High-level users?

[Seth Williamson]

I use LilyPond at a relatively low level.  Mostly just to re-write single parts, change clefs, transpose, etc.

A friend of mine, however, is a much-published composer who has written for film, TV, high school and college bands, jazz charts, etc.  We got to talking about various notation software because he mentioned he was having a problem with Sibelius.  I regaled him with the horrific problems I personally had with a completely legal copy of Sibelius when I got a new computer -- the code refused to believe it was legal thereafter.

I have been recommending he give LilyPond a try.  But I've never used LilyPond at the high level he works in.

My question is this: are there many working professional composers and arrangers who rely on LilyPond as their first choice for notation software?  I know there are a lot of amateurs like me -- but I'm wondering if there are pros out there who use LilyPond daily at a high level for multi-part scores, etc.  My buddy was telling me how, when Jerry Goldsmith was recording with Sony, there'd be a table of four music majors from USC at work stations with Finale and/or Sibelius, ready to produce changes on the fly in parts and conductor scores, etc.  Are there any Big Guns like this who rely on LilyPond?

Seth Williamson