Paul Stuart (b. 1956, Omaha, NE) is an active conductor and nationally acclaimed composer of operas, orchestral music, chamber and choral music. He has conducted orchestras and chamber ensembles, is the artistic director of the Mostly Mozart Festival in Rochester, New York, has conducted and recorded for the Opera Theatre of Rochester, and is the founding director of the Irondequoit Chorale. As a composer he has garnered international acclaim. Stuart believes that "good music must be both artistic and appealing. In The New York Times he wrote that music must have a visceral appeal and also be sophisticated. Only then will new music once again be championed by the masses while being appreciated by the connoisseurs". It is his goal to inspire and promote classical music, both old and new, that will be championed by the masses. In working towards this goal Stuart programs interesting and exciting music of many styles and periods, and he talks about interesting features and anecdotes of the music to audiences. He has given lectures to symphony audiences, classes, churches and public schools on operas, musicals, Christmas music, composition and creativity. He has served as the Advocacy Chair for the New York Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association and as Secretary of the Board of the Greater Rochester Choral Consortium. Paul Stuart was featured on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition. His music has been praised in publications such as Opera News, Opera Quarterly, Opera Journal, and Rhythm Music Magazine. He has received commissions from numerous performing groups, and he has served as a composer-in-residence for The Commission Project. His operas, Kill Bear Comes Home and The Little Thieves of Bethlehem, nominated for the 1997 Pulitzer Prize in Music, continue to receive rave reviews from across the country and are available on CD recordings. Recent performances of Stuart’s operatic and symphonic music took place in The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., and in The Siena Festival in Italy. Paul Stuart received his Master of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music where he studied conducting with Donald Neuen and Jeffrey Renshaw, and composition with Christopher Rouse, Samuel Adler and David Liptak. He spent an additional four years in private study with composer David Diamond. And he attended master classes given by conductors Frederick Fennell, Paul Salamunovich, and Willie Anthony Waters and singers Shirley Verrett, Marni Nixon, Evelyn Lear and Thomas Stewart. Stuart is a member of The Conductors Guild, The National Opera Association, Opera America, and The American Choral Directors Association. His music is published by Santa Barbara Music Publishing, World Wide Music, and VM Music. His recordings are produced by Centaur Records and Dynamic Recording. Stuart is listed in the Dictionary of International Biography, the International Biography of Intellectuals, Outstanding People of the 20th Century, Who’s Who in Entertainment, Who’s Who in the East, and Who’s Who in the World.Mr. Stuart’s appearances and compositions are managed by: VM Music, Inc. P.O. Box 298, Pittsford, NY 14534 (585) 264-1705