Rob Blaney returns to alma mater serving as musical director for 'Joseph'

By MICHAEL RYDZYNSKI
(Irvine World News - ~April 2001)

Rob Blaney never tires of it.

"I love the story" is one of the major reasons Blaney agreed to serve as music director and conductor of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," which opens Friday at Concordia (see accompanying story). "I've never seen it, but this is my fourth production as musical director of it.

"I also wanted to do it because I'm an alumnus (of Concordia) and I've worked together with Mic (director Michael Shackelford) before."

Blaney, who attended Concordia from 1991 to 1994, worked with Shackelford on "Little Shop of Horrors," Blaney's last Concordia show before graduating.

"Mic is very innovative," Blaney said. "He relates just as well to college-age students as he does to grade school students."

Shackelford is a kindergarten teacher in the Tustin Unified School District.

"He's very demanding but easy and laid-back at the same time and has the ability to be flexible and structured and treats everyone as professionals, not as students," Blaney said.

A musician (keyboards), music director, singer, songwriter and arranger, Blaney recently gave his first concert of his own music in a major venue, the Cinegrill in Hollywood. He can be heard on the soundtrack of "Life Without Dick" - accompanying Harry Connick Jr. "on a couple of tracks," according to Blaney - and "America's Sweetheart," starring Julia Roberts. Now in hot pursuit of a major record contract, he has prepared a demo CD of his work.

But Blaney hasn't forgotten his local roots. A graduate of Foothill High School in Tustin, Blaney received a bachelor's degree in art at Concordia.

"I didn't major in music because I had too many friends who did and then got burned out on it and I like it too much to let that happen," he explained.

He is also busy working at another "alma mater" of sorts, Woodbridge High School. He did not attend Woodbridge as a student but served as choral accompanist there for 10 years through 1996.

Now he is musical director of "The Wiz," which Woodbridge High will stage May 2-5. "I'm teaching all the vocals as an adjunct staff member for that one," he said. "When I was accompanying, they did a lot of older, period musicals.

'The Wiz' is a huge departure for them, which is good to see. It's more rock 'n' roll, which is more my area."

That's another reason he enjoyed taking on the "Joseph" assignment.

"I've rearranged most of that music, giving it more of a big-band, rock 'n' roll feel to it," he said. "It's a little less of a '70s sound. I like to take musicals and give them a little edge."

Finally, Blaney believes that this is his time to give something back to Concordia, which he feels took good care of him as a student.

"It's a good way to say 'thank you' to the university for everything it's given me," he said.


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