As Artistic Director for VOX 3 Collective, Brian von Rueden holds main responsibility for programming the collective’s concert schedule and educational events. He has programmed over 50 recitals in the company’s six seasons to date, each with a different cultural or thematic focus. Von Rueden earned his Master of Business Administration from National Louis University, his Master of Music from Roosevelt University and his Bachelor of Music from Valparaiso University. As a singer, Von Rueden has appeared in various opera roles, including Count Almaviva in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, Louis in Holst's The Wandering Scholar, Melibeo in the U.S. premiere of Cimarosa's L'infedeltà fedele, and Tarquinius in Britten's The Rape of Lucretia, all with Chicago's Millennium Chamber Players. He has also played the title role in Krasa’s Brundibar, and been seen in productions of The Love for Three Oranges, The Mikado, The Impresario, The Scarf, and The Face on the Barroom Floor. While living in Dresden, Germany, he sang in the chorus of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden and presented recitals with Christoph Heinig at the Pianosalon Dresden and Schloss Siebeneichen in Meissen. Von Rueden has also often appeared in concert repertoire, having sung the title role in Mendelssohn’s Elijah, bass solos in Handel’s Messiah, Saint-Saëns' Christmas Oratorio, and several cantatas and masses of J.S. Bach, most notably with Ars Musica Chicago and the Chicago Bach Ensemble. Von Rueden can be heard on VOX 3 Collective’s recordings “New Song” and “Spirit Within,” singing Eric Reda’s Iconic Waltzes and Frank Ferko’s Merton Songs. He is also active as a composer and a stage director, from plays with die Bühne in Dresden, Germany to musicals with the Three-Sided Players to operas for Roosevelt University and Millennium Chamber Players.
BRIAN VON RUEDEN
baritone
