UCF Music alumni Christian Snedeker ’24 and Daniel Tenbusch ’24 serve as associate and assistant music directors and musicians for Theatre UCF’s production of Richard Bean’s wild farce, One Man, Two Guvnors.
Read all about the collaboration and more in the interview with Snedeker, below.
What’s the backstory of how Narrative came to be a band?
The origin of Narrative goes back to my days at UCF, when I wanted to get out into the community to play jazz more, expand my versatility as an artist and connect with great musicians. As a classical percussion major, I always felt like I was separated from the jazz musicians, and honestly, I just wanted an excuse to play music with some specific people. From that base quartet, the band has evolved into a multi-genre group with a focus on jazz and jazz fusion, but the rotating cast of musicians we play with all strive to be as versatile as possible. That’s why, in the show, you’ll hear us playing some country, ’60s rock and more. The heartbeat of the group is now centered on the collaboration between me and my fiancé and vocalist, Lexi DeLaRosa. The name Narrative came from a discussion about rebranding the band’s identity and wanting to focus more on original music. It is also a reminder to all— be confident in the story and message that only you can tell through your artistry.
How did you find out about the gig for One Man, Two Guvnors?
I found out about One Man, Two Guvnors after having a few discussions with Richard Crawley (Theatre UCF professor and music director) over the summer. I had expressed to him that I would love to dive into music directing and learn more about his mindset and approach to music direction. We talked about One Man, Two Guvnors and how cool it would be to feature the band in way that ingrained them into the set and story, almost like a house band on a live late night talk show. Things just evolved from there. I was brought on in August 2025 to start preparing the band and the music.
Did you ever work on theatre productions when you were a music student at UCF? If so, which ones?
I did! I was lucky enough to work with the incredible people at Theatre UCF multiple times throughout my time at UCF. I consider my early musical experience with them the launch of my professional career, having met a lot of amazing professionals working in those orchestra pits. I played drumset/percussion for Shrek (UCF Celebrates the Arts 2022), Working (Fall 2022), and Sweeney Todd (UCF Celebrates the Arts 2024).
How is working on a theatre production different than preparing for a music concert?
Working on a musical or in a theatre setting is never the same twice—each show is a totally different beast to tackle. Musicals tend to have a lot more structure and clearly defined roles for the people involved. There is a village of people working both on stage and off to make theatre productions run as smoothly as possible.
How did UCF Music prepare you for the professional world?
My time with UCF Music very much prepared me for a life as a professional musician. UCF’s Percussion Studio is truly one of the best in the country. UCF percussion professors emphasized versatility and the ability to be comfortable and fluent in any musical setting. I take that very seriously as a professional now and can attribute that directly to my time at UCF. We studied and experienced everything from orchestral percussion to world music, chamber music, new/contemporary music, and a lot of drumset and hand-percussion. One of my favorite experiences at UCF was UCF Celebrates the Arts 2024. I had so much to do during that festival; I introduced the Percussion Ensemble before playing one of my favorite concerts ever with them, played a great wind ensemble concert, and best of all—played an incredible weekend of Sweeney Todd performances, with some of my best friends in the [orchestra] pit with me. Honorable mentions are my senior recital, closing it out with a set performed by Narrative, and playing Pines of Rome under Eric Jacobsen’s [Music Director, Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra] baton in 2023. I can’t thank my professors enough for the incredible experience I had while at UCF, specifically Dr. Thad Anderson, Professor Kirk Gay, Dean Jeff Moore, and professors Richard Crawley, Richard Drexler, Jeff Rupert, Clarence Penn and Jason Marsalis.
What’s up next for the band?
Up next for the group is to finish and release our first album! We have a lot of music in the works, both arrangements and original music. Our rotating cast of musicians always stays busy. You can find me and Lexi performing at the Parks [Orlando Theme Parks] full-time, and you can find all of us playing locally and abroad. Follow us on Instagram to stay in touch! @christiansnedekermusic, and @narrative_music.