gary ruschman | podium
"I don't recall a prior picnic operetta that handled harmonies with such care and commitment. His reverence for Mozart's music is clear, balanced by his guitar work..."
--Twin Cities Pioneer Press
--Twin Cities Pioneer Press
Music Direction/Education
Gary currently leads the choral and vocal programs at North Hennepin Community College and St. Timothy Lutheran
Church of St. Paul. An active conductor, clinician, and adjudicator, he was a long-time director of OVation, the portable chamber ensemble of One Voice Mixed Chorus, has conducted Consortium Carissimi, Blue Waters Brass, Bach Society of Minnesota's Bach with Friends retreats, and served as
chorusmaster for the Twin Cities Early Music Festival.
Ruschman has been music director for Mixed Precipitation's Picnic Operetta/Pickup Truck Opera since 2017, adapting and reorchestrating classic operas, alternating the action with pop covers, and leading the band via a variety of instruments.
An experienced opera educator, Gary served as director of Minnesota Opera's El Sistema IMAGINE! Summer Opera Camp in Worthington, MN, and was a former teaching artist with San Francisco Opera, West Bay Opera, and Portland Opera. He was co-recipient of Chorus America’s 2011 Education and Community Outreach Award , and has co-presented more than 300 choral clinics at festivals, universities, and schools coast to coast as a member of Cantus. Gary has taught in residencies at University of Minnesota, St. John's University, University of Wyoming, and Macalester College.
A member of NATS, Gary's voice instruction is based on historically-informed performance practices, theatricality, and healthy vocalism in a wide variety of styles. His students have appeared on the Hollywood round of American Idol and Off-Broadway productions.
