Thomas Muraco (1949-2024)
Thomas Muraco earned such accolades through a combination of technical virtuosity, tonal beauty, and a unique understanding of the underlying poetry of music. His performances in major concert halls throughout the United States, Canada, Central America, Europe, and Asia reflect his command of a repertoire remarkable for its complete range of musical styles, periods and forms. He has been praised for his insightful interpretations of Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Chopin, Brahms, Wolf, Debussy, Rachmaninoff, Poulenc, and premieres of William Schuman and George Perle.
Mr. Muraco partnered among others such singers as Adele Addison, John Aler, Martina Arroyo, Arleen Augér, John Cheek, Phyllis Curtin, Mary Dunleavy, Faith Esham, Maureen Forrester, Denyce Graves, Ben Heppner, Henry Herford, Ying Huang, Sumi Jo, Chris Merritt, Roberta Peters, Hermann Prey, Twyla Robinson, Jennie Tourel, Benita Valente and Dolora Zajick. Highlights of his career include appearances at The White House, the Library of Congress, the Aspen, Banff, Bermuda, Casals, Cincinnati May and Ravinia Festivals, and on recital series at New York's major concert halls and at museums, universities and cultural centers throughout the US, Europe and Asia. Mr. Muraco has recorded on the Serenus, CRI and Musical Heritage labels, his most recent releases a program of music for viola and piano by Britten, Shostakovitch, Bergsma and Shapey with John Graham as well as a Liederabend of Brahms with contralto Maureen Forrester on CBC records.
Mr. Muraco taught at the Cleveland Institute of Music, the State University of New York at Stony Brook., and is presently on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music. There he trains pianists in the art of accompanying and coaching, as well as singers in all aspects of the art. He has taught master classes for pianists and singers at the Aspen and Banff Music Festivals and the St. Louis Conservatory. In such master classes he emphasizes the unique relationship of poetry and music in all aspects of the vocal repertoire, bringing to bear his extensive knowledge of languages French, Italian, German and Portuguese among others. Influential teachers in Thomas Muraco's own training include Brooks Smith at the Eastman School of Music, from which he graduated with distinction, and Jeaneane Dowis at the Aspen Festival and in NYC, and John Nelson in conducting.
Mr. Muraco judged competitions such as the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Mr. Muraco has been the chairman of the jury of the annual international vocal competition held in Vivonne, France in October each year, “De Vive Voix” at which festival he conducted a program of opera scenes in 2007 and in 2008 performed “Die Winterreise” to great acclaim.
In August 2000 he conducted Lakmé in Tel Aviv for the International Vocal Arts Institute, La Bohème at the Manhattan School of Music in 2000, La Traviata at the Manhattan School of Music in April 2001 and Carmen there in April 2002. La Cenerentola was his debut with Opera San José in September 2002, in 2003 Die Zauberflöte, Idomeneo in January 2004 at Opera Mc Gill, Madama Butterfly in 2004 and Don Giovanni in May 2005, in May 2006 Dialogues des Carmélites and in March 2007 Il Tabarro and Gianni Schicchi, all at the Manhattan School of Music.
Mr. Muraco had the honor of assisting in the preparation of performances and a recording of La Bohème under the direction of Leonard Bernstein. In addition, he has assisted in preparing both operatic and symphonic repertoire for conductors John Nelson: in the US at Carnegie Hall (Verdi Requiem), with the New Japan Philharmonic (La Traviata and Schumann Scenes from Faust) , and with L’Ensemble Orchestral de Paris (Entführung aus dem Serail), and James Conlon (with the Cincinnati Symphony) adding yet another aspect to a career which has already established him in the front ranks of American musicians.
During the 2007-2008 season, Mr. Muraco was the Studienleiter- Kapellmeister at the Theater Bremen where he conducted many performances of the 2007-2008 season including Nabucco and Merlin of Carl Goldmark as well as overseeing the preparation of all repertoire in the season. During Jan-Feb, 2009 he performed to great acclaim with tenor Ben Heppner at La Scala, Dortmund Konzerthaus, Opéra National de Paris, Berlin Philharmonie and at the Barbican Centre in London. He conducted Orlando and Suor Angelica in the summer of 2012 and coached at the Santa Fe Opera in the summer of 2013. Most recently, he made his debut at Tri-Cities Opera conducting Gounod’s Faust. Mr. Muraco is on the advisory board of The Art Song Preservation Society of New York (ASPS).
IN THE NEWS: prominent collaborative pianist and ASPS Advisory Board member Thomas Muraco was recently the focus of a piece written by another great collaborative pianist Margo Garrett. "Thomas Muraco: The Biography of a Collaborative Pianist, Conductor and Vocal Coach, and His Thoughts on Preparing for Such a Career" by Ms. Garrett was published in this month's NATS Journal of Singing. Click on the PDF file below to read the article for free!
