RYAN O’CONNELL is in demand as a composer, arranger, orchestrator, music director, and conductor. His music has been heard worldwide in a variety of venues: in film, on stage, and in the concert hall. He is perhaps most widely known for his popular choral arrangements for Shawnee Press and Alfred, which continue to top sales charts around the country. He has worked with many notable artists including Bette Midler, Michael Bublé, Megan Hilty, Jon McLaughlin, Marc Shaiman, Randy Rainbow, Teri Hatcher, Dane Cook, Bebe Neuwirth, and Curtis Moore, among many others.

After graduating from the prestigious Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television program at the University of Southern California, Ryan has made his mark writing music for media, composing for Fox, Netflix, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Disney, NBC, and CBS. Most notably, with co-writer Valerie Vigoda, he wrote music for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts. He also assisted with orchestrations for “Sinatra 100” on CBS, and “Michael Bublé’s Christmas in Hollywood” on NBC, as well as providing orchestrations for Randy Rainbow’s Grammy-nominated album “A Little Brains, A Little Talent.” Most recently, you can hear his arrangements and orchestrations in the new film “The Haunting of the Queen Mary”, where he also makes an on-screen appearance as the ship’s bandleader.

In the world of musical theatre, Ryan actively works as an orchestrator and music director, having been involved in over 100 stage productions. He was recently the lead orchestrator and MD for the Off-Broadway premiere of “Ernest Shackleton Loves Me” at Second Stage, and is a frequent orchestrator for acclaimed musical theatre writer Marshall Pailet. Furthermore, he has written several musicals of his own, and continues to develop ideas and music for the stage. He is currently working on a new musical with Valerie Vigoda and Tony-winner Joe DiPietro, titled “Miss Foxhole 1975”, which is in active development.

Ryan currently works at the Disneyland resort as a music director for live entertainment and as a teaching artist for the Disney Imagination Campus.

To contact Ryan about music for your next project, click here.