David Loud

David Loud, born November 28, 1961, in Cincinnati, Ohio, is an American actor, music director, conductor, music supervisor, pianist, and vocal and dance arranger whose Broadway career spans from 1981 to 2007. He is particularly recognized for his work interpreting the music of Kander and Ebb and Stephen Sondheim.

Loud began studying piano at age six and was music directing productions as early as seventh grade, including Gilbert and Sullivan shows for which he taught parts to fellow students. During his youth he made repeated trips to New York, staying at his grandmother's apartment and attending multiple shows per visit. He went on to earn a degree in music from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.

His Broadway performing career began during his sophomore year at Yale, when he auditioned for Harold Prince's original 1981 production of Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along, in which he was cast as Ted, the onstage pianist. The production ran for 52 previews and 16 performances before closing, after which Loud returned to Yale to complete his degree. Back in New York by 1984, he was cast as the Narrator/Pianist in a production of Billy Bishop Goes to War alongside then-actor Scott Ellis, a professional relationship that led to numerous subsequent collaborations. In 1995, Loud originated the role of Manny in the Broadway premiere of Terrence McNally's Master Class, starring Zoe Caldwell and Audra McDonald. His third Broadway acting credit came with Curtains.

Beyond performing, Loud built an extensive career as a music director, conductor, and arranger. His music directing work includes the Off-Broadway production of And the World Goes 'Round, the Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of She Loves Me, the Kander and Ebb concert First You Dream, which was broadcast on PBS, and the original Broadway productions of Ragtime, Steel Pier, Curtains, Sondheim on Sondheim, and The Scottsboro Boys. He served as music supervisor for the Broadway revival of Porgy and Bess and conducted incidental music for Mike Nichols' revival of Death of a Salesman. Additional projects include The Landing and Kid Victory at the Vineyard Theatre, Little Dancer at the Kennedy Center, The Visit on Broadway, and the Sondheim staged concert revue A Bed and a Chair at Encores! in November 2013, which featured Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

Loud created four programs for the 92nd Street Y's Lyrics and Lyricists series: Let's Misbehave: The Sensational Songs of Cole Porter, A Good Thing Going: The Stephen Sondheim and Harold Prince Collaboration, On a Clear Day: The Musical Vision of Burton Lane, and Taking a Chance on Love: The Music of Vernon Duke. His arrangements have been performed at Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, the Kennedy Center, Merkin Hall, and Lincoln Center's Allen Room. He also created Opposite You, an evening of duets for Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley, which was performed at Feinstein's, Joe's Pub, Lincoln Center's Kaplan Penthouse, and at venues across the country; the program was recorded by PS Classics. Additional albums associated with his work include Jerome Kern: The Land Where the Good Songs Go and Noël and Cole.

Loud has served on the faculty of the Yale School of Drama and Fordham University, and is currently a faculty member at the Manhattan School of Music.