Ryan James Brandau

Ryan James Brandau brings to the podium broad experience conducting a variety of choral and orchestral ensembles. He is the Artistic Director of the Amor Artis, a 35-voice chamber chorus and orchestra in New York City. He is also the Artistic Director of Princeton Pro Musica and the Monmouth Civic Chorus. In addition, Dr. Brandau serves on the faculty of Westminster Choir College, where he has prepared the Westminster Symphonic Choir for performances with the Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. Formerly, he was Director of Choral Activities at Santa Clara University and Artistic Director of the Santa Clara Chorale and Choirmaster of the acclaimed all-professional choir of Christ Church, New Haven. He has worked with a variety of other professional, community, collegiate, children’s and church ensembles. As a professional singer, Ryan has been heard with ensembles in the US, Europe, and Asia, including the American Bach Soloists, the Choir of King’s College Cambridge, the Arcadia Players, Yale Schola Cantorum, and the Choir of Clare College Cambridge. He remains active as a choral arranger, composer, and clinician. His arrangements and compositions have been featured by choral ensembles across the globe.

Ryan received the Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from the Yale School of Music, where he studied conducting with Simon Carrington and Marguerite Brooks and received the Horatio Parker Memorial Prize.  Prior to pursuing graduate study in conducting, Ryan attended the University of Cambridge in the UK as a Gates Scholar, earning an M.Phil. in historical musicology. He received his B.A. in music, magna cum laude, from Princeton University.