Gary Soerensen

<p>Gary no longer lives in the Springfield area, but he was heavily involved with the Muni throughout the later part of the 1970s through the 1980s. Gary was a vocal music teacher with Rochester High School and later Chatham Glenwood High School. Gary made his Muni debut as the vocal director for <em>Bye Bye Birdie </em>in 1976. Gary later went on to direct many shows, including <em>Carousel </em>in 1979<em>, Show Boat </em>in 1980, <em>Grease </em>in 1981, <em>Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat </em>in both 1983 and 1989, <em>Evita </em>in 1985 and <em>The Wiz </em>in 1987. Gary also served on the Muni's Board of Managers, including a stint as President. Gary left Springfield in 1991 and moved to Los Angeles where he taught at the prestigious Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. His star pupil was Josh Groban, whom Gary cast as Tevye in a production of <em>Fiddler on the Roof</em>. Groban credits Gary as a teacher that deeply influenced him. Gary is now retired.</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Want to get involved in this project? Email history@themuni.org.</strong></p>