Christopher Jahnke, Orchestrator

Christopher Jahnke is a Tony Award–nominated orchestrator, music director, conductor, and music supervisor whose work spans Broadway, the West End, international tours, television, film, and global broadcast events.

BROADWAY/LONDON Orchestrations: Legally Blonde, Porgy and Bess (Tony Nomination), add’l orchestrations for Dear Evan Hansen (with Alex Lacamoire), King Kong, Joy, Cry Baby, Grease (Bway 2007), Wind in the Willows (UK), Dessa Rose, A Man of No Importance, and new orchestrations for the original production of Les Miserables.

Jahnke’s new orchestrations for Les Miserables were originally created for the 2006 Broadway revival, and are now being performed worldwide in all commercial stage productions. On recording, they can be heard on the 2010 “Live” London cast recording, the most recent Dutch and Spanish cast albums, the 2012 Universal/Working Title film, the 25th Anniversary Concert at the O2 Arena in London in 2010, and the 2019 staged concert version.

Other orchestrations include: Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular, Radio City Music Hall New York Spectacular, Radio City Music Hall’s “Heart and Lights”, Jerry Herman’s Dear World (Tams Witmark), Do You Hear the People Sing? (Symphonic tour of the music of Alain Boublil & Claude Michel Schonberg), Tom Jones (Stiles/Leigh), Just So (Stiles/Drewe), Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Rufus Wainwright’s “Judy Garland in Concert” at Carnegie Hall. Various arrangements/orchestrations for: Hugh Jackman, Meghan Trainor, Ron Fair, Amy Manford, Coheed and Cambria (Vaxis 2 & Vaxis 3), Steven Van Zandt, Darlene Love, Brooke Shields, and Emily Bear (Bumble Bear Boogie, Bridgerton in Concert)

TV/FILM: Kiss of the Spider Woman (Jennifer Lopez), Leo, Les Miserables, various orchestrations for late composer Adam Schlesinger (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, The Maya Rudolph Show, Fusion Network), ABC’s Beauty and the Beast Live (H.E.R., Josh Groban, Shania Twain), The Wiz - Live!, Jahnke also orchestrated (with Stephen Oremus) Lady Gaga’s “The Sound of Music” Tribute on the 2015 Oscars. Various arrangements for NBC/Universal including the recent Wicked/Winter Olympics Commercial with Ariana Grande and Alysa Liu. Upcoming: Behemoth (Emily Bear, composer)

As MUSIC SUPERVISOR/MUSIC DIRECTOR/CONDUCTOR: Memphis (2010 Tony Award - Best Musical), Escape to Margaritaville, Elton John’s “Aida” (Asst conductor, Bway), over 20 productions as staff assistant music supervisor at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, CT. Also, performances with pianist Emily Bear (Rhapsody in Blue - New Haven Symphony Orchestra) Film: Better Nate Than Ever.

Most proudly, Mr. Jahnke served for 18 years as apprentice to the late, legendary orchestrator & arranger William David Brohn. During that time, he assisted Brohn on countless projects including the Broadway/London productions of Ragtime, Mary Poppins, The Three Musketeers, Sweet Smell of Success, The Witches of Eastwick, The Secret Garden, and Wicked.