Jason Wirth, vocal coach
“Jason Wirth [spun] a gossamer web of unusual sounds on the piano,” writes the New York Times about the New York City-based pianist, conductor, and vocal coach. A talented collaborator and “an impressive musician in his own right” (NY Concert Review), Jason draws on his varied interests to bring new perspectives into his music-making. Born in Minnesota, Jason began performing extensively on the piano from a very young age, including appearances with the Moscow Philharmonic and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra as a soloist. His other credits as a pianist include a recording of Poulenc’s The Story of Babar, available on the Naxos label, with international film star Michael Douglas narrating the beloved children’s novel. "Plundered Hearts", an album of songs by celebrated vocal composer Jorge Martín (Before Night Falls), with mezzo Heather Johnson and baritone Andrew Garland, is also available. In the last year, he was honored to be a guest artist at workshops performances of Arizona Opera and the American Lyric Theatre, presenting new works with the artists of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Program.
Jason has led and conducted a number of varied projects, ranging from Baroque music to contemporary opera and musical theatre. As a founder of the Modern Opera Company and their innovative Potluck Opera series, he has led their performances of Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, The Medium, Amahl and the Night Visitors, and Street Scene. Jason has worked extensively with the award-winning new music ensemble Cantori New York and conducted this innovative group at venues such as Le Poisson Rouge and the DiMenna Center in New York City. Other musical theatre credits include The Threepenny Opera for Columbia Drama School and The Cradle WIll Rock for The New School. A talented improviser and arranger, Jason enjoys the challenge of reworking already-composed music to meet the requirements of new performers and new contexts.
Educated at Mannes and the Yale School of Music, Jason is an expert performer of the vocal repertoire, having begun accompanying voice lessons while he was still in high school. He has worked in some of the top vocal studios in New York City, where he learned about the craft of singing from some of the greatest artists and technicians alive today. A gifted score-reader, Jason is a sought-after répétiteur for 20th and 21st century operas, as well as the core operatic repertory. His teachers include Alexander Braginsky (University of Minnesota) and Pavlina Dokovska (Mannes).
