Karl Pendlebury
Musical Director,
Orchestral Arranger
More than four decades working as a musical director, pianist and arranger in musical theatre.Now creating bespoke backing tracks and MainStage programmes for performers and productions.
MainStage Concerts
MainStage keyboard chairs available for rental, shows include Rent, We Will Rock You, Lucky Stiff, Legally Blonde, Footloose. These come as two separate files Keys 1/MD and Keys 2. Contact me for more details.
Technical Requirements
Apple Silicon Mac recommended
MainStage 4
External audio interface recommended
USB MIDI keyboard/controller
Wired monitoring for live performanceFull setup information is supplied with each programme..
Biography
Karl Pendlebury is a musical director, pianist and arranger whose career in musical theatre spans more than four decades.He trained at the Royal Academy of Music on a piano performance scholarship, having been a finalist in the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition in 1987. His London concert debut came at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, performing Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F.Karl’s theatre career has included major West End productions including Sunset Boulevard, Rent, Blood Brothers, Mamma Mia! and We Will Rock You, as well as work as a musical supervisor, arranger and pianist in the UK and internationally.He has worked extensively with Bill Kenwright Productions and has taught and given masterclasses at institutions including the Royal Academy of Music, RADA and GSA.Now focusing on selected musical projects and bespoke backing tracks, Karl brings the experience of a working musical director and pianist to recordings created for auditions, drama school, performances and personal projects.
Backing Tracks
Audition Preparation Tracks:
Drawing on more than four decades of musical theatre experience, Karl creates individually arranged backing tracks for auditions, drama school, showcases and personal projects.
I’ve been making arrangements and recordings for singers throughout my career, often simply because a particular singer needed something that didn’t exist.I’m now making that service available more widely — creating bespoke backing tracks for auditions, drama school applications, showcases and personal projects.Every track is approached as a piece of music, shaped around the singer rather than simply providing accompaniment
Examples of my work
The examples below show the range of styles and approaches I can bring to a bespoke backing track
.Your Eyes - RentA musical theatre arrangement shaped around the singer and the emotional progression of the song.Secret Love - Calamity JaneA full orchestral arrangement, demonstrating my approach to creating rich, detailed accompaniment for the stage.Get Here - Oleta AdamsA solo voice and piano arrangement, leaving space for the singer to shape the performance.I’m Not Afraid of Anything - Songs For A New World - Jason Robert BrownA rhythmically demanding musical theatre song, demonstrating the precision, energy and flexibility needed to support contemporary writing.Somewhere in the Audience - Poe - Eric WoolfsonA larger orchestral arrangement demonstrating the breadth of sound that can be created for a bespoke track. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London.
If you have a particular song, cut or arrangement in mind, get in touch and we can discuss what’s needed.
Media
Contact Us
Terms & Conditions of ServiceKarl Pendlebury Productions (karlpendlebury.com)1. Definition of Services* Studio Backing Tracks (The "Tracks"): High-fidelity master audio recordings produced, mixed, and engineered by Karl Pendlebury Productions based on authentic orchestral arrangements.* MainStage Performance Ecosystems (The "Software/Rigs"): Custom-programmed Apple MainStage workspaces, patch lists, audio routing matrices, and virtual instrument configurations built for live theatrical execution.2. Studio Backing Tracks: Purchase & Ownership
* Ownership of Asset: When purchasing Tracks from our 200+ show catalog or ordering a custom arrangement, you are purchasing a non-exclusive license to use the master audio files for your personal rehearsal, coaching, or specific production use.
* No Resale or Redistribution: You do not own the underlying musical copyright or arrangement typography. The audio files must not be copied, shared, resold, uploaded to public file-sharing networks, or redistributed in any format.3. MainStage Ecosystems: Show-Based Rental Model
* Rental Basis Only: Unlike Tracks, MainStage programming files and ecosystems are supplied strictly on a temporary rental basis linked directly to your specific show dates. You do not purchase or own the underlying software files.
* License Duration: Your rental license is strictly valid for the duration of the rehearsal and performance run specified at checkout or on your invoice.
* Post-Production Deletion: Upon completion of your final performance date, you are legally required to purge and delete all rented MainStage project files, custom sound patches, and associated assets from your hardware.4. Intellectual Property & Grand Rights Clearance
* Client Responsibility Clause: Karl Pendlebury Productions provides custom audio tracking, mixing, and software programming expertise. The client holds the sole responsibility for securing all necessary performance permissions, grand rights, and sheet music licenses from the appropriate rightsholders or theatrical publishers (e.g., MTI, Concord, Wise Music, PRS/PPL) for their specific venue and performance run.
* No Score Distribution: Karl Pendlebury Productions does not sell, rent, distribute, or host digital PDF files of copyrighted theatrical scores or sheet music.5. Payments & Delivery
* Quotes: All custom production and enterprise tech rigs are quoted individually based on the project's complexity and timeline.
* Refund Policy: Due to the digital nature of these products and services, all sales of downloadable Tracks and deployed MainStage rental files are final and non-refundable.