A SUNY Fredonia alumnus is in the running for a 2026 Tony Award. Last week, Brian Usifer was nominated in the category of Best Orchestrations for his work on the first Broadway revival of the musical "Chess." He is also the music supervisor for the production.
Usifer -- who graduated from Fredonia in 2003 -- is a New York City-based music director, pianist, orchestrator/arranger, producer and composer. On Broadway, his credits most recently include "Chess" featuring the music of ABBA and lyrics by Tim Rice; "Swept Away" with music by the Avett Brothers; "The Heart of Rock and Roll" featuring the songs of Huey Lewis; "A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical," Disney's "Frozen," "The Book of Mormon," and "Kinky Boots," with an original score by Cyndi Lauper, which won the 2013 Grammy award for Best Musical Theatre Album. He has performed at venues like Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden, the Kennedy Center and the Lincoln Center.
The ceremony for the 2026 Tony Awards is slated for June 7th at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
