Patrick Vaccariello Named Music Director for Tonys

Patrick Vaccariello, artistic director of the Buck Hill Skytop Music Festival, has been appointed music director and conductor for the Tony Awards. His appointment represents the show's first change in music directors since 1965.

“I’m honored and thrilled to be doing this TV show,” Mr. Vaccariello said.  

Mr. Vaccariello will be involved in developing the show and creating the musical arrangements for host Hugh Jackman. He previously worked with Mr. Jackman on the production Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway. The 68^th Annual Tony Awards will be televised live on Sunday, June 8, on CBS.

Mr. Vaccariello is music director for the revival of Cabaret, which opened at Studio 54 in April. The show stars Academy Award nominee Michelle Williams in her Broadway debut as nightclub entertainer Sally Bowles and Alan Cumming reprising his Tony Award-winning role as the Emcee. 

At the Buck Hill Skytop Music Festival this summer, Mr. Vaccariello will present a concert honoring the legendary songwriting team of Kander and Ebb, composers of Cabaret. The production, Come to the Cabaret! A Celebration of Kander & Ebb, will star performers and musicians from the Broadway stage. After the performance, audience members will be invited to join Mr. Vaccariello for a discussion about the creative process behind the production. 

Mr. Vaccariello is a sought after music director, conductor and arranger, both on Broadway and internationally. He has served as music director or music supervisor for the Broadway and National Tour productions of Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway, West Side Story, Come Fly Away, Lend Me a Tenor, Gypsy (with Patti LuPone and Bernadette Peters), A Chorus Line, La Cage Aux Follies, The Boy from Oz, Cabaret, and many others. Internationally, Mr. Vaccariello has conducted The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber worldwide.

The Buck Hill Skytop Music Festival, now in its fifth season, will present world-renowned musicians in the fields of opera, jazz, musical theater, cabaret, chamber music, and dance. The festival will take place from July 25 to August 10 in the Pocono Mountains region of Pennsylvania.