Gary Ruschman, tenor

Tenor Gary Ruschman is pleased to return to Cantus for a sixth season. Hailed as “funny and fresh-voiced” by the San Francisco Chronicle, the tenor enjoys a diverse musical career in concert, opera, music theatre, jazz, studio, and chamber music, but with a special love for contemporary and historically-informed performance.

The Kentucky native's solo engagements include American Bach Soloists, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, San Francisco Opera Center, the San Francisco Song Festival, Portland Opera (Mary Stuart Rogers Fellow), San Francisco Opera Guild, Berkeley Opera, Ballet San Jose, California Bach Society, California Chamber Symphony, West Bay Opera, as well as the Mendocino, Lake Tahoe, and numerous other music festivals.

His performances include principal roles in Die Zauberflöte, Cosi fan tutte, The Mikado, Die Fledermaus, Tosca, Atalanta, Ariodante, Peer Gynt, Beatrice & Benedick, Orpheus in the Underworld, and The Italian Girl in Algiers. Recent oratorio performances include Messiah, Judas Maccabaeus, Carmina Burana, Elijah, The Creation, Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings, Monteverdi's Christmas Vespers, Bach’s B Minor Mass and several cantatas, Saint Saens’ Oratorio de Noël, Rossini’s Stabat Mater, and an appearance in UCTV national telecasts of Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass.

Not content to only make music with his voice, Gary does some composing and arranging, and is often found playing instruments for Cantus, including acoustic and bass guitars, and a variety of percussion.

Pop and jazz appearances include NYC’s Birdland, Cincinnati's Blue Wisp, San Francisco's Beach Chalet and Paradise Lounge, and back-up vocals with Pray for Rain, Andy Williams and Marcel Khalife. His discography includes albums with Cantus, American Bach Soloists, Gyan Riley, Miya Masaoka, Scott de Turk, Christopher Winslow, and Zikzak.

When not in rehearsal or onstage, you will likely find Gary hidden behind his Macintosh, Playstation 2, technology magazine, or comic book. He is married to soprano Linh Kauffman.

Meet the Singer - Gary Ruschman
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ruschman<at>cantusonline.org