Billy Jay Stein attended the University of Pennsylvania, double-majoring in neuroscience and music, with a plan to one day become a neurosurgeon. But Stein’s unexpected career path has definitively turned him towards his other field of study.
During his time as an undergrad, Stein joined a rock band known as the Hatters, which signed with Atlantic Records during his senior year. “That launched a five-year U.S. tour, playing alongside artists like the Allman Brothers, Dave Matthews, Sheryl Crow, Buddy Guy and A Tribe Called Quest,” Stein told Broadway News. In 1995, the band broke up and Stein moved to New York City, where he began music-directing for the Off-Broadway theater company Musical Theater Works.
Even before music-directing, and despite his rock music background, Stein always had a foot in music and theater. His mother performed in community theater (Stein remembers seeing her as Sarah Brown in “Guys and Dolls”). Stein’s uncle, Michael Jason, originated the role of Peter in the Broadway premiere of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” and, Stein added, “Jule Styne is a cousin.” Stein grew up surrounded by the arts, but, from a young age also showed an affinity specifically for rock and electronic music.
“I studied piano with concert pianist Edward Edson and, at age 11, saved up from my paper route to buy my first synth — a Moog Source,” Stein said. “By junior high, I had a full recording studio in my bedroom, and I was writing, recording and producing constantly.” By high school, Stein was music-directing and playing accompaniment at local summer camps.
Those skills came in handy starting in 1995 when Stein started working as a session musician. Then, in 1997, he booked his first Broadway gig, playing keyboard in the orchestra of “Jekyll & Hyde.” During his time with that musical, continuing in the pit until 2001, Stein achieved two consequential things happened: 1) he built his first music studio, Strange Cranium, in his apartment and 2) he met Jason Howland, with whom he would later collaborate on “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” and earn a Grammy Award for producing the musical’s cast album.
Having also played in the Broadway orchestras of “The Rocky Horror Show” and “Hairspray,” Stein expanded his keyboard abilities from playing to programming. He teamed up with the Boston Pops on a few projects and began a 20-year partnership with “Jekyll & Hyde” star Linda Eder, serving as her music director and arranger, touring together and creating five studio albums. Simultaneously, starting in 1998, Stein produced more than 3,600 tracks for Viacom, “many of which were featured on hit shows like ‘Sex and the City,’” Stein said. In 2008, he and Michael Rosen co-founded Strike Audio, which, as Stein noted, “has since grown into one of the largest independent production music libraries in the U.S.”
This cumulative experience in playing, programming, producing and composing led Stein to his current status as an in-demand synth programmer and electronic music designer, the latter being a discipline he helped establish. One of the earliest shows to credit an electronic music designer was Broadway’s “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” — Stein was that designer. As he recalled, “In 2008, contractor Antoine Silverman called about a show that needed a session keyboardist who could produce music, program synths and work with rock legends.”
Stein also brought Hiro Iida onto his “Spider-Man” team, and the two have continued to program keyboards for Broadway musicals such as “Redwood” and create the electronic music design for shows like “Beautiful,” “Dead Outlaw” and “The Great Gatsby.” “As theater increasingly embraced digital sound, I began designing full electronic systems for live performance — work that helped define what’s now recognized as ‘electronic music design,’” Stein said.
Stein connected with Broadway News to describe the tasks of synth programmer and an electronic music designer, relay the Broadway memories he’ll never forget and share the music fact he wishes everyone knew.
Broadway News: What does an electronic music designer do? How is that different from a synth programmer?
