John Clancy (orchestrator)

John Clancy is an American orchestrator who is best known for orchestrating Broadway musicals, such as Fun Home, Kimberly Akimbo and The Notebook.

Early life and education

John Clancy began his career as a back-up drummer for performing artists, such as Randy Newman and Carly Simon. While playing back-up for Billy Porter at Joe's Pub in 2003, he met composer Jeanine Tesori who later contacted him to help create the drum part of her new Broadway musical, Caroline, Or Change. He also played drum in the orchestra. This launched Clancy's career as a theatrical musician and orchestrator, as well as his two-decades long working relationship with Tesori.

Career

Clancy continued performing as a percussionist on Broadway after Caroline, Or Change, appearing in the 2007 revival of Grease and the 2011 premiere of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. During this time, he also served as associate orchestrator on Tesori's Shrek: The Musical, earning his first nomination for the Tony Award for Best Orchestrations alongside Tesori. As composer, Tesori crafts the melodies—and often the harmonies—through piano and vocal lines. Clancy then chooses the instrumentation and arranges the parts, shaping the full sound heard in the theater or on a cast recording.

Clancy received his first full Broadway orchestration credit in 2015—again collaborating with Tesori—on Fun Home, which earned him a second Tony nomination for Best Orchestrations. The musical went on to win the Tony Award for Best Musical at the 69th Tony Awards, with Tesori also winning the Tony Award for Best Score. In 2016, he orchestrated the Broadway production of Tuck Everlasting and contributed dance arrangements to the revival of Cats that same year. Throughout the late 2010s, Clancy's credits included Mean Girls and The Prom, with the former earning him a third Tony nomination.

He went on to orchestrate Diana in 2021, followed by both 1776 and Kimberly Akimbo in 2022. The latter brought Clancy his fourth Tony nomination and won the Tony Award for Best Musical, with Tesori again taking home the Tony Award for Best Score. His orchestrations can also be heard in The Notebook, in collaboration with Ingrid Michaelson, and he is set to debut new orchestrations in The Queen of Versailles starring Kristin Chenoweth in November 2025.

Credits

Awards and nominations