Muraco's obituary: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/thomas-muraco-obituary?id=54317035
Mr. Muraco partnered among others such singers as Adele Addison, John Aler, Martina Arroyo, Arleen Augér, John Cheek, Phyllis Curtin, Mary Dunleavy, Faith Esham, Maureen Forrester, Denyce Graves, Ben Heppner, Henry Herford, Ying Huang, Sumi Jo, Chris Merritt, Roberta Peters, Hermann Prey, Twyla Robinson, Jennie Tourel, Benita Valente and Dolora Zajick. Highlights of his career include appearances at The White House, the Library of Congress, the Aspen, Banff, Bermuda, Casals, Cincinnati May and Ravinia Festivals, and on recital series at New York's major concert halls and at museums, universities and cultural centers throughout the US, Europe and Asia. Mr. Muraco has recorded on the Serenus, CRI and Musical Heritage labels, his most recent releases a program of music for viola and piano by Britten, Shostakovitch, Bergsma and Shapey with John Graham as well as a Liederabend of Brahms with contralto Maureen Forrester on CBC records.
Mr. Muraco taught at the Cleveland Institute of Music, the State University of New York at Stony Brook., and is presently on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music. There he trains pianists in the art of accompanying and coaching, as well as singers in all aspects of the art. He has taught master classes for pianists and singers at the Aspen and Banff Music Festivals and the St. Louis Conservatory. In such master classes he emphasizes the unique relationship of poetry and music in all aspects of the vocal repertoire, bringing to bear his extensive knowledge of languages French, Italian, German and Portuguese among others. Influential teachers in Thomas Muraco's own training include Brooks Smith at the Eastman School of Music, from which he graduated with distinction, and Jeaneane Dowis at the Aspen Festival and in NYC, and John Nelson in conducting.
Mr. Muraco judged competitions such as the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Mr. Muraco has been the chairman of the jury of the annual international vocal competition held in Vivonne, France in October each year, “De Vive Voix” at which festival he conducted a program of opera scenes in 2007 and in 2008 performed “Die Winterreise” to great acclaim.
In August 2000 he conducted Lakmé in Tel Aviv for the International Vocal Arts Institute, La Bohème at the Manhattan School of Music in 2000, La Traviata at the Manhattan School of Music in April 2001 and Carmen there in April 2002. La Cenerentola was his debut with Opera San José in September 2002, in 2003 Die Zauberflöte, Idomeneo in January 2004 at Opera Mc Gill, Madama Butterfly in 2004 and Don Giovanni in May 2005, in May 2006 Dialogues des Carmélites and in March 2007 Il Tabarro and Gianni Schicchi, all at the Manhattan School of Music.
Mr. Muraco had the honor of assisting in the preparation of performances and a recording of La Bohème under the direction of Leonard Bernstein. In addition, he has assisted in preparing both operatic and symphonic repertoire for conductors John Nelson: in the US at Carnegie Hall (Verdi Requiem), with the New Japan Philharmonic (La Traviata and Schumann Scenes from Faust) , and with L’Ensemble Orchestral de Paris (Entführung aus dem Serail), and James Conlon (with the Cincinnati Symphony) adding yet another aspect to a career which has already established him in the front ranks of American musicians.
During the 2007-2008 season, Mr. Muraco was the Studienleiter- Kapellmeister at the Theater Bremen where he conducted many performances of the 2007-2008 season including Nabucco and Merlin of Carl Goldmark as well as overseeing the preparation of all repertoire in the season. During Jan-Feb, 2009 he performed to great acclaim with tenor Ben Heppner at La Scala, Dortmund Konzerthaus, Opéra National de Paris, Berlin Philharmonie and at the Barbican Centre in London. He conducted Orlando and Suor Angelica in the summer of 2012 and coached at the Santa Fe Opera in the summer of 2013. Most recently, he made his debut at Tri-Cities Opera conducting Gounod’s Faust. Mr. Muraco is on the advisory board of The Art Song Preservation Society of New York (ASPS).
IN THE NEWS: prominent collaborative pianist and ASPS Advisory Board member Thomas Muraco was recently the focus of a piece written by another great collaborative pianist Margo Garrett. "Thomas Muraco: The Biography of a Collaborative Pianist, Conductor and Vocal Coach, and His Thoughts on Preparing for Such a Career" by Ms. Garrett was published in this month's NATS Journal of Singing. Click on the PDF file below to read the article for free!
Muraco's obituary: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/thomas-muraco-obituary?id=54317035
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