Regan Ryzuk (born Regan Onufry Ryzuk, March 29, 1955,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

) is an American

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

and

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

. Ryzuk is the son of renowned

painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

, Onufry Ryzuk and published

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

and

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

, Mary S. Ryzuk,

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

. He is the elder of two children.

Education

A graduate from

Montville Township High School Montville Township High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Montville Township, in suburban Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school was founded in 1971 and serves students in ninth through twel ...

Montville, New Jersey Montville is a township in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 22,450, an increase of 922 (+4.3%) from the 2010 census count of 21,528, which in turn reflected an ...

in 1973, Ryzuk studied with

Robert Helps Robert Eugene Helps (b. Passaic, New Jersey, United States, September 23, 1928; d. Tampa, Florida, United States, November 24, 2001) was an American pianist and composer. Career Helps studied at the universities of Columbia (1947–49) and Berke ...

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music a ...

and attended The

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

. Ryzuk's

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

studies led to

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

studies with

Jaki Byard John Arthur "Jaki" Byard (; June 15, 1922 – February 11, 1999) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and arranger. Mainly a pianist, he also played tenor and alto saxophones, among several other instruments. He was known for h ...

and Sir

Roland Hanna Roland Pembroke Hanna (February 10, 1932 – November 13, 2002) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and teacher. Biography Hanna studied classical piano from the age of 11, but was strongly interested in jazz, having been introduced to i ...

. At Juilliard, he studied music theory and composition.

Career

Development as a composer

During the 1980s, Ryzuk toured with various

ballet companies A ballet company is a type of dance troupe that performs classical ballet, neoclassical ballet, and/or contemporary ballet in the European tradition, plus managerial and support staff. Most major ballet companies employ dancers on a year-round b ...

– traveling through

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

. This period enabled him to develop his improvisational techniques, which later laid the groundwork for one of his greatest compositional works,"48 Preludes and Fugues." Composed in the style

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

, Ryzuk developed "48 Preludes and Fugues" over the course of a year while living in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. Upon his return to the United States in 1991, Ryzuk lived in New York and continued his compositional work. He developed a base of students, including

Fountains of Wayne Fountains of Wayne is an American Rock music, rock band that formed in New York City in 1995. The band included founding members Chris Collingwood, Adam Schlesinger, Jody Porter, and Brian Young (drummer), Brian Young. They released six album ...

co-founder,

Adam Schlesinger Adam Lyons Schlesinger (October 31, 1967 – April 1, 2020) was an American musician, songwriter, composer, and record producer. He was a founding member of the bands Fountains of Wayne, Ivy, and Tinted Windows, and was also a member of the ban ...

. Ryzuk periodically returned to Europe to study and develop compositions; for example he lived in Germany in 1994, where he wrote "Piano Fantasy in D♭," and made fairly frequent trip to London between 2000 and 2005 while writing a musical based on

Jack the Ripper Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer who was active in and around the impoverished Whitechapel district of London, England, in 1888. In both criminal case files and the contemporaneous journalistic accounts, the killer was also ...

. Around the year 2000 Ryzuk became a founding partner in a TV/film music production company known as SOUNDGUILD, which operated for approximately ten years. Ryzuk's work from this period is featured in over 500 television and movie projects through his work with

Zomba Music The Zomba Group of Companies (sometimes referred to as Zomba Music Group or just Zomba Group) was a music group and division owned by and operated under Sony Music Entertainment. The division was renamed to Jive Label Group in 2009 and was place ...

, including ''

Kissing Jessica Stein ''Kissing Jessica Stein'' is a 2001 American independent romantic comedy film written and co-produced by the film's stars, Jennifer Westfeldt and Heather Juergensen, and directed by Charles Herman-Wurmfeld. The film also stars Scott Cohen, ...

'', ''

Chasing Papi ''Chasing Papi'' is a 2003 American comedy film directed by Linda Mendoza (in her feature film directorial debut) and starring Roselyn Sánchez, Sofía Vergara, Jaci Velasquez, and Eduardo Verástegui. The women discover that their boyfriend h ...

,'' ''The Night Listener'', ''

60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who distinguished it from other news programs by using a unique style o ...

'', and ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...

