Full details on the 2010 BSMC Schedule
Registration is now open for the 2010 Live Design Master Classes, including the Broadway Sound Master Classes (BSMC) May 21-23, the Broadway Projection Master Classes (BPMC) May 24, and the Broadway Lighting Master Classes (BLMC) May 25-27. Register by April 15 and save on prices at professional, union/association, and student levels.
*Abe Jacob
Abe Jacob, creative consultant for the BSMC, is also known as the “Godfather of Theater Sound Design." Jacob started his career mixing sound for such 1960s rock stars as Jimi Hendrix; the Mamas and the Papas; and Peter, Paul, and Mary; and designed the sound system for the Monterey Pop Festival. His credits range from Jesus Christ Superstar, A Chorus Line, and Pippin to Chicago, Cats, and Evita. As the audio go-to guy for these and other seminal Broadway shows, he virtually created the sound designer position. He continues to actively design, remaining the in-house sound guru at New York City Ballet and Opera. In the past 15 years, Jacob helped secure a charter for sound designers within IATSE (Local 922). In 1993, he helped the Local achieve its first collective bargaining agreement with the League of American Theaters and Producers. In 1999, he helped merge sound designers with Local One.