Michael Cavanaugh (born 1972) is an American actor and musician most famous for playing the piano and providing lead vocals in the band for the
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
musical '' Movin' Out''. Cavanaugh was handpicked by Billy Joel for this musical and appeared in the show for three years and over 1300 performances.
Career
Cavanaugh is the youngest of four boys who all played instruments. When he was 7, his parents bought a piano and he began playing immediately. He played his first club show at age 12. His aunt brought him from Cleveland to New York City when he was 13 to see his first
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
musical. By age fourteen, Cavanaugh was playing keyboard with bands at weddings and other events several nights a week.
His first full-time gig as a musician was an extended engagement in Orlando, Florida at a piano bar on International Drive called Blazing Pianos. In January 1999, Cavanaugh had the opportunity to play in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
at the
New York-New York Hotel and Casino
New York-New York Hotel and Casino is a casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States. It is owned by Vici Properties and operated by MGM Resorts International, and is designed to evoke New York City in its architect ...
, where he happened to catch the attention of Billy Joel in February 2001. Consequently, Cavanaugh moved to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
to work with Billy Joel and
Twyla Tharp
Twyla Tharp (; born July 1, 1941) is an American dancer, choreographer, and author who lives and works in New York City. In 1966 she formed the company Twyla Tharp Dance. Her work often uses classical music, jazz, and contemporary pop music.
Fr ...
, who together shaped the Broadway musical '' Movin' Out''. '' Billboard'' magazine called him "the new voice of the American Rock and Roll Songbook". While appearing on Broadway, Cavanaugh and his family lived in
Glen Rock, New Jersey
Glen Rock is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 12,133, reflecting an increase of 532 (+4.6%) from the 11,601 counted in the 2010 census,
With the close of ''Movin' Out'' at the end of 2005, Cavanaugh began touring on his own, creating a show that reinterpreted the modern pop/rock songbook. Cavanaugh continues to perform worldwide for corporate and charity functions, as well as at sporting events including the
Indy 500
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indianap ...
, the
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also ...
, and the US Open.
Symphony orchestras soon began booking Cavanaugh. His first orchestra engagement, a "Michael Cavanaugh — The Songs of Billy Joel and more" program, debuted in April 2008 with the Indianapolis Symphony. In October 2008, he signed with ADA/Warner to distribute his first CD, titled ''In Color''.
Cavanaugh made his
Boston Pops Orchestra
The Boston Pops Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, specializing in light classical and popular music. The orchestra's current music director is Keith Lockhart.
Founded in 1885 as an offshoot of the Boston Symp ...
debut on May 8–9, 2009, with
Steven Reineke
Steven Reineke (born September 14, 1970) is a conductor, composer, and arranger from Cincinnati, Ohio. He is the Music Director of The New York Pops. He currently resides in New York City.
Biography
Reineke was born in 1970 in Tipp City, Ohio ...
conducting. He returned to play another engagement with the Boston Pops in 2015, featuring music by Neil Diamond, Paul Simon, and
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...
.
In 2010, he debuted a new orchestra production, his second, called "Generations of Rock", in which he plays Elton John and other artists who have inspired him.
In 2012, Cavanaugh performed with the Florida Orchestra, playing a mix of classical and contemporary music by composers including Billy Joel, Elton John,
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
and
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
. He created his third symphony show, "Singers and Songwriters: The music of Paul Simon, Neil Diamond and James Taylor" that year, and was still touring with the production as of July 2014.
In 2014, he performed with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra as part of its ''Pops!'' series, in a program called "The Music of Billy Joel & More". Later that year, he performed with the Houston Symphony as well.
Awards and recognition
In 2003, for his role in '' Movin' Out'', Cavanaugh received both a Grammy nomination and a Tony nomination. That year's Tony went to
Dick Latessa
Richard Robert Latessa (September 15, 1929 – December 19, 2016) was an American stage, film, and television actor.
Early life
Latessa was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1929. After serving in the Army in maybe 1952, he began performing in Clevelan ...
(who played Wilbur Turnblad in ''
Hairspray
Hairspray may refer to:
* Hair spray, a personal grooming product that keeps hair protected from humidity and wind
* ''Hairspray'' (1988 film), a film by John Waters
** ''Hairspray'' (1988 soundtrack), the film's soundtrack album
** ''Hairspray ...
'').
Personal life
When not on the road or recording, Cavanaugh resides in Las Vegas with his family. He and his wife Karin have a son, Matthew, and a daughter, Mikayla.
Cavanaugh has synesthesia. As he explained to the ''
Cleveland Plain Dealer
''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday.
As of M ...
'', "When I hear a note of C, I see the color red in my mind's eye. A is blue, F is gray. Growing up I thought everyone was like this." He attributes some of his facility at learning songs quickly to his synesthesia.