Nathan Beary Blustein
Music Director, Pianist, Music Theorist, Vocal Coach
I conduct, arrange, orchestrate, accompany, coach, analyze, teach, and perform musicals. I research how the music of musical theatre works, and makes sense, and thrills. I’m guided by placing the sensibilities of theatre-making—collaboration, drama, the pleasure of song and dance—at the heart of music analysis.
Beetlejuice at The National Theatre (Photo: Norman Reich)
I have worked with every major theatre that produces musicals in the DC area, and was the resident music director at American University for six years.
I completed my Ph.D. in Music Theory from Indiana University. I wrote a dissertation titled “Through Arrangements of Shadows: Experiences of Reprise in Stephen Sondheim’s Leitmotivic Musicals.” You can read it here.
As a teacher and coach, my goal is for students to interrogate how their craft, artistry, and identity align with the idealized lives to which characters aspire onstage. You can schedule a coaching with me here.
I’ve gained a following on TikTok, where I talk about and demonstrate things I find exceptional in musicals. Most videos are about Sondheim. You can access my profile—and follow me—here.