Rob Kendt

(347) 730-4478
robkendt@gmail.com

Theatre
• In the works: Untitled musical about filmmaker Ed Wood with librettist/lyricist Justin Warner

“Angora”

• The Devil and Tom Walker, Metropolitan Playhouse, 2008
Composer/lyricist/music director/performer for adaptation of Washington Irving short story (writer Anthony Pennino, dir. Yvonne Conybeare), currently licensed by PlayScripts

“Opening: The Devil’s Hi-Ho & Captain Kidd”

“Tom Walker’s Theme”

“Petitioners’ Proposals”

“I Have Known Men”

• Sona Tera Roman Hess, Theatre of NOTE, 2008 (dir. Kiff Scholl)

“Roosterfish”

• The Inheritors, Metropolitan Playhouse, 2005; dir. Yvonne Conybeare

Main title

• The Strip, 2002-2003: Weekly late-night serial at Evidence Room; various directors

“Sitcom Detective”

• An Appalachian Twelfth Night, Fall 2002: Composer/music director/performer for backwoods version of Shakespeare play (dir. Susan Lambert); L.A. Drama Critics Circle nomination for Music Direction

“Come Away Death”

“Viola’s Theme”

“I Am Gone, Sir”

• Uncle Vanya, Summer 2002: Classical Theatre Lab production at the Met Theatre and Pacific Resident Theatre (dir. Bruce Katzman)

Themes

• Suicide in B Flat, Winter 2002: Sam Shepard play at Company of Angels

Opening

• They Simply Said Enter, Fall 2001: Adaptation of Persian poem The Conference of the Birds with cast of 7 adults and 21 elementary-age students of New Horizon Islamic School in Pasadena; part of Cornerstone Theater Co.’s Festival of Faith

“The Moth Song”

“To Keep, To Carry”

• For Here or To Go?, Winter 2000: Cornerstone Theater Co. holiday show at the Mark Taper Forum (dir. Bill Rauch)

Film
• Taken to the Lowlands, 2007 (dir. Daniel Fine)

“Drive to Fun Park”

• Pee Stains and Other Disasters, a.k.a. Ben et Thomas, 2005 (dir. Mike Horelick)

“Train My Ear”

• The 24-Year-Old Virgin, 2004 (dir. Doug Eboch)

“Sexytime”

• Every Day a Little Death, 1992 (dir. Susan Lambert)

Intercut

• Queen of Diamonds, 1991 (dir. Nina Menkes)

“Roman Carnival”

• Providence, 1990 (dir. David Mackay)

Title theme

• Escape From Heaven, 1989 (dir. Tim Doyle)

“Bruno & Paula”

Arranger/bandleader

Extensive experience leading a variety of ensembles, from rock to choral to chamber music. Wrote and staged two original solo cabarets, “Words & Music,” and “Don Brekt’s Soft-Shoe Jamboree,” and recorded two CDs of original music, I Hope It’s Me and I’m Not Sentimental. Currently choir director at Greenpoint Church. Recipient of the 2009 Nightingale-Bamford School’s Hannukah Commissioning Project.
Choice selections:

“Each Is a Dream” (featuring the Red Hook Ramblers)

“Ballad of the Squanderer”

“The Girl Who Went Away” (featuring Rebecca Hart)

“Happiness Is a Warm Gun a la Marcos Valle” (Lennon & McCartney)

“I Close My Eyes” (C. Paul)

“Lullaby”

“My Life in Pants”

“Only the Lonely/Je Te Veux” (Davis/Satie)

“Oracion de San Francisco” (featuring Melodee Fernandez)

“Pleasure Doin’ Business”

“Poems” (Sondheim)

RiffTrax theme

“Shelter From the Storm”

“Suspicious Parties”

“Take Me Away”

“Vin Rouge”

Training
BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop (NY), 2006-present
UCLA Film Scoring Program, 2005
Jazz theory with Arlette McCoy, 2001-2003
Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop (L.A.), 1991-1993
B.A. in Film Production, University of Southern California, 1990

with ROB KENDT

Joe’s Pub
425 Lafeyette St.
$12

It’s all about who you know in this business. The fabulous Rebecca Hart, who I worked with last year on The Devil and Tom Walker, has invited me to do a short opening set for her upcoming gig at Joe’s Pub, Feb. 15 at 9:30 p.m. If you haven’t heard her, you’re in for a treat, and if you haven’t heard me in a while, here’s your chance. I’ll be debuting a few newish numbers, and/or songs so old they’re like new again. I hope to see you there!

