Wendy Gadian

BA, PPRNCM
Job title
Principal Lecturer, Course Leader Acting – Musical Theatre

Profile

I am a musical director and arranger. I have been Course Leader for the BA (Hons) Acting Musical Theatre course since 2008.

I studied music at Chetham’s School of Music, University of Reading (awarded the Heather Scholarship for Performance) and the Royal Northern College of Music (awarded the postgraduate Dalzel Maclaren Scholarship). In 1984 I was a semi-finalist in the International Concert Artists Guild Competition in New York. Since then, and prior to coming to Central, I had a fulltime, high profile career as a practitioner which spanned musical theatre, opera, film & TV as well as composition. professional musical director, musical arranger and composer in theatre and TV.  I have many show credits, including composing, throughout the 1990s and 2000s (e.g. A Chorus Line, 1997, Tipping the Velvet, BBC, 2005). Prior to my appointment at Central I was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company Music Department for the season 2006 – 7.

I have been an external adviser in musical theatre curriculum design at the of Surrey Faculty of Arts (2012), Royal Brussels Conservatoire (2009), University of Belgrade Faculty of Dramatic Arts (2012), Universidal del Rosario Faculty of Creative Arts (2018/19), Universidad del Costa Rica (MA in Integral Arts (2016) and External Examiner in Musical Theatre for the Royal Scottish Conservatoire (BA), Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama (MA), Guildford School of Acting (MA), as well as an Ofsted Inspector (2015-16). I am currently External Examiner for Solent University BA Acting and Performance Courses.

In 2020 I was awarded a Visiting Professorship by the Universidad del Rosario and also an honorary title as Ambassador for Women in Theatre by the Musicians’ Union. In 2021, I was awarded an Honorary Research Fellowship by University College London Department of Classics.

 As a guest speaker, I represented the Musicians’ Union at TUC Women’s Conference (2019) and most recently at the International Federation of Actors (IFA) Conference Equal Access to Decision-Making and Leadership Positions – A Mapping Project of European Live Performance (Nov 2021).

Areas of Expertise

  • Musical Direction
  • Piano Accompaniment
  • Musical Theatre Repertoire and Vocal Technique
  • Vocal Coaching (vocal technique and repertoire)
  • Vocal and instrumental arranging
  • Professional Career Development
  • Pedagogy of conservatoire musical theatre training
  • Mentorship of new musical theatre writing

PhD Supervision

I am currently supervising a PhD at University College London, Department of Classics: Classical Reception in Musical Theatre.

External Practice

As a Performer and Practitioner

  • 2021-present. (Vocal coach) Chuck Chuck Baby (Dir Janis Pugh), Artemisi Films Ltd; external partners Ffilm Cymru (Arts Council of Wales) and the British Film Institute
  • 2020. (MD/arranger) Tapas with Clive Rowe at The Crazy Coqs, London and live streamed
  • 2019. (MD/arranger) Clive Rowe Sings Nat King Cole, The Crazy Coqs, London
  • 2018. (MD/arranger) An Evening with Clive Rowe & Wendy Gadian, The Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond
  • 2018. (Musical supervision and vocal coach) Ella Es Colombia, MISI Producciones
  • 2017. (MD/arranger) My Favourite Sings, Clive Rowe in cabaret at The Crazy Coqs, London
  • 2016. (Musical theatre consultant) Peter Pan, MISI Producciones, Colombia
  • 2015-16. (Musical theatre consultant) The Pacifists Guide To The War on Cancer, National Theatre; co –producer Complicité

Masterclasses, Mentorship and Events

  • 2021. (Guest) UR-Music and Arts, online European Arts Programme. 
  • 2020. Cross-over vocal technique and performance practice between opera and musical theatre, Royal Northern College of Music Department of Vocal Studies.
  • 2020. Musical Theatre Practices, London College of Music, University of West London; BA Actor-Musicianship Course.
  • 2019. UK Musical Theatre Repertoire, Steinhardt Department of Music and Performing, NYU.
  • 2017-20. Acting Through Song, MISI School of Musical Theatre, Colombia.
  • 2017-20. Acting Through Song, Academy of Turin and the Matilda Italian Academy.

Access and Inclusion

  • 2020-2021. (Steering group) Online Networking Events
  • 2020. (Workshop Leader/ Panel Chair) Musical Directing Symposium, The Other Palace, London
  • 2020-present. (Mentor and workshop leader) Living Song
  • 2019-present. (Co-partner and workshop leader) Diverse Voices – Discovering Opera; National Opera Studio, London. Arts Council England and National Lottery Project funded (3 years from 2020) 
  • 2019. (Chair) Industry Round Table Discussion on ‘Career Development Pathways for D/Deaf and Disabled Artists in Musical Theatre’. Arts Theatre London; Musical Theatre Network
  • 2018-2019. (Organiser) Networking Events; Vaudeville and Lyric Theatres, London. Supported by Nimex Theatres, Showstopper-The Musical, Musicians’ Union
  • Sept 2018. (Keynote Speaker) Conference: networking in Musical Theatre; Royal Central School of Speech and Drama; Supported by the Musicians’ Union
  • 2018. Building gender equality in Musical Theatre, blog
  • 2017-present. (Co-founder) Ladies of the Stave; providing professional mentoring, networking opportunities and skills workshops for female-identifying Musical Directors (Reference Institutional Repository)
  • 2017. (Chair) Industry Round Table Discussion on Musical Directors – Career Pathways and Gender ImbalanceMusical Theatre Network

Register of Interest

  • Advisory Board Member for the Proscenio Arts Centre, Bogota
  • Cameron Mackintosh Resident Composer Scheme; Judging team (Musical Theatre Network & Mercury Musical Development)
  • Stiles & Drew Best New Song Prize; Judging team (MTN & MMD)