Television

Edmond Allmond, clarinettist, pianist and vocalist, worked as a pianist on screen for more television productions than any other pianist in the United States from 2005 to 2016. During that period he also continued to appear on the concert stage.

Where many pianists go through the motions, Allmond worked diligently to accurately perform during every production. That is a difficult feat, since the piano is blocked (the hammers do not strike the strings), an earwig is placed in the ear away from camera, and the performer plays in sync to a recording that they may have received the night before their call time. He has recorded his own tracks in studio for shows, or played on camera as in the season finally of Desperate Housewives, in a brief cameo with Vanessa Williams’ character Renee Perry.

Edmond arranged Tom Wait’s Temptation for Cote De Pablo as Agent Ziva on NCIS, “Last Man Standing”, season six.

Edmond and Ryan Cross (also featured) would go on to do several other television offerings together, including as regulars on the John Stamos series Grandfathered.

Edmond was always the featured pianist on the four seasons of Revenge, for Victoria Grayson’s (Madeline Stowe) parties. And they were numerous. He is featured in all four seasons, though is more heard than seen in season two.

He appears briefly in Scandal in the only episode of the series that was to use music, As the organist for Jake and Vanessa’s wedding. He sat at the 1924 Skinner organ in St. Johns Episcopal Cathedral that he had played several times many years before as a young Los Angeles organist. His performance of Mendelssohn’s Wedding March was, unfortunately, not used in the episode.

Edmond is also featured in Major Crimes (Hindsight, season 4, episodes 19 – 23) as a church organist on another instrument, a Hammond B3. Patrick Duffy directing.