gary ruschman | composer
"soulful"
(St. Paul Pioneer Press)
"sound as pure as baptismal waters...stirring"
(Opera News)
"rousing"
(American Record Guide)
"quietly haunting"
(CityPages)
(St. Paul Pioneer Press)
"sound as pure as baptismal waters...stirring"
(Opera News)
"rousing"
(American Record Guide)
"quietly haunting"
(CityPages)

Gary Ruschman writes accessible, organic, and expressive music for live performance and digital media in a broad variety of styles.
Supporting and heightening dramatic themes with original scores and dynamic arrangements, Gary recently provided music for the 2021 U.S. National Prayer Breakfast and St. Paul Area Synod, BBC Two's docudrama series American Justice, and co-wrote a new oratorio with countertenor Ryland Angel, WILCO guitarist Nels Cline, and jazz accordionist Ben Rosenblum for the University of Minnesota choirs entitled The Call.Gary's recent release Not Alone is a collection of light-hued instrumental interludes created for comfort: fusing folk, jazz, ambient, and chamber music colors.

Gary is currently in pre-production for an experimental opera based on the lives of the Transcendentalists, an adaptation of The Odyssey featuring country songs, and a new holiday dinner theater show.
A first-generation college graduate from Kentucky, Ruschman got a start in community theater and close-harmony singing with his family, playing in rock bands, and going on to graduate with honors from the San Francisco Conservatory. He built a two decade-long career as a singer and multi-instrumentalist before transitioning to composing and music directing in 2014.
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