''. He also provided music fo
Extreme Music Library, LTD

Musicals and theater

Ryzuk collaborated on a number of musicals with mother Mary S. Ryzuk, including some of

Grimm's Fairy Tales ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'', originally known as the ''Children's and Household Tales'' (, , commonly abbreviated as ''KHM''), is a German collection of fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm, Jacob Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Wilhelm, first publish ...

and a full-length, fully orchestrated musical based on the novel ''The Lodger.'' The musical was initially titled ''Jack the Ripper,'' then was changed to share the name of the novel ''The Lodger,'' before finally receiving in current title, "''Hunt:'' ''A Musical Thriller."'' Ryzuk also wrote the music and the book for ''Joe's Bar'', with additional lyrics by Mary S. Ryzuk. In about 1995, Ryzuk co-founded the theater company Enchanted Players, which operated until 2010. When the theater company moved to the Darress Theatre in

Boonton, New Jersey Boonton () is a town in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 8,815, an increase of 468 (+5.6%) from the 2010 census count of 8,347, which in turn reflected a decline o ...

in 2008, Ryzuk became Composer in Residence for the theater until the Enchanted Players became inactive.

Associated acts

*Grover Kemble *Ian David *Emanuel Kallins *Barbara McCarthy *

New Jersey Ballet The New Jersey Ballet is a ballet company based in Livingston, New Jersey in the United States, founded in 1958 by native New Jerseyan Carolyn Clark and her fellow dancer, George Tomal. History Carolyn Clark's mother established New Jersey Sc ...

*Carmen Artis *Rio Clemente *Cindy Lee

Awards and honors

*1980

Kean College Kean University () is a public university in Union, Elizabeth, and Hillside, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education and is a state-designated research university. The university was founded in 1855 in Newark, ...

Jazz Composition and Performance Award *2004-2005 Perry Awards for Joe's Bar - Outstanding Musical Direction, Outstanding Production of an Original Musical,

Education

Juilliard School of Music The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became the Juilliard School, named afte ...

*Studied Under:

, Steven Citron,

Sir Roland Hanna Roland Pembroke Hanna (February 10, 1932 – November 13, 2002) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and teacher. Biography Hanna studied classical piano from the age of 11, but was strongly interested in jazz, having been introduced to i ...

, Henry Rauch, Ernst Ulmer and Stanley Wolfe

Films

*''

'' *''

'' *'' The Night Listener''Unknown
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Partial List of Opus Numbers

