The Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, Macy Shmidt, has carved a path that is uniquely hers, one that redefines the boundaries of orchestral music and champions for the presence of women of color in the space. She began in the world of Broadway, working in music departments and developing her craft as an orchestrator. When the pandemic brought live theatre to a standstill, she saw an opportunity to create something new– she founded an all women, majority women-of-color orchestra, the Sinfonietta, based out of New York. She envisioned and pitched a live orchestration of Barbie, The Movie, to Mattel. Throughout her career, Shmidt has collaborated with other powerhouse companies like Walt Disney, Sony Pictures and the Tony Awards and brought to the stage concert experiences that push the limitations of orchestra, or the mere perceptions of the art. 

The musician, orchestrator, entrepreneur and producer has worked on multiple high-profile projects including the FIFA World Cup, Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical and Kimberly AkimboIn. Shmidt is an unstoppable force. In our conversation, she reflected on her journey, the power of building something new and the legacy she hopes to leave with her artistry.

Photo: Rebecca J. Michaelson 

As a Forbes 30 under 30 honoree, how do you hope to inspire the next generation of women in entertainment?

If you can see it, you can be it. Younger women of color seeing other women of color, who have really grabbed hold of their dreams and brought them to life, lays out a path that makes it a little bit easier for each generation to follow. It took me a while to find my footing in what my purpose was because I had to create it from scratch. I saw the system and machine of Broadway and said Okay, well, I love these elements of music and art, so I want to do that. What role in this existing thing do I play? It wasn't until I started creating new things from scratch and creating a role for myself, instead of trying to drag a chair up to a table that's already full, that I built an entirely new table. 

What table did you build?

The sinfonietta was the first time I built a new table. It's a new table that gives hundreds of women and musicians job opportunities. It has full time employees and shows around the world. 

As a first generation Egyptian American, how has your cultural heritage influenced you and your music?

My ties to the Middle East have been a huge influence on my work. I'm very passionate about elevating and creating space for female art in the Middle East, as well as changing the Western media perception of women's lives in the Middle East. Traditional Western media gets it wrong when it comes to their stereotypes of the Middle East at large. I also love to do multicultural crossovers. At my first big concert, I took the song Speechless from the live action Aladdin film, and arranged it in a traditional Afghan rhythm and harmony. I invited an Afghan tabla player and an Afghan woman conductor. 

What has been your proudest moment with the Sinfonietta?

It was when we did the world premiere of Barbie, the movie, in concert at the Hollywood Bowl last year in Los Angeles. I'd started the orchestra barely three years before that show, and I started it as an online video, no company or entity surrounding it. I privately fundraised some money to pay musicians and hire a recording studio, an engineer and to record the song. To be standing on stage at the Hollywood Bowl, with a full house of tens of thousands of people, and to look up at the marquee outside the Hollywood Bowl and have the Symphony's name headlining it.. that alone, is still difficult for me to process. On top of that, it was the first time that I and the sinfonietta really got to be in the driver's seat of our own work. We created the concert version of the movie from scratch. When I looked at the audience, there was a little girl in the front, dressed up in the little pink gingham dress that Margot Robbie wears in the movie. She was clutching the Barbie doll version of the same dress that she bought at our merch table. I grew up as a big Disney kid and seeing that showed me the layers of impact that have snowballed from how we first started and where we are now.

Did you study music in your childhood?

I didn't engage with music until I was 15. In high school, I got a keyboard and was obsessed with learning the language of the music on the page and understanding that, all these black dots on a page translate into pieces of music that move us. At the time, I self taught. When I was 18, I went to school and studied music theory for my first year in college. The summer after that, I moved to New York and decided I want to work on Broadway and in music departments. That's how I found my place in orchestration. I was never under the impression, as a 16 year old, teaching myself piano, that I was going to become a concert pianist or that I was going to one day, play piano on Broadway.

How do you envision your legacy in the music and entertainment world?

I hope to be known as somebody who made the world better for women, specifically in music and entertainment. I want to create spaces where women of color could feel the majority in a space. I hope to be thought of as someone who moved the needle forward for the empowerment, career possibility and dignity of women in the field.

What did you think of the Grammys?

I deeply support the women country music category. Beyonce has not only broken down a stereotype for black women in country music, but reminded the music industry, where the roots of country music come from. Her album was disruptive and started conversation in a really effective way.

When have you overcome a challenge that redirected the way you navigate your life?

Other than one educator, my choir teacher, Becky Martin, I had discouraging arts educators. My freshman year of college, I asked for a letter of recommendation for internships in New York. They were not willing to give it to me. So I went out and sent hundreds and hundreds of cold emails to Broadway internships, and ultimately found the place I wanted and I've been working on Broadway since then. The lesson I learned and embedded in everything that I do is to not rely on anyone else to open a door for you and to be unabashedly bold in what you want and ask for what you want. Take complete responsibility for your path; If you don't ask, the answer is definitely no. 

Is there a go to outfit that you feel most confident performing in?

Since I've been doing Barbie, I've gotten used to performing in sparkle pink Barbie suits. When I'm performing with the orchestra, I feel best leaning into feminine clothing. A lot of orchestras wear all black– Orchestras in the past were all men, dressed in a black tuxedo. I try to make it a point with the symphony that anytime, we perform, whether I'm conducting or not, to wear color or to wear white. I find it really moving to see that on the podium as a conductor. Conductors have been breaking the glass ceiling, and we've started to see that the very first ones have sometimes worn clothes or presented in a way that's not particularly feminine probably because that's needed to build a career in that business. Breaking that down is what makes me feel best when I'm performing.

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