William Waldrop is a Music Director, Conductor, Pianist and Composer who currently serves as the Assistant Conductor for Broadway’s longest running musical, The Phantom of the Opera.  In 2017 he finished a highly celebrated run as Music Director and Conductor of the Broadway revival of Cats at the Neil Simon Theatre. Also an active guest conductor with symphony orchestras across the United States, Maestro Waldrop is equally comfortable on the podium with the orchestra on stage or conducting from the pit. He has been hailed for his ‘dynamic conducting’ and has been praised in cities all over the US and abroad.   

His recent symphonic engagements include concerts with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, The Florida Orchestra, the North Carolina Symphony, the Portland Symphony Orchestra, the Sarasota Orchestra, the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, the Long Beach Symphony, the Boise Philharmonic, the Louisiana Philharmonic, and the Greenville Symphony Orchestra. 

 

William has been associated with The Phantom of the Opera since 2008. In addition to being the Assistant Conductor for the Broadway production, he is also the Associate Musical Supervisor for the brand new international tour (launched in 2019), which is currently performing in Seoul, South Korea. William was the Musical Supervisor for a new production in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2018, and he has been involved in other productions worldwide, including Oberhausen, Germany (Associate Musical Supervisor), the US National Tour – Music Box (Music Director) and Las Vegas (Assistant Conductor).  

In 2014, Waldrop completed a 30-city tour as the Music Director and Conductor of the revival (Broadway National Tour) of Evita.  Waldrop conducted the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra in Washington, D.C. for the tour’s final performances.  Prior to leading the very successful national tour, he was the Associate Conductor for the Broadway production at the Marquee Theatre starring Ricky Martin.

In addition to working with esteemed musical artists such as Ricky Martin, Michael Lynche and Leona Lewis, William has collaborated (as a conductor, music director or pianist) with many Broadway and cabaret stars, including Betty Buckley, Rachel York, Christiane Noll, Karen Mason, Natalie Douglas and Klea Blackhurst. William has also played or conducted in the pits of other Broadway shows including Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, On The Town and Fiddler on The Roof.  He has led chamber ensemble productions of Grey Gardens (Bay Street Theatre, Associate Music Director) South Pacific (Asolo Repertory Theatre, Music Director) and A Tree Grows In Brooklyn (Off-Broadway, Associate Music Director). 

 

As a composer and lyricist, William recently premiered his brand new solo concert Still, and Still Moving: The Music of William Waldrop at New York City’s famed (and former) Metropolitan Room.  William’s music has also been heard in other popular NYC venues such as Birdland, The Laurie Beechman Theatre, New World Stages and Don’t Tell Mama. His frequent lyricist and collaborator Robert Williamson comprises the other half of the songwriting team Waldrop and Williamson. Their work has been seen at venues in NYC and all over the country. Their first musical premiered at the Las Vegas Fringe Festival in 2011.

An accomplished vocal coach, William accompanies and advises many star clients performing in current Broadway productions such as The Phantom of the Opera and Wicked.  Also an active educator, he leads regular master classes throughout New York City for such groups as The Growing Studio, Broadway Classroom, Broadway in Motion and Broadway Workshop. 

 

William received his Master’s of Music degree from The Peabody Conservatory of Music and his Bachelor’s of Music degree from The University of Mississippi.