Composition & Music Direction
I write for instrumentalists and vocalists as well as the non-musical actor, and performers at myriad levels of musicality. I often write for actors who perform the music themselves in live theater settings. In addition to understanding who it is I am working with, and meeting the desires of the director, I enjoy delving into the needs of the play through vast research. I write quickly. I am a collaborator, assisting the director in reaching his/her vision through music within the body of the play, pre-show, intermission and post-show. I also do some sound design. I take great care to find the music that supports the needed scene, the overall pallet and the directors' intended setting and vision. I always stay on or under budget and am successful at working with very small budgets. I am a certified Dalcroze instructor (a physical theoretical approach to music), so working with the actors in a physical setting is something that comes naturally to me.
If you are a producer or director looking for a composer/music director/vocal coach/conductor, please contact me. I'd love to discuss your production.
If you are a producer or director looking for a composer/music director/vocal coach/conductor, please contact me. I'd love to discuss your production.
Gretta is deeply committed, incredibly thorough, and spectacularly inventive. The music Gretta created was beautiful and effective (many audience members said it was the best part of the show, and I'd tend to agree!), and she was an absolute joy to work with from the first meeting through the final dress rehearsal, to achieve our collective vision for the production. She's the best composer and musical director I've ever worked with; I'd swim oceans for the chance to work with her again. --Megan Sandberg-Zakian freelance Director; Resident Director, The Providence Black Repertory Company
Gretta's skill, ingenuity, and patience with process is only exceeded by her generosity of spirit and love of collaboration. She brings positive energy into the rehearsal room and coaxes strong musical performances out of the cast. --Robert G. Leigh, Director
I have worked for Gretta as a pianist on many projects. What impresses me about her is the way she can modify the music on the fly to fit any situation. When the director wants to add a musical interlude, she thinks about it, plunks out a few notes and voila, the director is thrilled. --Dave Hubbard, Composer/Videographer/Pianist
Gretta is always fun to work with, and very creative, with great musical ideas! —Rob Jones, Pianist