Zara Stanton

Biography

Zara Stanton (she/her) is an award-winning Music Director, Composer, Arranger, Vocal Coach and Performer. She holds a Bachelor of Music from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where she studied classical voice and music education, and has her A.Mus.A. qualification in both voice and piano.

Zara’s recent credits as Music Director include BLOOM (Melbourne Theatre Company), The Boomkak Panto (Belvoir St. Theatre), Bonnie & Clyde (Joshua Robson Productions) and The Deb (Australian Theatre for Young People). Zara was also Associate Music Director for A Chorus Line (Darlinghurst Theatre Company, Sydney Opera House) and the Australian premiere of Choir Boy (National Theatre of Parramatta).

Zara is the Composer, Orchestrator and Music Director for Metropolis (Little Eggs Collective), which had its world premiere season at the Hayes Theatre in April 2023. For her work on the show, Zara received the Sydney Theatre Awards for Best Music Direction and Best Composition for an Independent Production.

Zara is the Music Director and Vocal Arranger for FANGIRLS, and her work on the show has yielded an ARIA award nomination for Best Musical Theatre Album, and a Green Room Award nomination for Best Music Direction. In 2024, Zara will be Music Supervisor/Vocal Arranger/Orchestrator for the UK premiere of FANGIRLS at the Lyric Hammersmith.
Zara also earned a Sydney Theatre Award nomination for Best Music Direction for the Hayes Theatre Co. production of HMS Pinafore.

Zara’s recent cabaret credits as Music Director/Arranger include Send For Nellie (Sydney Festival/Wyong Art House) and Every Musical Ever (Adelaide Cabaret Festival/Wyong Art House).

Zara’s career to date has largely centred on the development of new Australian work. She has provided Music Direction and Arrangements for a number of workshops over recent years, including Oblivion (Sydney Theatre Company), Light (Hayes Theatre Co.), Nails Must Be Kept Short (Fruitbox Theatre), Alphabetical Sydney (Critical Stages), and Jack of Clubs (The Joan).

2024 will see Zara as Music Director of the Australian premiere of Dear Evan Hansen for Sydney Theatre Company and Michael Cassel Group, as well as continuing her work as Music Director/Arranger on a new musical by Eddie Perfect, being workshopped at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts.

Zara is incredibly passionate about promoting representation in musical theatre, particularly for artists of Asian heritage and for female and non-binary musicians and creatives.