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Woo leads the orchestra for Annie

Centennial grad makes his debut as musical director
Annie
Align Entertainment presents Annie at the Michael J. Fox Theatre in Burnaby next month.

When Kevin Woo signed up for school band in 1987, he had hoped to score a spot as a saxophone or French horn player.

But both positions were taken so the Coquitlam student turned his attention to an instrument he had never touched: the clarinet.

He never looked back.

At Centennial secondary, where he graduated in 1992, Woo’s musical skills caught the attention of teacher James Bryson, a founder of the Royal City Musical Theatre, who invited Woo in his senior year to perform in Oklahoma!, one of the company’s first musicals at the Massey Theatre in New Westminster.

Chad Matchette, who would later become the owner and artistic director of Coquitlam’s Lindbjerg Academy of the Performing Arts, was in the chorus, too.

Over the years, the two struck a friendship as they were part of Broadway shows around Metro Vancouver.

In 2014, as Matchette and Coquitlam theatre supporter Patti Volk launched Align Entertainment, a company that presents family-friendly shows, Woo was at his colleague’s side again for the inaugural production of Shrek: The Musical.

And, since then, Woo’s been in the pit for every Align presentation.

Last year, Matchette (as director and co-producer) invited Woo to fill the conductor’s podium for Align’s next performance of Annie, which opens Feb. 1 at the Michael J. Fox Theatre in Burnaby.

Having had experience as assistant and associate musical director — sometimes for Align under the wing of Brent Hughes, the music teacher at Dr. Charles Best secondary in Coquitlam — Woo was eager to make his début in the lead music role.

“This will be the first time I’ve done it all on my own but I feel I’ve had a good learning experience up to now,” the Coquitlam resident told The Tri-City News today (Friday), noting he got messages of congratulation from Bryson and Hughes when he won the top gig. “It’s been pretty wonderful.”

For Annie, Woo will have 12 musicians to play the program, down five from the original orchestra call; many of them Woo has known for years so “I know how they play and what kind of people they are,” he said. “They are very competent so it makes my job easier.”

Though Woo has performed the score many times for other companies — playing such hits as Tomorrow and It’s the Hard Knock Life — he loves to hear it when he’s not directly in the show. “It’s such a classic that, when you’re not involved in it, you tend to forget how beautiful the music is.”

Also making débuts for the Align run will be Camryn Macdonald, who stars as Annie, and Arne Larsen as Oliver Warbucks.

Other Tri-City talent in Annie include: Port Coquitlam’s Erin Matchette (Miss Hannigan); and youth Deya Kovats, 11; Aurielle Strelau, 10; Jenna Lamb, 8; and Elliette Latimer, 7.

Nicol Spinola, who is on faculty at the Tri-City Dance Centre, is the choreographer.

• Annie: The Musical runs Feb. 1 to 16 at the Michael J. Fox Theatre (7373 Macpherson Ave., Burnaby). Visit alignentertainment.ca or vtixonline.com for tickets. 

Kevin