* Op. 1, Prelude in C Major (1969) * Op. 2, 5 Preludes for Piano (1974) * Op. 3, Etude In F Major Essay For 5 Players (1974; lost) * Op. 4, Phase Quartet works and Midnight Madness - Ostentation- Seven Eleven- Vibes- Axis- Irrational Funk- Coalescence (1978; lost) * Op. 5, Duologues For Piano & Drums, Tangent Freeze- Wind Chimes, Michele, Dancing Colors, In a Wheat Field, Grandmother's Rocking Chair, Waltz, and Lydian Play (1979) * Op. 6, 10 Pieces For Children (lost), Trio Comprovisations, and Felicity- Elena (1979) * Op. 7, Angularities (1980) * Op. 8, Arsis Atmospheres, Ballad Blue, Rollands Romp, and Elaine (1980) * Op. 9, Amorphous Moment For Piano, Music For Flute and Piano, Brief Fantasy For Flute and Piano, Short Essay For String Quartet, and Games For Flute and Piano (1981) * Op. 10, Chiaroscuro, Moment For String Quartet, Raindrops On The Water For Piano (1981) * Op. 11, 6 Impromptus, Romanze For Strings, The Stress of Juilliard, Parlour Intrigues For Violin and Piano, Brief Fantasy For Clarinet and Piano, and Shadows For Clarinet and Piano (1981) * Op. 12, Toccatina, 2 Short Pieces For Wind Quartet, Air For Clarinet, Pulse, Darkness For Piano, Tango, Sunshower, Swingerphism, Anabasis (1981 / 1982) * Op. 13, Grand Grand Russian Fairytale For Two Pianos, Several Waltzes For Piano, Adagios For Piano, and 3 Mazurkas For Piano (1983) * Op. 14, Etude In D♯ Minor, Scratch Counterpoint, At The Barre Again, Struggle On The Ivories, Tango Under The Fireworks (1984) * Op. 15, Piano Fantasy In D♭ Major- Choreographed by Graziela Kozak (1985) * Op. 16, Peridance Rag (1985) * Op. 17, Lyric Setting For Winds and Strings (1985) * Op. 18, Veil Of Dawn- Choreographed by Igal Perry (1986) * Op. 19, String Quartet Miniatures and 4 Preludes For Piano B♭ Major, C♯ Minor E Minor, C Minor (1987) * Op. 20, 3 Mazurkas For Piano More Adagios For Piano (1988) * Op. 21, Prothalamion No. 1 In D♭ Major.....(4 Hands on 1 Piano) and The Fifth Wife- A Musical song contribution and Pas de deux- Choreographed by Igal Perry (1989) * Op. 22, 48 Preludes & Fugues (1990) * Op. 23, Fantasy For Flute and Piano (1991) * Op. 24, The Devil & The Three Golden Hairs, Fortune's Favorite (1993) *# Near You- *# Good-bye Fortune's Favorite *# The Letter *# The Forest *# Sound The Wedding Bells *# Three Golden Hairs *# Meeting The Watchman *# The Devil's Song *# Finale * Op. 25, Rapunzel: Full-Length Musical (1994) *# What's A Fairytale? *# If Only *# I Think I'll Die *# If I Steal *# Am I so Scary, Then? *# Rapunzel *# Come Sing With Me *# A Prince Of A Guy *# Was That A Dream I Heard? *# Let Down Your Hair *# What Is A Man? *# My Prince, My Love, My Own *# Miracle Of Love *# Like Me, Like You *# Finale * Op. 26, Hansel & Gretel: Full-Length Musical *# We Get Along *# Bringing Famine *# Come Play With Me *# Thanksgiving Dinner *# There's A Wicked Witch *# Who's That? *# Abandoning The Children *# We Must Leave Them *# The Forest *# Why Are We Alone? *# Fly Beautiful Bird *# Who Is Nibbling On My House? *# Help Yourself *# Run For Your Life *# Don't Be Afraid *# What Sweet Children *# We Must Be In Heaven * Op. 27, 3 Barcarolles (1994) * Op. 28, Sleeping Beauty: Full-Length Musical (1995) *# Royalty Does Not Guarantee *# Useless *# Maybe A Wish *# Magic *# The Princess Rose Lullaby *# Sisters Are We *# The Threat *# The Gifts *# The Curse *# All The Spindles *# Take Heart *# Briar Rose *# Merry Maid *# The Seduction *# I've Won *# The Prince And The Hedge *# While You Sleep *# Grow Briar Hedge, Grow *# The Legend Of Briar Rose *# Beware Sweet Prince *# That's What Dreams Are Made Of *# Another Curse *# Finale * Op. 29, Spy City (1995) *# Spy City *# 10 Original Big Band Charts Manhattan On The Rocks *# Crosstown Caper *# Dame With A Twist *# Private Dick *# Night Beat *# In Pursuit *# City Of Desire * Op. 30, Etude in B♭ Major (1996) * Op. 31, Little Red Riding Cap: Full-Length Musical (1996) *# These Dark Forbidding Woods *# Sweet Little Maid *# Little Red Riding Cap *# My Own Private Song *# The Big Bad Wolf *# Catching The Wolf *# The Wolf's Song *# A Visit To Granny *# Don't Stray From The Path *# It's Off To Granny's House *# All For Me *# The Forest Sequence *# Flowers, Lovely Flowers *# I'll Take This Road *# I'll Fool The Little Girl *# What Big Ears You Have *# The Rescue *# Getting Away *# Finale * Op. 32, Rumpelstiltskin: Full-Length Musical (1997) *# Tiny Town *# I'm Somebody *# King Special's Song *# Always Boasting *# Poor Lass *# Lass Lament *# What Will You