Charlie Rosen (born July 20, 1990) is an American musician, composer, arranger, orchestrator, musical director, and music producer. He is best known for his work on Broadway, where he has worked on Be More Chill, Prince of Broadway, American Psycho, and, along with Bryan Carter, won the 2023 Tony Award for Best Orchestrations for Some Like It Hot. He is also the leader of the 8-Bit Big Band, a jazz orchestra specializing in video game music.
Early life Rosen was born in Los Angeles, California, as the son of a bassoonist and organist. He was taught piano by his mother, starting from the age of three. At the age of fifteen, he joined the onstage band for the Los Angeles production of 13. He moved to New York at the age of seventeen to make his Broadway debut in 13, where he was a swing. He later attended Berklee College of Music for four semesters.
Career
Rosen began his professional career as a swing musician for the bass, guitar, and percussion tracks of 13. Starting in 2012, he was the bandleader of Charlie Rosen's Broadway Big Band, where he arranged classic musical theater numbers into music that could be performed by a jazz orchestra with Broadway performers as the vocalists. , he primarily features as a guitarist in the Broadway musical Be More Chill.
Rosen can play about 70 musical instruments including the "flugelbone", melodica, Fender Rhodes, and theremin. Of these he has described the flugelbone as his "orchestrating secret weapon" due to its ability to utilize variety of timbres. However, he considers himself primarily a bassist but uses the range of instruments in his repertoire to improve the quality of the music he is able to create.
In 2017, Rosen founded the 8-Bit Big Band, a jazz and pops orchestra, in which he serves as the director. The band have won two Grammy Award for arrangements for the songs "Meta Knight's Revenge", from the game Kirby Super Star(1996), in 2022 and "Super Mario Praise Break" in 2026, and were also nominated in 2024.
Rosen is also the composer on 2021 comedy film Here Today.
Credits
Theater Year(s)ProductionRoleLocationCategory200813Swing bass, guitar, percussionBernard B. Jacobs TheatreBroadway2010Bloody Bloody Andrew JacksonAssociate conductorBass2011The Amazing Adventures of Dr. Wonderful (And Her Dog!)OrchestratorTrack productionJohn F. Kennedy Center for the Performing ArtsRegional2012One Man, Two GuvnorsLead guitar/drums/lead singer (understudy)Music directorBassMusic Box TheatreBroadway2012Cyrano de BergeracMusicAmerican Airlines Theatre2013The Black SuitsMusic directorOrchestratorCenter Theatre GroupRegional2014SoonArrangerOrchestratorSignature Theatre2015Honeymoon in VegasOrchestrationsNederlander TheatreBroadway2015Be More ChillOrchestratorTwo River TheaterRegional2015The VisitGuitar/Zither/MandolinLyceum TheatreBroadway2015A Little More AliveOrchestratorBarrington Stage CompanyRegional2016American PsychoAssociate music directorKeyboard/Guitar 2Gerald Schoenfeld TheatreBroadway2016Broadway Bounty HunterMusic supervisorOrchestratorBarrington Stage CompanyRegional2017A Legendary RomanceMusic directorOrchestratorWilliamstown Theatre Festival2017A Midsummer Night's DreamOrchestratorThe Public TheaterOff-Broadway2017Prince of BroadwayAssociate orchestratorSamuel J. Friedman TheatreBroadway2018Be More ChillOrchestratorMusic supervisorGuitar 2/Ukulele Pershing Square Signature CenterOff-Broadway2018Miss You Like HellOrchestratorThe Public Theater2018Pamela's First MusicalOrchestratorTwo River TheaterRegional2019Be More ChillOrchestratorMusic supervisorGuitar 2/Ukulele Lyceum TheatreBroadway2019Broadway Bounty HunterMusic supervisorOrchestratorGreenwich House TheaterOff-Broadway2019Moulin Rouge!Co-orchestrations (horn)Al Hirschfeld TheatreBroadway2019Love in Hate NationMusic SupervisorOrchestratorTwo River TheaterRegional2019A Strange LoopOrchestrationsPlaywrights HorizonsOff-BroadwayLyceum TheatreBroadway2022Some Like It HotCo-orchestrationsShubert Theatre2023Guys and DollsOrchestrationsBridge TheatreLondon2026BeachesOrchestrationsMajestic TheatreBroadway
Year(s)TitleRole2016Maya & MartyMusical director 2017–2018The President ShowComposerMusic producer 2018The Marvelous Mrs. MaiselTrack productionGuitar recording
Film Year(s)TitleRole 2021Here TodayComposer2021Listening to Kenny GComposer2023WonkaMusic Producer
Podcasts Year(s)TitleRole 2026Sonic the Hedgehog Presents: The Chaotix CasefilesComposer
Awards and nominations YearAwardCategoryNominated workResult 2015 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Orchestrations Honeymoon in Vegas 2018 Miss You Like Hell 2019 Be More Chill 2020 Obie Award Special Citation A Strange Loop Tony Award Best Orchestrations Moulin Rouge! 2022 Grammy Award Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella "Meta Knight's Revenge (From Kirby Super Star)" Tony Award Best Orchestrations A Strange Loop 2023 Tony Award Best OrchestrationsSome Like It Hot 2024 Grammy Award Best Musical Theater Album Laurence Olivier AwardOutstanding Musical ContributionGuys and Dolls (with Tom Brady for Musical Supervision & Arrangements) 2025 Grammy AwardBest Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals"Last Surprise" (From "Persona 5") 2026 Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella "Super Mario Praise Break" Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album Orchestrator Emulator
References