Martin Rutishauser - Director and conductor
Festival Music Director and Conductor Martin Rutishauser's first three years have ended with the concert audience on its feet and the chorus breathless.

Martin Rutishauser has distinguished himself as a choral, operatic, and orchestral conductor in the United States and in Europe.  He is currently Music Director of the Taghkanic Chorale, the Brookhaven (Long Island) Choral Festival, the Ibex Chamber Orchestra of New York, the Collegiate Singers in New York City, and the Collegiate Upper School Chorus and Chamber Chorus.  His has led these ensembles in concerts in New York, on Long Island, in Westchester and on tours to Italy and Switzerland.  He has also led the Long Island Symphonic Chorale Association in performances of Israel in Egypt, Elijah, the Monteverdi Vespers, and The Creation. 

As an opera conductor, Mr. Rutishauser has led performances for the Berner Stadttheater Switzerland, the Lake George Opera Festival, the Liederkranz Foundation, and the Reimann Opera Theater at New York University.  These performances included Mozart’s Abduction from the Seraglio, Cosi fan tutte, Magic Flute, La Clemaza di Tito, Verdi’s Rigoletto and La Traviata, Stauss’s Nacht in Venedig, and premieres of operas by Timothy Lloyd, Seymour Barab, and Richard Owen.  For many years, he also conducted annual concerts of operatic excerpts at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center.  As assistant conductor to Peter Maag, he worked in opera houses throughout northern Italy.

Mr. Rutishauser has had the pleasure of conducting many outstanding instrumental and vocal soloists, including Vladimir Feltsman, Lorin Hollander, Matt Haimovitz, Victor Borge, and Tovah Feldshuh, as well as singers who are regularly engaged by leading orchestras and opera houses, among them Lorraine Hunt, Stuart Neill, John Packard, and Gregory Turay.

Mr. Rutishauser received degrees in music and musicology from Brown University and Columbia University.  He also attended the Staatliche Hochschule fuer Musik in Freiburg, Germany, where he studied piano with Wilhelm Behrens and double bass with Wolfgang Stert.  His conducting teachers and mentors included Joseph Rosenstock of the Metropolitan Opera, Edward Downes of the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, Charles Bruck at the Pierre Monteux Domaine School, Peter Maag, and Vincent La Selva in New York.  He currently teaches music at Collegiate School in New York City.

Once again this summer, Martin brings his energy and his enthusiasm for music and people to our podium.

 

 

Jeanette Cooper
Our rehearsal accompanist, Jeanette Cooper, is a veteran of the Long Island choral and musical theater scene. She has performed with the Stony Brook Camarata singers and accompanies a number of choruses, including those at Shoreham/Wading River and Miller Place High Schools. She is a musical director at Airport Playhouse, and has also performed in the pit at Bay Way and Theater Three.She has an extensive background in sacred music as well, acting as music minister at several churches in Suffolk.
 
         

Eric Blatt
Eric, a veteran music  teacher and choral director from Mount Sinai High School joins us this year to conduct our Youth Chorus.  Eric’s upbeat attitude and experience will continue  the  tradition of learning  and  performing  beautiful music  for  our  7th  through  12th graders helping to nurture and develop their talents.

         

Brett Frederick

Brett, and Elementary Music  teacher at Eastport Elementary School, is a new addition to our faculty this year, joining us to lead our newly formed Children’s Chorus.  Brett brings energy and enthusiasm to the festival and  is  looking  forward  to working with our 3rd  through 6th graders  in movement,  ear  training  and  vocal  technique.    For Brett, “fun” is the name of the game!

 
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