Give Me? *# Spinning Gold Sequence *# Avarice *# Give Me Your Child *# The Wedding *# Names *# Rumpelstiltskin * Op. 33, Snow White & Rose Red: Full-Length Musical (1998) *# Heigh Ho Night Song *# Wake Up *# Fantasy Of Dreams *# A Little Warmth *# Spare My Life *# We'll Never Play Rough Again *# Wake Up *# Searching *# If Only You Could *# Please Don't Cry *# Gathering Berries *# The Gnome Sequence *# Don't Do It *# Peace, Be Here *# Gnome's Fury *# Finale * Op. 34, Jack The Ripper: Full-Length Musical Fully orchestrated (1999) * Op. 35, Making Snow, A Short Christmas Musical Christmas Eve Dinner, I'll Try To Stay Up For Santa, A Letter To Santa, Making Snow, Vocal Fugue 2000, and Only The Beauty Remains * Op. 36, Trios for Oboe Bass & Piano, Birth Of A Child: an Art Song for Voice and Piano (2001) * Op. 37, The Pied Piper: A Short Children's Musical, Aubade No.1 (2001) * Op. 38, Endless Ages For Orchestra (2003) * Op. 39, Barcarolle No. 4, 6 Mazurkas For Piano, Waltz For Piano, 6 Lyricisms For Piano (2005) * Op. 40, Joe's Bar: Full-Length Musical- Music / Lyrics Jazz Quartet Arrangement, Joe's Bar: Full-Length Musical (2005) *# She's So Beautiful *# I Like You *# To Me *# Now And Then *# I Want *# Love's A Kick In The Pants *# Drinks *# Midnight In N.Y. *# Quitin' Time *# Just One Girl *# Maybe It's Me *# Why Doesn't He Call? *# Let Songs Fill Your Mind *# Hangover Blues *# Men *# Women *# All I know *# Should We Try * Op. 41, Regan Ryzuk Septet: New Concepts (2007) *# Storm In The Desert *# Subterfugue *# Light Musik *# Mideast Rest *# Sharing Three Thoughts *# Be Bop To Go *# A Dubious Cafe In Dubai *# Unfamiliar Territory * Op. 42, Prothalamion No. 2 In G♭ Major For Violin, Cello and Piano 20 Lyricisms For Piano Opus 43 2010 Standards Music and Lyrics, Tip Top, That Look, In A Lonesome Mood, Come On -My Dream, No Mystery To Me, Blue Sunday, Tell Me That You Love Me, Lovely Together, Love Song, and Stay (2009) * Op. 44, 3 Sonatas (2008) # Sonata No. 1 1st Mvt ("Fanfare") # Sonata No. 1 2nd Mvt ("First Love") # Sonata No. 1 3rd Mvt ("The Magician") * Op. 45, 3 Sonatas, (2008) # Sonata No. 2 1st Mvt ("A Night Carnival") # Sonata No. 2 2nd Mvt ("March In The Gulag") # Sonata No. 2 3rd Mvt ("Ostinato") * Op. 46, 4 Sonatas (2009) # Sonata No. 3 1st Mvt ("A Winter Sleighride") # Sonata No. 3 2nd Mvt ("Surviving Hell") # Sonata No. 3 3rd Mvt ("The Busy Anthill") # Sonata No. 3 4th Mvt ("A Heroes Welcome") * Op. 47, 3 Sonatas (2009) # Sonata No. 4 1st Mvt ("Dance Of The Gladiators") # Sonata No. 4 2nd Mvt ("After Rain On A Lake") # Sonata No. 4 3rd Mvt ("The Determined Matador") * Op. 48, 3 Sonatas (2009) # Sonata No. 5 1st Mvt ("A Walk Through An Old Garden") # Sonata No. 5 2nd Mvt ("The Haunted Library") # Sonata No. 5 3rd Mvt ("Fountains") * Op. 49, 3 Sonatas (2010) # Sonata No. 6 1st Mvt ("The Victorious Warrior") # Sonata No. 6 2nd Mvt ("Great Expectations") # Sonata No. 6 3rd Mvt ("Dragonflies On A Lake") Epi-Cycles Beyond The Kuiper Belt (A Fugue For Large String Orchestra) * Op. 50, 4 Sonatas (2010) # Sonata No. 7 1st Mvt ("A Silent Film") # Sonata No. 7 2nd Mvt ("The Relentless Clock") # Sonata No. 7 3rd Mvt ("A Ride In The Country") # Sonata No. 7 4th Mvt ("The Cat And The String") * Op. 51, 4 Sonatas (2010) # Sonata No. 8 1st Mvt ("Children At Play") # Sonata No. 8 2nd Mvt ("A Nursery Rhyme") # Sonata No. 8 3rd Mvt ("A Piece Of String") # Sonata No. 8 4th Mvt ("Journey Of The Monarch") * Op. 52, 2 Sonatas (2010) # Sonata No. 9 1st Mvt ("Strolling Through A Gallery") # Sonata No. 9 2nd Mvt ("The Walk Along Lake Louise") * Op. 53, 4 Sonatas (2010) # Sonata No.10 ("A Comfortable Nightmare") # Sonata No. 1 1st Mvt ("Fanfare") # Sonata No. 1 2nd Mvt ("First Love") # Sonata No. 1 3rd Mvt ("The Magician") * Op. 54, The Bridge At Vladivostok: a One-Movement Symphonic Work (2012) * Op. 55, Piano Concerto 3 Mvts. For Piano and Full Orchestra (2013) * Op. 56, Intelligent Designs For Piano- No. 1 Newspeak and Pectin: A Brief Fantasy For Orchestra (2013)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryzuk, Regan 1955 births Living people Musicians from New York City Manhattan School of Music alumni Juilliard School alumni American male composers 20th-century American composers American male pianists 20th-century American pianists Montville Township High School alumni People from Montville, New Jersey Classical musicians from New York (state) 21st-century American classical pianists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians