Gerald Steichen
With a career that ranges from symphony to opera, Broadway to chamber music, Conductor Gerald Steichenhas established himself as one of America’s most versatile musicians. He currently serves as the Music Director of the Ridgefield (Connecticut) Symphony Orchestra, Principal Pops Conductor of the Utah Symphony, and just completed fifteen seasons with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra. He is a frequent guest conductor with the Boston Pops, New Jersey Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Hartford Symphony, and has appeared with the Indianapolis Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, Florida Orchestra (Tampa), Columbus Symphony, New York Pops, Wheeling Symphony and the Eastern Connecticut Symphony. His international credits include the NDR Orchestra - Hanover (Germany), the NRK Orchestra (Oslo, Norway), and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. This season, Steichen debuts with the Detroit Symphony, and returns to lead the Hong Kong Philharmonic.
Steichen made his Lincoln Center debut at the State Theatre conducting performances of La bohème for New York City Opera. Also for NYCO, he conducted Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking, Jonathan Miller's production of L’elisir d’amore, Rachel Portman's The Little Prince, The Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado, and Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella. Steichen served as an on-stage pianist for NYCO's acclaimed productions of Porgy and Bess and Carmina Burana, and at the harpsichord for Platee and Stephen Wadsworth's magical production of Handel's Xerxes. He led the New York City Opera Orchestra and soloists in concert as part of “Wall to Wall Opera” at New York’s Symphony Space, which included a live broadcast on WQXR.
He has appeared with the Utah Opera (A Little Night Music, HMS Pinafore, The Gondoliers, The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance, and La cenerentola); Glimmerglass Opera (Bluebeard); Anchorage Opera as Principal Guest Conductor (Il barbiere di Siviglia, Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni and Il trovatore); New Jersey Opera Theatre (Falstaff); Opera East Texas as Artistic Advisor (Madama Butterfly, Tosca, Carmen); Utah Festival Opera (Les contes d'Hoffmann, The Magic Flute, Il barbiere di Siviglia, La cenerentola and Handel's Giulio Cesare) and Yale Opera (Gianni Schicchi and Orphee aux Enfers). Last season he debuted with Virginia Opera in Kevin Newbury’s new production of Hansel and Gretel, a revival of The Mikado; and performed with the Virginia Symphony in an evening of “Opera in the Park”.
His passion for education in the arts has led to numerous guest appearances with student orchestras and choruses throughout the United States, including four years leading the student orchestras at NYU. For New York's Lincoln Center, he spent eighteen years with the "Meet the Artist" series as conductor, clinician, and pianist. With a strong commitment to new music and emerging composers, Steichen has conducted readings of new American operas as part of City Opera's VOX American Composer's Showcase, and served as conductor for the New York-based Azure Chamber Ensemble.
No stranger to the stage, Mr. Steichen played the role of "Manny the Accompanist" in Terrence McNally's Tony Award-winning Broadway production of Master Class, starring Dixie Carter as Maria Callas. As Associate Conductor he toured nationally with The Phantom of the Opera, Lucy Simon's The Secret Garden, and with Cathy Rigby in Peter Pan. He conducted Barnum for Music Theatre of Wichita, Kansas, led the world premiere of Tom Sawyer for Music Theatre Works in New York City, and spent two years conducting the Broadway production of Cats, leading the final public performance of that show.
Jerry is a native of Tonkawa, Oklahoma; and currently resides in New York City.
Steichen made his Lincoln Center debut at the State Theatre conducting performances of La bohème for New York City Opera. Also for NYCO, he conducted Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking, Jonathan Miller's production of L’elisir d’amore, Rachel Portman's The Little Prince, The Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado, and Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella. Steichen served as an on-stage pianist for NYCO's acclaimed productions of Porgy and Bess and Carmina Burana, and at the harpsichord for Platee and Stephen Wadsworth's magical production of Handel's Xerxes. He led the New York City Opera Orchestra and soloists in concert as part of “Wall to Wall Opera” at New York’s Symphony Space, which included a live broadcast on WQXR.
He has appeared with the Utah Opera (A Little Night Music, HMS Pinafore, The Gondoliers, The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance, and La cenerentola); Glimmerglass Opera (Bluebeard); Anchorage Opera as Principal Guest Conductor (Il barbiere di Siviglia, Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni and Il trovatore); New Jersey Opera Theatre (Falstaff); Opera East Texas as Artistic Advisor (Madama Butterfly, Tosca, Carmen); Utah Festival Opera (Les contes d'Hoffmann, The Magic Flute, Il barbiere di Siviglia, La cenerentola and Handel's Giulio Cesare) and Yale Opera (Gianni Schicchi and Orphee aux Enfers). Last season he debuted with Virginia Opera in Kevin Newbury’s new production of Hansel and Gretel, a revival of The Mikado; and performed with the Virginia Symphony in an evening of “Opera in the Park”.
His passion for education in the arts has led to numerous guest appearances with student orchestras and choruses throughout the United States, including four years leading the student orchestras at NYU. For New York's Lincoln Center, he spent eighteen years with the "Meet the Artist" series as conductor, clinician, and pianist. With a strong commitment to new music and emerging composers, Steichen has conducted readings of new American operas as part of City Opera's VOX American Composer's Showcase, and served as conductor for the New York-based Azure Chamber Ensemble.
No stranger to the stage, Mr. Steichen played the role of "Manny the Accompanist" in Terrence McNally's Tony Award-winning Broadway production of Master Class, starring Dixie Carter as Maria Callas. As Associate Conductor he toured nationally with The Phantom of the Opera, Lucy Simon's The Secret Garden, and with Cathy Rigby in Peter Pan. He conducted Barnum for Music Theatre of Wichita, Kansas, led the world premiere of Tom Sawyer for Music Theatre Works in New York City, and spent two years conducting the Broadway production of Cats, leading the final public performance of that show.
Jerry is a native of Tonkawa, Oklahoma; and currently resides in New York City.
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