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b'"Without a doubt music is what I\\u2019ve always wanted to do, music is what I feel like I was born to do, it\\u2019s what I feel like I do best, it fills me, fulfills me, it fuels me."\\n- Alex Lacamoire\\nIt\\u2019s no secret that Hamilton is taking over the world right now. I\\u2019ve seen it twice, and I\\u2019m definitely on the epic Hamilton journey right along with the rest of the world. If you haven\\u2019t heard of Hamilton yet, it\\u2019s time to get out of the hole and check it out, because it really is an incredible piece of art.\\n\\nAnd that\\u2019s thanks in no small part to my guest today. I met Alex Lacamoire \\u2014 the Tony award-winning music director for both of Lin-Manuel Miranda\\u2019s hit musicals, Hamilton and In the Heights. Alex has a unique job description \\u2014 he basically puts everything together. When Lin-Manuel comes to him with an idea, Alex writes the music, builds the orchestra, puts together a team of brilliant creatives, and trains everyone musically to create these gorgeous theater pieces.\\n\\nAnd today, he\\u2019s right here on ONKEN RADIO (Formerly NIONradio) to tell us how he does it all. Alex and I talk about the influence of music throughout his life \\u2014 particularly throughout his childhood struggle with hearing loss \\u2014 and how art truly rescued him during some difficult times. We also talk about the importance of having a positive attitude \\u2014 which is one of the things I admire most about Alex. And finally, we talk about Alex\\u2019s creative process and how an unconventional path to creative entrepreneurship can help you build a life you love.\\n\\u201cWithout a doubt, music is what I\\u2019ve always wanted to do. Music is what I feel like I was born to do. It\\u2019s what I feel like I do best. It\\u2019s what fulfills me, what fuels me, all that.\\u201d\\n- Alex Lacamoire\\nThis interview is incredible. Alex is doing great work, and I\\u2019m grateful to him for showing up and sharing his story so that we can all be inspired. So without any further ado, let\\u2019s get started.\\nWho Is Alex Lacamoire?\\nAlex Lacamoire, as I mentioned earlier, is the Tony award-winning musical director for the hit Broadway musical Hamilton. He\\u2019s an amazingly talented musician, orchestrator, and writer. Alex\\u2019s story technically starts in LA, but he moved to Miami at the age of nine and considers that his hometown. Growing up, Alex always had a love for music. He took piano lessons starting at the age of four, and by the time he was in high school could play such a wide range of music \\u2014 from classical piano to pop songs to Broadway hits \\u2014 that he was often hired to play cocktail parties. He also played in the orchestra for a school production of Bye Bye Birdie, which is how he discovered a love of theater and theater people.\\n\\nAfter studying music at Berkeley, Alex moved to New York City to pursue his dream of being a working artist. There, mutual connections set him up with Lin-Manuel Miranda, and the rest is history. The two collaborated on Lin-Manuel\\u2019s first musical, In the Heights, which won him a Grammy award for Best Musical Theater Album and a Tony award for Best Orchestration. Then they did Hamilton, which has been awarded 11 Tonys, including Best Orchestration for Alex. And currently, Alex is working on the soon-to-be hottest new thing on Broadway, Dear Evan Hansen, based on songs written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.\\n\\nAlex is making huge waves in the New York City theater world. He\\u2019s one of the most highly-sought orchestrators and musicians out there, and I\\u2019m so grateful to him for coming on the show today. And he has a ton of great wisdom to share, so let\\u2019s dive in.\\nChildhood Passion: What Fuels You?\\nEarlier I brought up a quote from our interview where Alex said that music is \\u201cwhat fuels [him].\\u201d So I want to pose the question: What fuels you? Think back to when you were a little kid. What did you love? What were you naturally good at? What lit you up like nothing else could?\\n\\nI mentioned that Alex started taking piano lessons when he was four years old, but his love and affinity for music reaches even f...'