Carter McPherson is a musical theatre artist, born and raised in Atlanta, GA, and now living in New York City. He is a proud alumnus of the University of Oklahoma’s Weitzenhoffer School of Musical Theatre, where he earned a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre. While at OU, he pursued additional private study in music, lyrics, and orchestration with Paul Christman and Dr. Marvin Lamb.
From fall 2024 through summer 2025, Carter audited the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop as a composer and lyricist.
As a composer and lyricist, Carter created Happy Hour, a song cycle written for and inspired by his graduating class. Happy Hour was filmed in 2023 and received its New York debut in April 2024 to a sold-out crowd at 54 Below. The show was produced by close collaborator Devi Peot and featured a fresh cast of Broadway’s rising talent, including performers from The Outsiders, Sunset Blvd., The Who’s Tommy, Aladdin, and more.
While at OU, Carter co-founded the “OUMT Playground,” a student works initiative, which launched with a reading of his musical Look at the Stars, for which he wrote the book, music, and lyrics.
During the summer lockdown of 2020, Carter co-conceived and served as musical director for Lift Every Voice and Sing, a virtual concert that raised over $5,000 for The Movement for Black Lives and the Justice League at the University of Oklahoma.
As a musical director, favorite credits include Shrek, The Wedding Singer, and Little Shop of Horrors. He also served as Assistant Music Director of the Pops Chorale for the OKC Philharmonic’s The Christmas Show, featuring guest headliner Rachel York.
Carter’s training as an actor is central to his relationship with the theatre. A versatile performer, favorite stage credits include Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar (dir. Tim Espinosa), Gordon u/s in A New Brain (dir. Gerry McIntyre), Applegate in Damn Yankees (dir. Bob Adams), and Eugene Florczyk in Grease (dir. Michael Baron).
Images by Simon Hurst Photography