Sibelius streamlines the process
for arranger Gil Goldstein

World-class arranger/instrumentalist Gil Goldstein will attest to the fact that advances in technology have been nothing short of a godsend to music preparation, an integral—albeit often time-consuming—part of the creative process. The creative process is not without its technological tools, and among Goldstein’s personal favorites are his Wacom tablet and Sibelius software.

“I started using Sibelius around nine years ago,” notes Goldstein, who maintains an active schedule of arranging, producing, performing, teaching and film scoring. “I’m embarrassed to say—although it’s a great testament to the product—that I was still using Version 1 until recently. I’m now on Version 3, and will soon upgrade to Version 4. The Wacom tablet is the perfect interface in that it gives me the illusion that I’m using a pencil and paper, especially when working away from the piano.”

Working remotely is de rigueur for Goldstein, who finds himself on the road frequently and doing a good bit of arranging on planes and in hotel rooms.

“It’s wonderful to be able to complete a sketch, enter it into Sibelius and listen back instantly,” he says. “What’s better is being able to write and prepare parts on the road, and have them meet me somewhere.”

That process was made evident while working on trumpeter Chris Botti’s recent release “To Love Again.”

“The score included 22 strings, a six-piece woodwind compliment, and some low brass, in addition to the standard rhythm section,” he says. “I did all the parts while on the road with David Sanborn, and then emailed them to a copyist in London who had everything printed out and neatly compiled by the time I got there to record with Chris.”

Goldstein’s career began with a rather unusual progression from accordion to cello to piano. He was already gigging in the Baltimore area at age 15, and studied music at American University and Berklee College of Music before receiving a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland. He earned a graduate degree from the University of Miami, where he began playing with a number of musicians with whom he’s still associated.

In the early l980s, he started performing with the person he cites as his strongest influence and mentor—Gil Evans. Goldstein attributes everything he knows about arranging to Evans, and it was during the time that he began to flourish as a writer and arranger. Goldstein would go on to work with Pat Metheny, Randy Brecker, David Sanborn, Stan Getz, Al Jarreau, Wayne Shorter, the late Jaco Pastorius, and earn a GRAMMY® Award for his 2003 work with Michael Brecker.

One of his more interesting projects involved creating music for a party thrown by media maven Oprah Winfrey honoring 21 inspirational women.

“I was asked to write a medley of songs for the honorees who were singers,” he says. “The problem was, not only did we have a window of only about two weeks, but there were also tons of last-minute changes and additions. For example, I had prepared ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’ for Roberta Flack only to have the organizers change her song to ‘Killing Me Softly.’ On top of that, I was asked to compose the event’s theme, as well as provide two hours of incidental music. Fortunately, I had about eight years’ worth of arrangements entered into Sibelius, and was able to have everything ready in about two days—orchestrations, parts, everything. As for the theme music, in about an hour, I wrote it, orchestrated it, printed it, used the ‘Save as Audio’ feature and emailed it to the organizers.”

Goldstein also brings Sibelius into the classroom as part of his curriculum as jazz piano, arranging and composition faculty member at New York University. “I’m using it from the tests I prepare to the jazz ensembles that I’m leading,” he adds. “It’s been a marvelous tool for re-orchestrations and on-the-spot demonstrations.

“Sibelius has been nothing short of a time-saver, and has streamlined my process incredibly. I couldn’t do half the work I do without it.”

To date, there are more than 100,000 Sibelius users worldwide, including television composer Alf Clausen, musician Pat Metheny, composer Sammy Nestico, choral composer John Rutter, guitarist Andy Summers and conductor Michael Tilson-Thomas.

Notes to editors

• Sibelius is the world's market leader in music notation software.

• Sibelius was founded in 1993 by Ben and Jonathan Finn to sell music notation software for the Acorn computer. The Sibelius notation software was released for Windows and Mac in 1998/99.
• Since then the Sibelius Group has developed 11 music products for the professional, educational and home user, ranging from Internet publishing to guitar software.

• Sibelius has customers in over 100 countries.

• Sibelius is used in 50% of schools in the UK , Australia and New Zealand.
• Sibelius is endorsed by the Royal Academy of Music and is used by all the major music academies and colleges: The Royal College of Music, Trinity College of Music, The Juilliard School, Berklee School of Music, The Sibelius Academy in Finland , The Royal College of Music in Stockholm
• The world's leading music publishers, including Music Sales and Hal Leonard, all use Sibelius technology
• Sibelius is headquartered in London , UK , with a US subsidiary, Sibelius USA Inc., in Walnut Creek , California and a new Australian subsidiary, Sibelius Australia Pty Ltd, based in Adelaide.