Kyle Ritenauer
New York City-based conductor Kyle Ritenauer is a rising presence in the classical music world. Kyle is on faculty at the Manhattan School of Music as a member of the conducting staff, Director of Orchestras at the John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University, and regularly serves as Cover Conductor for the National Symphony Orchestra (Washington, DC) and the New York Philharmonic.
The 2024-25 season promises to be an exciting year for Kyle, with performances including appearances with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center and with the Juilliard Ballet and Orchestra at Lincoln Center. As Principal Conductor of the Cali Opera Program, he will lead Francesco Cavalli’s La Calisto at Montclair State University. He will also direct a full season of concerts with the Cali Orchestra, featuring works such as Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, Shostakovich’s Ninth Symphony, and Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, among others. In addition, he will perform several concerts at the Manhattan School of Music and other prestigious venues across New York City.
Kyle is currently entering his third year as principal conductor of the Cali Opera Program and Director of the Cali Orchestra at Montclair State University. Throughout his tenure, Kyle has led productions of Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmelites, Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Michael Ching’s Buoso’s Ghost. In the world of opera, Kyle has worked as associate conductor with organizations such as Opera de Montreal with Orchestre Mertopolitain, and the Des Moines Metro Opera with the Des Moines Symphony. Kyle has also premiered several productions of new operas and is very much at home with contemporary opera.
Throughout his career, Kyle has appeared as guest conductor with the Elgin Symphony, the Norwalk Symphony, the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, Symphony New Hampshire, and Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect. In the role of cover conductor, Ritenauer has worked with the National Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Métropolitain (Montreal), American Composers Orchestra, the Utah Symphony, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
Well versed in the world of ballet, Kyle, while serving as assistant conductor of the Juilliard Orchestra, stepped in on a moment's notice to lead the orchestra and dancers through a successful performance of Stravinsky’s Le sacre du printemps at Lincoln Center. He has also led productions of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker as guest conductor with the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra on numerous occasions (2018, 2019, and 2021). In the world of contemporary ballet Kyle served as principal conductor for productions of Richard Danielpour’s Cassandra’s Curse (world premiere) and Aaron J. Kernis’s On Distant Shores with RIOULT Dance NY at New York City’s Joyce Theater.
Ritenauer has led orchestras in a myriad of genres, including collaborations with Broadway superstars Kelli O’Hara and Matthew Morrison, and giants of contemporary music such as John Adams, Claire Chase and Richard Danielpour. He was particularly honored to conduct a Juilliard School workshop of American Symphony by Jon Batiste, former bandleader of the Stephen Colbert Late Show. Kyle recently worked with The Knights (New York City) to workshop ATTENTION! in collaboration with mandolinist and composer Chris Thile.
Kyle is a passionate teaching artist and holds a particular fondness for bringing classical music to underserved communities. Through the Bridge Arts Ensemble, an ensemble which he founded in 2015, Ritenauer curated interactive, grade-specific concerts and workshops for 50,000 students across the Adirondack region of New York State on a yearly basis.
Kyle has had the honor and priviledge to assist conductors such as Gustavo Dudamel, Gianandrea Noseda, David Robertson, Stanislav Kochanovsky, Carlos Miguel Prieto, Gemma New, Jader Bignamini, John Adams, and Marin Alsop among others. Kyle served for many year as the assistant conductor of New York City’s Camerata Notturna, a group that supported Kyle through a large part of his development as a young conductor.
Kyle is a student of David Robertson and a graduate of The Juilliard School’s Orchestral Conducting Program where, upon graduation, he received the Charles Schiff Conducting Prize for outstanding achievement. He also attended the Aspen Conducting Academy as a student of Robert Spano, and spent nine summers at The Pierre Monteux School studying with Michael Jinbo.