The Creative Team
Artistic Staff
The talent, vision, and artistry behind every Cadence Productions performance.
Artistic Staff
Artistic Director
Hank Fitzgerald
With over 35 years in musical theater, Hank brings a lifetime of professional experience to Cadence Productions. A graduate of Shenandoah University's BFA Musical Theater program, he has performed with Disney, toured nationally, and directed more than 30 productions across the country. Most recently, Hank made his Off-Broadway debut directing The Housewives of Secaucus — one of the first productions to open Off-Broadway following COVID-19. He now brings that vision and expertise to Lynchburg.
Music Director | Conductor | Pianist
Matthew Stephens
Matthew Stephens is a New York City–based music director, conductor, and pianist whose impressive career spans Broadway, national tours, opera, and concert performances. His Broadway credits include Wicked and Illinoise. He served as Associate Conductor for the national tour of The Sound of Music and the acclaimed experimental opera What to Wear at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Additional theatrical and concert credits include Sweeney Todd (Pacific Symphony), Kinky Boots (ACT of Connecticut), Guys and Dolls (Ogunquit Playhouse), My Fair Lady (Utah Symphony), and Carmen (Fort Worth Opera). Stephens has performed in venues ranging from Lincoln Center to New York's celebrated cabaret stages, collaborating with renowned artists including Norm Lewis, Mary Testa, Deborah Voigt, and Natalie Dessay. A passionate advocate for new musical theater and opera, he has collaborated with the American Opera Project, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, and the National Alliance for Musical Theatre. A native of Staunton, Virginia, Stephens earned his Bachelor of Music from James Madison University and Master of Music from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He is also a recipient of a prestigious Lincoln Center Education Kenan Fellowship. Stephens has served as music director for Cadence Productions, including Windows of the World: A Burt Bacharach Tribute and A Little Sondheim Music.