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The American conductor, pianist and music pedagogue, Brian DeMaris, obtained his Bachelor of Music degree from Ithaca College in 2002; and his Master of Music degree New England Conservatory in 2004. He studied conducting with Grant Cooper at Ithaca College (2000-2002), John Greer at New England Conservatory (2003-2004), Andrew Bisantz at Florida Grand Opera (2004-2005), and David Jackson at Private Studies (2005-present). He studied piano with Xun Pan at Pennsylvania Academy of Music (1994-1998), Read Gainsford at Ithaca College (1998-2002), John Greer at New England Conservatory (2002-2004), John Moriarty at New England Conservatory (2003-2004), and Veronica Jochum at New England Conservatory (2002-2004). Awards and honors include: Pennsylvania Governors School for the Arts; President’s Award, Phi Kappa Phi; Member, Phi Kappa Lambda and Phi Kappa Phi; Pensylvania Senate Citizenship Award; Anna Sosenko Award Career Grant; Bell Atlantic Meritorious Leadership Award.
Since 2011, Brian DeMaris serves as Music Director of Mill City Summer Opera and and since 2010 at Artist-Faculty at the Aspen Music Festival. He has worked with New York City Opera (Associate Conductor: 2005-2008), Florida Grand Opera (Assistant Conductor and Chorus Master: 2007-2009), Glimmerglass Opera (Assistant Conductor: 2004), Opera Theater of Saint Louis (Répétiteur: 2009-2010), Syracuse Opera, Tri-Cities Opera, American Opera Projects, American Lyric Theater (Resident Conductor: 2005-2009), Ash Lawn Opera Festival (Resident Conductor: 2005-2008), Alpha Omega Ensemble in New York City (Artistic Director: 2005-2009), Music Saint Croix and the Israel Chamber Orchestra. He has appeared at the United Nations, the Aspen Music Festival, Boston’s Jordan Hall, New York’s Studio 54, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Symphony Space, Alice Tully Hall, and in recitals, competitions, and master-classes throughout the USA and abroad. He is the 2nd place winner of the 2013 American Prize in Opera and Musical Theater Conducting. Having served as Director of Opera and Musical Theatre at Ithaca College since 2008, in 2015 he joins the faculty of Arizona State University as Artistic Director of the Lyric Opera Theatre program.
Brian DeMaris has also taught at Lawrence University, New England Conservatory School of Continuing Education, George Mason University's International Opera Alliance, the International Vocal Arts Institute in Tel Aviv, and "Meet the Artist" at Lincoln Center. He has served on panels with Opera America and the National Opera Association, and presented master classes with the National Association of Teachers of Singing, New York State Music Teachers Association and New York State School Music Association. His students have performed on Broadway, film and television, and at opera companies and festivals throughout the world.
A frequent performer and advocate of contemporary music, Brian DeMaris conducted the Middle Eastern premiere of Mark Adamo's Little Women with the Israel Chamber Orchestra and the world premiere of Stefan Weisman's Darkling with American Opera Projects at the Classical Stage Company with additional performances in Gniezno, Poland, at Frei Universität in Berlin, Germany, the New York City Opera VOX Festival and the United Nations. He also leads the world premiere recording of Darkling, released on Albany Records in 2011. DeMaris was also involved with the professional American premiere of Richard Rodney Bennett’ s Mines of Sulphur at Glimmerglass Opera, which was broadcast on NPR and BBC, released on the Chandos label, and nominated for a Grammy Award, as well as the world premieres of Peter Ash's The Golden Ticket and John Corigliano's revised version of The Ghosts of Versailles at Opera Theater of Saint Louis, for which he provided assistance with the preparation of the published piano-vocal score through G. Schirmer. He has also served as Resident Conductor of American Lyric Theater in New York, through which he has done several workshops of new works including The Golden Ticket at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Adam and Eve at Symphony Space and Why Is Eartha Kitt Trying To Kill Me at Le Poisson Rouge. Mr. DeMaris is also a composer himself: his art songs have been performed in recitals throughout the USA.
Brian DeMaris and his family live in Ithaca, New York. |
