Orchestration & Musical Direction

for Cruise Entertainment

Charts that work on ships, from guest ents and cabarets, to full productions.

Cruise entertainment has its own set of demands.

Fixed band sizes, tight turnarounds, shows that need to land on night one and still work six months later with a dep band. I've been arranging, orchestrating, and musically directing cruise productions since 2021, working with production companies and individuals to build shows that sound bigger than the lineup on paper.

I'm now based in Glasgow, and available for UK and international projects.

What You Get

Every project is delivered as a complete, production-ready package.

Full scores and individual parts, formatted and proofed. MainStage keyboard programming built for reliability, with detailed patch documentation so any dep can step in cold. Click tracks and guide tracks where needed.

I can support remotely through rehearsals or travel for band calls, tech, and performances.

Every chart is professionally engraved with performance in mind: clean layouts, logical page turns, and parts that musicians can sight-read without second-guessing the notation. Rehearsal time is too expensive to waste on badly formatted charts.

Scores are delivered digitally as PDFs, with physical copies available. Individual parts are optimised for A4, full scores for A3. Files are organised by song and instrument.

Additionally, I'm happy to customise your production further if you'd like:

Click tracks with notated cues, so every performance locks to the same tempo regardless of who's on the podium.
Formatting matched to your production branding: your logo, your fonts, your show identity carried through every part.
Cue lines written directly into individual charts, giving players the context they need without relying on the MD to talk them through it.

Once charts are in use, I stay on hand. If a player flags a tricky page turn or a missing cue in rehearsal, updated parts can be back with you the same day.

Example Piano Vocal Score - Make Your Own Kind of Music

Piano/vocal Score extract - Make Your Own Kind of Music

Guitar chart example - How Far I'll Go

The Process

Initial conversation

We’ll start with a conversation about your goals (i.e. instrumentation, song choice, style) and the overall feel of the production.

First draft

I’ll prepare first drafts of the orchestrations (usually as a piano demo with sheet music) to confirm cuts and structure before orchestrating fully. You’ll have a chance to give notes and adjustments at this stage.

Full orchestration

Once the direction is confirmed, I’ll produce a full orchestration and demo track. This is followed by a final round of revisions to ensure the arrangement reflects your concept.

Engraving and delivery

After revisions, I engrave the full score and parts for clarity and practical use. You’ll receive:

A full score and individual band charts
A demo recording
Performance-ready files (.pdf format)

Ongoing support

I’m available to answer questions, provide rehearsal notes, and make practical adjustments as needed once the charts are in use.

Example Orchestrations

How Far I'll Go

Arranged for vocal trio — live studio recording

0:00

Originally a solo song, this was re-arranged for a vocal trio act. The style stays true to the spirit of the original Disney version, but expands into a larger, more powerful finale, showing how a familiar piece can be reimagined whilst keeping the emotional core.

0:33	Builds gradually from a sparse opening to fuller rhythm
0:55	Drums written to recreate cinematic drive
1:31	Full orchestration, horns driving tension and creating movement
2:26	Newly created ending to give the song a punchier climax

Make Your Own Kind of Music

Arranged for solo cabaret — demo recording

0:00

This arrangement begins as a minimal, acoustic-style reduction, before expanding with lyrical piano fills as the rhythm section joins. It highlights storytelling through orchestration, moving fluidly between intimate colla voce moments and sections of full accompaniment.

0:43	Gentle opening transitioning to a fuller ensemble sound
1:06	Harmonic "fake out" before stepping back dynamically
2:10	Colla voce arrangement to support storytelling and vocal freedom

Selected Productions

2021–26	This One's for You — UK, US, International Carter West LTD	Musical Supervisor, Additional Orchestration & Arrangements
2024	Powerhouse Divas — International Carter West LTD	Musical Director, Additional Orchestration & Arrangements
2022–25	This One's for Frankie — UK & International Carter West LTD	Additional Orchestration & Arrangements

Let's work together!

If you're planning a production and need an orchestrator or MD who already knows this world, get in touch. Tell me about the show, the band, and the timeline, and I'll come back to you within 24 hours.