JaN Roper
Composer - Music Director
Keyboardist - Singer
ABOUT ME!
Thank you for visiting my website, so that I might give you a glimpse of who I am and what I do. I am first and foremost a piano player and a singer, a composer, a music director, and a worship leader. I love to teach and coach. I am an intermediate level recording engineer (how’s that for a ringing endorsement!). I am a devoted dog owner of Maisie and Coco. And I am a mom to two amazing adult children.
I worked for many years as a singer/performer, playing many high-profile gigs and venues. I had my own original band (Breathing Room and then The Horizons) and released 2 records under those band names. I have written a few musicals over the years, and if you are familiar at all with that process, then you know that every show is a years-long commitment of writing, recording, arranging and scoring, with the final goal to get the show produced and hopefully into the lexicon of licensed musicals. The Path to Catherine, América Tropical, City of Light, and Jerusalem A.D. are all full-length works of mine of which I am immensely proud.
Being a musical theater director over the last decade has brought me so much joy, as I get to bring together all my skills into one big package and work with some truly beautiful and talented people along the way. In 2019 I seemed to go from one show to the next, often MD-ing 2 and 3 shows at a time. What a year that was! I was honored to receive the LA Scenie Award for Music Director of the Year for all of my accumulative work. And then 2020 hit and it all screeched to a halt. But it gave me the chance to write and record two new original shows that are at this point, very far in their development. The Path to Catherine had a 6-week small production in Los Angeles in 2022 and currently we're working on an exciting recording project with name actors and and an innovative music producer.
I am proud to be on the Teaching and Accompanist Staff at AMDA, College of the Performing Arts, a school that has launched some of the most successful careers in theater, film and television.
