Michael Light Oosterhout
COMPOSER / LYRICIST / MUSIC DIRECTOR / BOOKWRITER / PLAYWRIGHT
Hi! My name is Michael Light Oosterhout (MY-kel LITE OH-ster-howt -- rhymes with "toaster pout" -- he/him), and I write musical theatre. I’m excited by creating music and stories which blend genres, feature the journeys undergone by queer youth, and examine the relationship between the ancient and modern world -- but mostly, anything that explores what makes us human.
All Videos
After Dark (from "Riverbend")
Everything We Need (from "Riverbend")
Lonely from Ariadne: A New Musical
Isograms by Kim Bixler
Bio
Michael Light Oosterhout (he/him) is a composer/lyricist, music director, and playwright. Passionate about genre-bending and blending myriad styles into contemporary musical theatre, he is chiefly interested in exploring the relationship between the ancient and modern worlds, as well as highlighting issues affecting queer youth.
Michael's current projects include Evelyn Evans (play), The Lonely Girl’s Guide to Friendship or… Love? (musical), The Right Reasons (song cycle), and Riverbend (musical).
Past projects include Ariadne: A New Musical, Sparta! The Musical, Euripides' Medea (arrangements), Judith Walsh White's Winnie the Pooh (arrangements), 15-minute opera Windy, and 20-minute musical The Advice Column. Music direction credits include Fly By Night, Mr. Burns, Formerly Known (arrangements), and The Cherry Orchard.
A native of the Washington, D.C. area, Michael is a graduate of Vassar College (B.A., Music and Greek & Roman Studies) and recently received his M.F.A. in Musical Theatre Writing from N.Y.U. Tisch.
News
May 2023 - NYU Graduation
Michael will graduate from the 2-year Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program at NYU Tisch School of the Arts in May 2023.
Resume
Education
New York University, Tisch School of the Arts - 2021-Present
Master of Fine Arts, Graduate Musical Theatre Writing (Composition), Expected 2023
Vassar College - 2014-2018
Bachelor of Arts, Dual Major in Music and Greek & Roman Studies (Classics)
Composition / Music Direction (selected)
Arranger/Music Director, Columbia University School of the Arts - 2022
Arranged and taught instrumental tracks to vocalists for karaoke-style performances of popular music in Anton Chekov’s The Cherry Orchard, adapted by Siting Yang and Danica Selem.
Writer/Director, NYU Tisch School of the Arts - 2022
Co-wrote, directed, and performed in collaborative production by Interactive Telecommunications and Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Programs: “Halloween Expo and Immersive Theatre Event." Managed all aspects of immersive narrative and physical production.
Composer/Lyricist/Music Director, NYU Tisch School of the Arts - 2022
Composed, wrote additional lyrics, music directed, and produced film and audio recordings for 20-minute musical production The Advice Column with bookwriter/lyricist Kim Bixler.
Composition Student, NYU Tisch School of the Arts - 2021-Present
Composed large number of original musical theatre pieces individually and collaboratively in a wide variety of styles, genres, and instrumentations. Studied practical dramatic writing, compositional technique, orchestration and arranging, works for animation, dance, and immersive theatre, etc. Current projects include a full-length collaborative thesis musical adapting Greek mythology.
Arranger, Traveling Players Ensemble - 2018
Arranged and recorded settings of Judith Walsh White’s original songs for Winnie the Pooh and Friends. Prepared recordings for premiere production at professional theatre arts education organization.
Composer/Lyricist/Bookwriter/Music Director, Vassar College Greek & Roman Studies Dept - 2017-2018
Full-length original musical Ariadne: A New Musical as Greek & Roman Studies senior thesis project.
Composer/Arranger/Music Director, Vassar College - 2017
Production of Euripides’ Medea. Composed and recorded settings of all choral odes in original Greek for dance performance.
Arranger/Music Director, Vassar College Future Waitstaff of America - 2015-2016
Productions: Formerly Known, Fly By Night, Mr. Burns: a post-electric play. Teaching/conducting all vocalists and instrumentalists in all productions. Recording and producing tracks for theatrical production Mr. Burns. Arranged popular music and conducted voice/pit orchestra for student-directed devised musical Formerly Known, including Sara Bareilles, Roberta Flack, Queen, David Bowie, Tracy Chapman, The Who, etc.
Composition Student, Vassar College Music Department - 2014 - 2018
Composed several original works as part of composition and music theory classes, including works for classical string quartet, orchestra, choral ensemble, instrumental and vocal chamber ensembles, a cappella groups, musical theatre, and solo voice/accompaniment.
Composer/Lyricist/Bookwriter/Music Director, Georgetown Day School - 2012-2014
Full-length original musical Sparta! The Musical as senior capstone project. Writing/teaching/recording/conducting all vocalists and instrumentalists, as well as acting in and producing production. Professional documentary This Is Sparta! by York Zimmerman, Inc. documents the production process (available on YouTube).
Skills
Musical
Instruments: piano/keyboard (very proficient), voice (baritone, very proficient), organ (proficient). Very proficient sight reader (Western notation and leadsheets/chord symbols). Composition/arranging/performing styles: Jazz, classical, musical theatre, pop, rock, contemporary, a cappella, choral, art song, opera, and others. Music direction for theatrical productions in all aforementioned styles. Recording engineering and sound design for theatrical productions and original music (proficient). Voice, piano, and music theory pedagogy at K-12 and beginner-adult levels.
Software
Mac, PC, iWork Suite (Pages, Numbers, etc.), Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.), GSuite (Gmail, Google Drive, etc.), Finale (music notation software), Sibelius (music notation software), MuseScore (music notation software), Apple Logic (DAW), Garageband (DAW), Audacity (DAW), and others.
Contact
Instagram: michael_light_music