2008, folks, was the big 4-0 for me, and if I were looking for a better way to ring it in than to write and perform the score for an original off-Off-Broadway folk musical, stage a show of my songs at Ars Nova, travel to Mexico and the south of France, meet my birth mother and half-brothers, see Obama overwhelmingly elected our 44th president, and, above all, get married to the most beautiful woman on earth, I don’t think I could have arranged it. In the works in the coming year will be more of the Ed Wood musical, another possible off-Off-Broadway folk musical, a gig or two at major New York venues, and oh, so much more.

For now I leave you with this hymn by Sibelius, as sung by myself and Laura Weinert-Kendt. Blessings of the season to you and yours.

I still like to call albums of my music, whether recorded digitally and pressed onto compact discs or sent through the Interwebs as digital squiggles, “records.” After all, they’re still recordings, aren’t they?

In any case, it’s a good and busy time in my world because I’ve got two new such records finished and ready to send out: the cast album of The Devil and Tom Walker, and a first-rate live recording of “The Rob Kendt Songbook” from last week’s show at Ars Nova (a smashing success, if I may say so).

Now, admittedly, these are not records you are going to see on iTunes any time soon, or on CDBaby. They are not professionally mastered and pressed, and quite frankly there are union performers on them who would, quite appropriately, require compensation for their invaluable pro bono contributions to the efforts. But still, they’re done, and they’re being made available to friends, family, participants, industry, and actually anyone who asks nicely and really wants to hear some of my best work yet.

To sum up: I’m proud of the work, and that matters more than anything to me at this point in my virtual “career” making music.

Here are some samples for your list’nin’ pleasure.

From The Rob Kendt Songbook:
Kurt Robbins nails “Angora,” from my and Justin Warner’s upcoming musical about Ed Wood

The brilliant Kevin Ray elevates “If Misery Loves Company”

The awesome Rebecca Hart tugs the heartstrings with a rendition of my tribute to my birth mother, “The Girl Who Went Away”

The dulcet tones of Annie Crane on “Madame Bovary”

Andrea Frierson’s powerhouse interpretation of “Every Reason”

Pearl Sun’s sultry take on “Make My Mind Up On You”

The New Students (and the whole cast) join for a down-home version of “Train My Ear”

And from The Devil and Tom Walker:
The rousing opening numbah (featuring Marc Donovan as the Devil, Mike Durkin as Captain Kidd, and Sarah Hund on fiddle)

Tom Walker’s Theme (featuring Erik Gratton and Rebecca Hart)

The Farmer’s Curst Wife (with the whole cast)

Petitioners’ Proposals (featuring Justin Flagg, Rebecca Hart, and Mike Durkin)

I Have Known Men (Marc Donovan and Erik Gratton)

Enjoy in good health!

Joining me for this special night to bring new life to my songs will be Kevin Ray, Rebecca Hart, Lance Rubin, Pearl Sun, Andrea Frierson, Annie Crane, The New Students, and Kurt Robbins. Tickets here.

Ars Nova, 511 W. 54th St., New York NY

$15

Tickets available here

It’s been a very eventful summer for me, ladies and gents. Long story short, I was very happily married a few weeks ago (and yes, I did perform at the reception, along with some illustrious guests, including my new father-in-law). Capping this great summer, I’ve got a big show coming up at New York’s hippest alt-music-theatre showcase, Ars Nova. And I’m really, really excited (and a little daunted) by the concept: The Rob Kendt Songbook, which means I will turn over the mic to singers far, far better than me to interpret my material (one of them, the estimable Kevin Ray, did a similar evening at the Laurie Beechman last year, and I’m basically stealing his idea). Save the date: Tuesday, Sept. 16. There will be a lot more updates about it soon, but for now you can buy tickets here.

So a number of musical projects have come, if not to an end, to a momentary stop, at least: The folk musical The Devil and Tom Walker ended its acclaimed run at the Metropolitan Playhouse about a month ago, though a full cast album is in the works and we co-authors are talking licensing (it would make a great show for colleges and high schools). And a new musical about ’50s filmmaker Ed Wood, which I’ve been working on in the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop with the estimable Justin Warner, reached a new milestone with an audition/presentation on June 10 for the advanced ongoing workshop. More news will be forthcoming on that, to be sure.

In the meantime my longtime producer/drummer/gadfly Matt North has been adding drums and other assorted tasty elements to a number of new songs, and I’m arranging tunes for my next big “show”: my wedding on July 26. And New York City weather continue to remind me why there’s never a dull moment–or a stable guitar set-up–in this crazy town.

Onward and upward!