Adam Behrens Biography and Work
I was born in Canada and moved to London, UK in 1996. After living and working there for almost 19 years I decided for various reasons (all of them good) to move to Manchester in July 2015 and have recently relocated to South Wales.
While living in London I worked with National Youth Jazz Orchestra, Denmark Street Big Band (backing Mitch Winehouse and Matt Monro Jr), Jazz 251, Jimmy Cannon Big Band as well as backing many singers in different styles (rock, pop to jazz) in anything from duo setting to small band. I was in a backing band for Ruth Hamilton at the Brecon Jazz Festival. Recently I played bass for singer songwriter Dilys and American singer songwriter Ezra Axlerod. I have played in many function bands (Jazz Bomb, Big Man and His Band, Soundabout, etc). Currently I am traveling to London to work with the Wayne Morgan Band (an 8 piece band playing American Songbook and Rat Pack classics) and freelancing in South Wales and the rest of the UK.
I have played in many of London’s top live venues including Ronnie Scott’s (with Voodoo Trombone Quartet), Pizza Express Dean Street, Spice Of Life, Jazz Cafe, Delfont Room (Prince Of Wales Theatre, London) and recently on a production of Thoroughly Modern Millie at the Adelphi Theatre in London’s West End for 48 Hour Musical Theatre Challenge.
MUSICAL THEATRE
In 2004 I started working in orchestra pits around the UK and Ireland for many musical theatre productions. This type of work is very different from live playing as there are different challenges such as dealing with time, tempo, style, key changes and even instrument changes within the same song along with reading your music part while following a musical director or conductor. Sometimes pit musicians have to follow a musical director on a small tv screen because of space limitations as half the band might be remoted to another part of the building. Working in theatre is certainly diverse which is why I enjoy it so much.
I have worked on 2 national tours: Mad About The Musicals and spent 3 years touring with Blood Brothers (with Linda Nolan, Maureen Nolan and Anthony Costa) for Bill Kenwright Ltd
I have worked on 14 Christmas pantomimes (10 for UK Productions, 2 for Sands Centre, Carlisle and 2 for Colin Meredith Productions in Rochdale.
Other musicals I have worked on: Les Miserables (schools edition), Rent (guitar 2 as well as playing keyboards), By Jeeves, Cabaret, Little Shop Of Horrors, Cats, Sweet Charity, Fame, Summer Holiday, High School Musical, Equally, A Man Of No Importance, High School Musical, The Wiz, Legally Blonde (dep*) and many others.
I have also worked at some of London’s top theatre schools playing on their productions (Mountview, MTA, Trinity Laban).
LONDON FRINGE AND OFF WEST END
London has a thriving Fringe theatre scene. Some of the productions I have worked on have proved to be the most challenging for me as a musician but also the most rewarding and satisfying. Most of the performers (actors and musicians) and tech teams have West End or touring experience or are recent graduates of some of the top performing arts training institutions. Productions include: Love Story (came in 2nd place in West End Frame’s London Fringe Production Of The Year 2014), In The Heights at Southwark Playhouse (as a dep*), Spring Awakening, Bernarda Alba (dep), Godspell, Next Thing You Know (UK premier), Little Me (bass), Darling Of The Day (bass), Superman (bass dep), No Way To Treat A Lady (bass dep)
*Dep or deputising: Replacing the main guitarist for one or several performances if they have conflicting engagements. Depping involves “sitting in” to watch the guitarist play the show, learning how the musical director works, taking notes then going in the next night to play the show with NO prior rehearsals.
While living in London I worked with National Youth Jazz Orchestra, Denmark Street Big Band (backing Mitch Winehouse and Matt Monro Jr), Jazz 251, Jimmy Cannon Big Band as well as backing many singers in different styles (rock, pop to jazz) in anything from duo setting to small band. I was in a backing band for Ruth Hamilton at the Brecon Jazz Festival. Recently I played bass for singer songwriter Dilys and American singer songwriter Ezra Axlerod. I have played in many function bands (Jazz Bomb, Big Man and His Band, Soundabout, etc). Currently I am traveling to London to work with the Wayne Morgan Band (an 8 piece band playing American Songbook and Rat Pack classics) and freelancing in South Wales and the rest of the UK.
I have played in many of London’s top live venues including Ronnie Scott’s (with Voodoo Trombone Quartet), Pizza Express Dean Street, Spice Of Life, Jazz Cafe, Delfont Room (Prince Of Wales Theatre, London) and recently on a production of Thoroughly Modern Millie at the Adelphi Theatre in London’s West End for 48 Hour Musical Theatre Challenge.
MUSICAL THEATRE
In 2004 I started working in orchestra pits around the UK and Ireland for many musical theatre productions. This type of work is very different from live playing as there are different challenges such as dealing with time, tempo, style, key changes and even instrument changes within the same song along with reading your music part while following a musical director or conductor. Sometimes pit musicians have to follow a musical director on a small tv screen because of space limitations as half the band might be remoted to another part of the building. Working in theatre is certainly diverse which is why I enjoy it so much.
I have worked on 2 national tours: Mad About The Musicals and spent 3 years touring with Blood Brothers (with Linda Nolan, Maureen Nolan and Anthony Costa) for Bill Kenwright Ltd
I have worked on 14 Christmas pantomimes (10 for UK Productions, 2 for Sands Centre, Carlisle and 2 for Colin Meredith Productions in Rochdale.
Other musicals I have worked on: Les Miserables (schools edition), Rent (guitar 2 as well as playing keyboards), By Jeeves, Cabaret, Little Shop Of Horrors, Cats, Sweet Charity, Fame, Summer Holiday, High School Musical, Equally, A Man Of No Importance, High School Musical, The Wiz, Legally Blonde (dep*) and many others.
I have also worked at some of London’s top theatre schools playing on their productions (Mountview, MTA, Trinity Laban).
LONDON FRINGE AND OFF WEST END
London has a thriving Fringe theatre scene. Some of the productions I have worked on have proved to be the most challenging for me as a musician but also the most rewarding and satisfying. Most of the performers (actors and musicians) and tech teams have West End or touring experience or are recent graduates of some of the top performing arts training institutions. Productions include: Love Story (came in 2nd place in West End Frame’s London Fringe Production Of The Year 2014), In The Heights at Southwark Playhouse (as a dep*), Spring Awakening, Bernarda Alba (dep), Godspell, Next Thing You Know (UK premier), Little Me (bass), Darling Of The Day (bass), Superman (bass dep), No Way To Treat A Lady (bass dep)
*Dep or deputising: Replacing the main guitarist for one or several performances if they have conflicting engagements. Depping involves “sitting in” to watch the guitarist play the show, learning how the musical director works, taking notes then going in the next night to play the show with NO prior rehearsals.
The 2 pictures above are from my time on Love Story (Union Theatre, 2014). Probably my all time favourite gig. Great working with these musicians. We never knew who was in the audience.