James Olmstead is a music director, composer, and arranger based in New York City.  Most recently music directing West Side Story at the John W. Engeman Theater, where he previously MD’d The Producers, A Chorus Line, Evita, The Music Man, White Christmas, Sweet Charity and South Pacific, he has also been the assistant music director for NYU Steinhardt (Marriage of Figaro, Most Happy Fella), North Shore Music Theatre (Footloose), Cape Playhouse (Legally Blonde), PCPA (Ragtime), and the Arkansas Rep (Hello Dolly!).  In addition, he music directs and arranges for several cabarets around the city including Birdland (BAA 10th Anniversary Concert) the Laurie Beechman (Perfectly Complicated), Don’t Tell Mama (Me Sing Pretty For You), and The Duplex (Another Cabaret).  He has served as keyboard programmer for the Off-Broadway production of Fun Home, keyboardist for Radio City’s New York Spring Spectacular and assistant copyist for Gloria Estefan’s On Your Feet! With his writing partner Omri Schein, he has written the musicals Mambo Italiano and Gary Goldfarb: Master Escapist (NYMF 2013), Bed Fellas (SUNY Oneanta 2013) and The Humbug Holiday Spectacular (December 2013 at North Coast Repertory Theatre). www.jamesolmstead.com.