Ryan McCullough, piano

Ryan McCullough

Born in Boston and raised behind the Redwood Curtain of northern California, pianist Ryan MacEvoy McCullough has developed a diverse career as soloist, vocal and instrumental collaborator, composer, recording artist, and pedagogue. Ryanโ€™s music-making encompasses work with historical keyboards, electro-acoustic tools and instruments, and close collaborations with some of todayโ€™s foremost composers. In a performance of Chopin โ€œhis virtuosity was evident and understated, his playing projected a warmthโ€ฆ that conjured the humanity of Artur Rubinstein,โ€ (Eli Newberger, The Boston Musical Intelligencer) and in a performance of contemporary music, his playing โ€œfound a perfect balance between the gently shimmering and the more brittle, extroverted strandsโ€ฆ and left you eager to hear the restโ€ (Allan Kozinn, NY Times).

Ryanโ€™s growing discography features many world premiere recordings, including solo piano works of Milosz Magin (Acte Prealable), Andrew McPherson (Secrets of Antikythera, Innova), John Liberatore (Line Drawings, Albany), Nicholas Vines (Hipster Zombies from Mars, Navona), art song and solo piano music of John Harbison and James Primosch with soprano Lucy Fitz Gibbon (Descent/Return, Albany), and art song by Sheila Silver (Beauty Intolerable, Albany, also with Ms. Fitz Gibbon). He has also appeared on PBSโ€™s Great Performances (Now Hear This, โ€œThe Schubert Generationโ€) and is an alumnus of NPRโ€™sย From the Top.

ย As concerto soloist Ryan has appeared frequently with orchestra, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Sarasota Festival Orchestra, Colburn Conservatory Orchestra, Orange County Wind Symphony, and World Festival Orchestra, with such conductors as George Benjamin, Gisele Ben-Dur, Fabien Gabel, Leonid Grin, Anthony Parnther, Larry Rachleff, Mischa Santora, and Joshua Weilerstein. Mr. McCullough has collaborated with the Mark Morris Dance Group, contemporary ensemblesย eighth blackbirdย andย yarn/wire, and has performed at festivals including the Tanglewood Music Center, Token Creek Chamber Music Festival, Sarasota Festival, Nohant International Chopin Festival, and Methow Valley Chamber Music Festival. Upcoming performances in the โ€˜21-โ€˜22 season include an original cabaret collaboration with mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe, a residency with the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra, Brahmsโ€™ย Die Schรถne Mageloneย at the Harvard Musical Association with soprano Lucy Fitz Gibbon, and performances of Stockhausenโ€™sย MANTRAย at Notre Dame and Syracuse Universities as part of ensembleย HereNowHear.

Ryan lives in Kingston, NY, with his wife, soprano Lucy Fitz Gibbon, and in his time off can be found brewing beer, building and modifying audio equipment, or photographing the sublime Hudson Valley.ย ย