半岛体育

Broadway Conductor, music director, and pianist Sue Anderson passed away May 1, following a long battle with cancer. News of her passing was confirmed to 半岛体育 by her daughter, Emily Groenendaal. Ms. Anderson was 70.

Ms. Anderson was born and raised in Frederic, Wisconsin, to parents Alice and Maynard. She majored in music and business at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire. After graduating college, Ms. Anderson moved to New York City and began working as a medical secretary until she landed her first musical role: musical director of The First All Children's Theatre. A Broadway career soon followed. 

Ms. Anderson was an associate conductor for the 1981 revival of My Fair Lady, which saw Rex Harrison return to the role of Henry Higgins. That same year, she also served as the keyboardist and conductor for the hit Joseph Papp revival of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance, eventually taking that production on the road as the touring conductor. Once she returned to New York, she remained a familiar presence, working on the Broadway productions of Me and My Girl, Cats, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Woman in White, Spamalot, The Lion King, and Jerry鈥檚 Girls.

For decades, the image of the Broadway conductor鈥檚 podium was nearly synonymous with male authority, with women routinely sidelined or steered into supporting roles such as rehearsal pianists, vocal coaches, or pit musicians. It wasn鈥檛 until the late 20th century that a handful of trailblazing women, including Ms. Anderson, began to break through this glass ceiling. A treasured mentor, Ms. Anderson lit the flame for many female musicians in their pursuit of respect within the Broadway orchestra pit. 

As a conductor, Ms. Anderson conducted Pops concerts with the Milwaukee, Detroit, Phoenix, Portland, and Shreveport orchestras, and led the London Philharmonic. She regularly performed at Carnegie Hall with Field Studies International, and was an associate at The Westchester Broadway Theatre. Ms. Anderson was the musical director for SoundBites (a political satire group for National Public Radio), the Hartford Stage premiere of Martin Guerre, and a regular touring musician with the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera.

Her film work included Clever Jack, Svengali, and The Ultimate Solution of Grace Quigley. She recorded at Abbey Road Studios and made three albums with her husband, Broadway actor Cris Groenendaal, whom she met while working with the improv group Broadway Local.

Ms. Anderson is survived by her husband Groenendaal and their two children, Lucas and Emily Groenendaal; as well as Anderson's siblings David and Judy Anderson, and her nieces, nephews, extended family, and friends.