JOHN FISCHER
Music Director/Pianist

JOHN FISCHER is a music director, pianist, vocal coach and teacher with decades of experience working with top Broadway and cabaret artists, including Tony winners Ali Stroker, Alice Ripley, Tony nominee Emily Skinner, and many more. He music directed Broadway’s Rising Stars at The Town Hall for 14 seasons, where he also worked on numerous Broadway Originals concerts. He spent 7 seasons as music director for the highly acclaimed musical theatre program at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in the Berkshires, and this last season saw him working hand in hand with Stephen Schwartz and Chet Walker on the creation of a new ballet, The Boy on the Roof. In recent years, John has joined the symphony world as a guest artist, debuting a new Bacharach show with the Plymouth Symphony, Blockbuster Broadway for the Omaha Symphony, a Bernstein/Robbins celebration with the Signature Symphony, and Music of the Knights with the Santa Ana Symphony Orchestra. In NYC, he is a regular fixture at 54 Below, music directing everything from Sinatra to Streisand and as the MD for the long-running series, Sondheim Unplugged. Recent highlights include Ali Stroker’s sold out American Songbook concert at Lincoln Center, Alice & Emily’s Unattached at 54 Below, and the 25th Anniversary Concert of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, part of the award winning 54 Sings series for which he also music directed Applause, Mack & Mabel, and Kiss Of The Spiderwoman. He currently teaches at Singnasium, Applause NY, and does private coaching. He has been on staff at AMDA, HB Studios, The New School, the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, and the Growing Studio.

A Note from John:

Mary Setrakian has been my colleague and friend for over twenty years. I have been her pianist and music director not only for her student singing workshops and showcases, but also for Mary’s one-woman cabarets and concerts with orchestra in New York City and California. One of the things I admire most about Mary as a voice teacher is how she is able to customize her work with every individual she teaches. She seems to intuitively know exactly what someone needs, and her boundless energy and knowledge have helped thousands of aspiring performers from beginners to seasoned professionals. When Mary has an idea, she gets it done, whether it’s designing a curriculum for teaching, developing a fun cabaret, writing an incredible book, or performing her own amazing show with a symphony orchestra. I am so excited to see what comes next, as I have watched her continually reinvent herself and fine tune her teaching.