THE FOUR IMMIGRANTS Cast Album is here!

Photograph by Hans Cardenas

After two days of recording in January, followed by six months of squeezing in studio time, the original cast album for THE FOUR IMMIGRANTS: AN AMERICAN MUSICAL MANGA is finally here! On Monday, we celebrated with a release party at the Opal Nightclub in downtown Mountain View, hosted by TheatreWorks Silicon Valley. Of course, I have had access to the album's files for a few weeks now, as we were waiting for the CDs to be published. But the excitement from folks at the party was so invigorating and uplifting, I was filled with gratitude. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of the journey of THE FOUR IMMIGRANTS so far. Now, with this album, more people will be able to experience the music of the show. And hopefully, it will help us get to a second production soon enough!

Recording is a Team Effort

Just a handful of the amazing individuals who are helping turn this album dream into reality!

I spent the past weekend at 25th Street Recording in Oakland with the Four Immigrants cast, musicians and creative team to record the original cast album for the show*. To be honest, going into the weekend, I was feeling fairly anxious. I have recorded two cast albums before, and both of them demanded so much time and attention that my impression of the recording process was that it was always mentally draining. So, I braced myself for a similar experience this time. I'm delighted to say that, while the recording sessions were definitely still demanding, the entire process actually went very smoothly and with minimal hiccups.

It was immediately clear to me that this was because I had such a great team of people around me. We were fortunate not only to have the entire cast back, but each musician in our 6-person ensemble had played in the pit for the show as well! This enabled us to jump right back into the material even after almost half a year had passed since the last time we performed it. Perhaps the biggest help was that I had a team of people to help take on some of the administrative and decision-making roles. For my past albums, I wore the hats of producer, manager, and music director combined. For The Four Immigrants, we split up these responsibilities among five people, and, by doing so, were able to keep things focused, organized and on track. This made a world of difference. Having a team of people you trust. Working with them and leaning on them. This sense of relying on others to help us get through to the end is, interestingly enough, one of the major themes in the show as well. I'm so grateful to all of the individuals who lent their skills, talent, time, and funds to this project. I wouldn't be able to do it alone.

*We are still trying to raise funds to help with the final production and distribution costs of the album. If you would like to make a donation, click here.

Help us record The Four Immigrants original cast album!

I'm partnering with TheatreWorks to produce The Four Immigrants original cast album -- and we are looking for generous donors to help fund the recording costs. The professionally recorded cast album will not only allow audiences to enjoy the songs from the show, but will also aid me as I meet with potential theatre companies about future productions. Your investment in the album is an investment in the future life of the show!

Every gift of $60 or more will receive your very own CD even as you support the creation of exciting new works! But, there are so many more gifts—even VIP experiences! So whether big or small, join our adventure by November 17 and in addition to your gifts, you will be entered into a drawing in which one lucky winner will receive a signed copy of The Four Immigrants Manga. Click the banner above to donate today!