Robert Fienga is Disneyland Resort Paris’ conductor, arranger and orchestrator. He produced the scores of such shows as Disney Classics: The Music and the Magic and Mickey’s Showtime. The versatile artist studied trombone and composition at the Nimes, Lyon and Paris conservatories of music where he became passionate about Mozart, Mahler, Ravel and also big band music.

Following that, he got the Fullbright Scholarship for two years in America, at Cal State Northridge and at the Grove School of Music, specialized in film music. Coming back to France, he played in Michel Legrand’s orchestra and had the chance to write arrangements for him.

From his debuts at Disneyland Resort Paris to the latest High School Musical 2 show, which he musically directs, Jérémie Noyer lets us listen-in on a fascinating talk with this great musician of magic…

How did you become the conductor and arranger of Disneyland Resort Paris?

At the time when I was working with Michel Legrand, some musician friends of mine told me that Disney was looking for someone like me, who could conduct orchestras, arrange and compose. So, I called Vasile Sirli, the head of the Music Department of the park, who invited me for an interview. Then, I began to work freelance on different projects before integrating the Music Department of the resort. There was plenty to do. Everything had to be created from scratch.

As I was becoming in charge of more and more orchestras, I was asked to write the music of shows like Disney Classics: The Music and the Magic in 1996. It was really exciting to get in charge of the music of such a production, to write it, arrange it, adapt it and produce it. It was also very exciting to go abroad for the recording sessions. Starting from scratch and building a show in time and budget.

What interested you in Disney?

In fact, my wife is American. Her name’s Amy. Her two great-uncles, the Green Brothers, recorded the score of Steamboat Willie! They were very famous musicians. They took part in many recording sessions and were also Foley artists. They did three films for Disney, among which Steamboat Willie and The Skeleton Dance, the very first Silly Symphony.

When Roy E. Disney came here for the opening of the Walt Disney Studios Park, I sent him a note explaining all that, along with some press material. He answered to me very kindly and put me in contact with someone at the Disney Archives in Burbank who sent me some little commentaries Walt Disney wrote at that time about the Green Brothers. So, Disney and me, it’s a long story, and a family story! As Roy wrote it to me: “It’s a small world after all”!!

Speaking about Disney music, who are your favourite Disney composers?

I love Alan Menken’s songs. I also love the Sherman Brothers’ and Buddy Baker’s work. I met him some years ago in Los Angeles. He was adorable. I called him and he invited me to his home in Sherman Oaks, even though he didn’t know me at that time! I was just a little French student.

We talked about all he’s done for Disney. He gave me a lot of advices. He was so generous, so kind and so wise. He was a model to me. I still use today what he told me then…

You’re the musical director of both High School Musical shows at the Walt Disney Studios Park. Can you tell me about them?

They’re great shows which demanded a lot of effort. A lot of rehearsals were done by night, for instance. And, in addition to that, they’re “strolling”, played twice in a row in two different places in the park.

For High School Musical on Tour, while in America they had two singers, we chose to have two singers and two backup singers (art student and science student). It really embellishes the sound and brings even more emotion to the performance.

Which means that you had to write new vocal arrangements, I guess.

That’s right, but the basic material was already there. Sometimes, I needed to adapt it to a different musical set up.

Is your approach different when you work with English-speaking artists and French-speaking artists?

There is a difference, indeed, and each one brings his or her own identity. The vocal quality of our English artists is impressive. And at the same time, we wanted to bring something fresh, a kind of innocence to the show, and that’s what the French bring with talent.

The specificity of Disneyland Paris is that we can’t keep a show as it was in America. We address a French and European audience. So, it’s a duty for all of us to work on that aspect with our artists, since our guests are supposed to feel connected with our heroes.

From High School Musical on Tour to High School Musical 2, it seems to be a step forward.

Exactly. This year we rejoined some of the same artists as last year and they now have to sing songs that are even more difficult. They are very modern, pop and the boys’ voices go very high, to the highest notes of the tenor register.

That said, I must say that I love even more these songs since they appeal to even more different styles, from pop-rock to funk and from R’n'B to Ska. The arrangements are very sophisticated, which makes things a little more complex for our mix on stage. There is less room for the voices because, even if we keep with this signature high school marching band sound, the sound design is more elaborated.

What was your attitude regarding the material you received from Florida?

It was a great pleasure to receive this material. From then on, we worked so that the songs could be well sung. The songs appeal to different vocal techniques, from chest voice to mix. And, in addition to that, there is this “package” idea: our artists have to sing, play and dance at the same time, so we have to adapt to each situation. If it were just about singing, we wouldn’t need to adapt anything.

Basically, whereas in America, the girl does the upper voice and the boys do the harmony, here we have two female voices and two male voices to accommodate musically. Sometimes they sing the same notes, sometimes they sing in harmony, depending on the steps they have to do at the same time. That’s why we have to be very careful about our adaptation, and work in close collaboration with the show director. We prefer efficiency to sophistication.

How did the pre-production go?

This year, we did auditions in Paris and London. Once we evaluated the cast that was chosen and determined the directions we wanted for each song in collaboration with [show director] Katy Harris, we proposed our ideas to the cast and saw how they reacted.

As the musical director of the show, I have to deal with any practical issue that can occur during that process and with the elaboration of the show-tape. According to our singers’ needs, I made adjustments to the mix so that the instruments and the choruses can blend with their performance on stage. I was also present during the rehearsals on stage. There, the artists come to me if they have technical problems and I forward their requests to the technical crew.

Our audio system associates the float and the parade poles, so it’s also my role to balance all that to get the right energy and power on stage. Another difficulty comes from the fact that we have two show stops at two different places, with different acoustics. At Moteurs… Action, the space is a little narrow whereas at Tower of Terror, it’s an open space.

I guess these different acoustics may have some influence on the artists’ performance.

That’s true, and that’s why they wear ear-monitors. Before getting on stage, each singer works on the balance of his or her monitor. They see with the sound engineer who sends the show tape to them so that there is not too much of “Marcy” or “Zack” or of the music. I’m present at each step to ease everything out.

How do you work with vocal coach Marina Albert?

We make a great team since we are very complementary. We have different ways of working. I prefer to work with the singers around the piano whereas she works with the show tape. Being at the piano allows you to really work on details, or to go places totally different and have fun with the work!

The production of both High School Musical shows takes place within the exciting atmosphere of the celebrations of the 15th anniversary of the resort. How do you feel about that?

It’s a magical time. It’s also the occasion to look backwards and see all we have accomplished for 15 years. I guess we managed to bring something unique to the history of Disneyland.

With very special thanks to Robert Fienga, Aurélie Massin & Nathalie Pankowski.