For the Love of Brahms: An incredible story of discovery and passion

For those familiar with Don Sebesky, classical music may not be the first thing that comes to mind. Best known for his arranging work with big-name jazz artists, Broadway, Grammy awards (3) and nominations (31) and the Boston Pops, Donald John Sebesky (1937-2023) had an extraordinary career of composing, arranging, writing, and music-making. Trained in trombone at the Manhattan School of Music, Sebesky’s early career had him playing with Kai Winding, Claude Thornhill, Tommy Dorsey, and Stan Kenton. He was a prolific composer and arranger for Broadway, television and film, and for hundreds of artists including Barbara Streisand, Tony Bennett, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Michael Buble, Liza Minnelli, Seal, and Prince. 

He took some critical heat for this, but Sebesky’s arrangements were usually among the classiest in his field, reflecting a solid knowledge of the orchestra and drawing variously from big-band jazz, rock, ethnic music, classical music of all eras, and even the avant-garde for ideas. He once cited Bartok as his favorite composer, but one also hears a lot of Stravinsky in his work.

-Richard S. Ginell, Don Sebesky Biography

In addition to his rich jazz and popular music career, Sebesky worked with such orchestras as the Chicago Symphony, The New York Philharmonic, the Royal Philharmonic of London, the London Symphony, and the Toronto Symphony. With a massive catalogue or credits, albums, songs, and awards, Sebesky’s classical works may seem like an afterthought. But in this case, the right person stumbled upon one at just the right time to save it from the dustbin of history. 

Enter Ben McNaboe. 

Currently serving as the Music Supervisor for the Fulton Theatre, Ben McNaboe was living in Manhattan to pursue theatre and working for the Little Orchestra Society when he discovered For the Love of Brahms. The orchestra had a storage unit they were vacating, filled with a large library of sheet music. Tasked with emptying the unit, McNaboe was told he could keep anything he found, and what he found was a photocopy of an original handwritten score by Don Sebesky, covered with editorial red pen markings. 

"I knew that it was his writing. And of course, I knew of Don from the theatre world as he had orchestrated a lot of musicals including Parade by Jason Robert Brown, which he won his Tony Award for, so I knew who he was as a show orchestrator, and of course he had a huge career as a commercial writer and arranger."

-McNaboe

So, McNaboe got to work trying to reach Don Sebesky. After several attempts through a vintage website’s Contact page, cold emails, cold calls, and finally a snail mail letter, McNaboe made contact with Sebesky’s daughter who was able to connect the two musicians. Dealing with Parkinson's and advanced age, Sebesky had recently been moved to an assisted living facility in New Jersey, but was eager to meet with McNaboe. 

"I had reached out saying, basically, ‘These are beautiful, and I think they should have a life.’ So, I went out and met with him and we started the process of getting this project off the ground. I asked him if he would give me orchestration lessons in trade [for the editing and engraving work.] And we ended up getting it published with LeDor, which is my mentor’s publishing company, so we were able to make that connection."

-McNaboe

Traveling by train from Manhattan to Maplewood Station in New Jersey, McNaboe would then walk 20 minutes to Sebesky's residence where they worked on the piece, discussed the work and other projects (some of which McNaboe is still working on), and created something that is now, finally, making its premier. It’s an incredible story, and one McNaboe hasn’t experienced since. As a freelancer in the theatre field, McNaboe says he is used to hustling, cold calls and emailing for opportunities to do the work he loves, but having it result in something so unique and exciting is an anomaly. And it wouldn’t have happened without what amounts to a busywork assignment – cleaning out a storage unit – plus a good eye, inter-generational perseverance and love for music. 

For the Love of Brahms in its final, published form takes five short movements from some of Johannes Brahms’s late piano cycles: opp. 76, 118, and 119, and orchestrates them beautifully, expanding the single-instrument works into one five-movement piece for full orchestra. Most heavily featured are the movements from Op. 118, Sechs Klavierstücke (Six Piano Pieces), and all of them fall into the category of Brahms’s “miniatures.” These pieces are snapshots of emotion, introspection, and flashes of youthful exuberance. 

For the Love of Brahms will be performed for the first time ever on June 27, 2026 by the Allegro Orchestra Lancaster in Franklin & Marshall’s Barshinger Center. Tickets are available at allegrolancaster.org