DONALD ASHWANDER

Instruments: Keyboards, Composer
Date of Birth: 1929
Place of Birth: Birmingham, Alabama
Date of Death:October 26, 1994

Alabama-born and raised, Donald's formal education and musical career of four decades was centered in New York City. For 28 years he was Musical Director, composer and performer with The Paper Bag Players, considered by many to be America's foremost children's theater. If you were fortunate to see any of these performances you no doubt are smiling, recalling the rambunctious, tilt-a-whirl pace, imaginative sets and props, top-notch production, acting, singing, dancing, and that wholly infectious music! Yet Donald had another musical life as well. He composed a wealth of what he referred to as "good ol' southern ragtime," but he didn't stop there. Donald's creative talent also produced cabaret songs, ranging from giddy musical story-stomps to torchy ballads straight out of 1940's film noir, Civil War-inspired operettas, southern gospel-flavored popular songs, and imaginative, skillfully crafted contemporary rags. Donald simply loved to write music, and he was equally as excited when his music was performed by a local cabaret singer as when it was performed by the Royal Ballet of London or the Mobile Civic Ballet.