ANDREW BISANTZ
CONDUCTOR
BIOGRAPHY
A versatile musician acknowledged for his passionate and commanding leadership from the podium, the exciting American conductor Andrew Bisantz is building an impressive roster of credits at leading national orchestras and opera companies throughout the country. As the Music Director at Eugene Opera, Mr. Bisantz has been responsible for the emergence of the company as one of the most noted and important performing arts organizations in the Pacific Northwest. In Eugene, he has conducted Don Giovanni, Le nozze di Figaro, Faust, La bohème, The Mikado, Carmen, Nixon in China, Pirates of Penzance, Dead Man Walking, Offenbach’s Orphée aux Enfers, La fanciulla del West, L’elisir d’amore, Lucia di Lammermoor, Eugene Onegin, and La traviata.
In the Spring of 2021, he returned to the podium to conduct performances of New York Stories for Florida Grand Opera as well as Madama Butterfly for Opera Tampa. In addition, he led productions of A Little Night Music for Arizona Opera and The Magic Flute for Eugene Opera. This season will see a return to Opera Tampa for Sweeney Todd, Acis and Galatea for Eugene Opera, Lee Hoiby’s Summer and Smoke for SUNY Fredonia, and Northwestern University’s production of The Magic Flute. [read more...]
CRITICAL ACCLAIM
"...conducted with rocking rhythmic energy..." – Opera News
Nixon in China – “The orchestra under Andrew Bisantz, Eugene Opera’s music director, did full justice to John Adams’s magnificent, often beautiful score. Bisantz conducted with rocking rhythmic energy and a wide dynamic range, wonderfully soft in such lyrical passages as the banquet toasts and Chou En-lai’s closing lines.”
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"...He summoned the gloriously romantic, cinematic music with crisp execution..." – Virginia Times Dispatch
La Fanciulla del West – “Andrew Bisantz’s conducting was the first of many master strokes. He summoned the gloriously romantic, cinematic music with crisp execution, from the foreboding power of the percussion to the romantic beauty of the strings to the pastoral shades of the horns.”
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“…Bisantz is a powerhouse…” – Buffalo News
Don Giovanni – “Bisantz is a powerhouse who plays harpsichord to accompany the recitatives, conducts charmingly with no baton, and even stepped in for a cameo role as the Commandatore in "Don Giovanni." The Commandatore dies at the start of the opera and so Bisantz spent a couple minutes simply lying in the middle of the stage. You had to love him for that…And you had to love him for this unusual program. Currently, Bisantz is music director of the Eugene Opera, and he must put some thought into how to widen the audience for this ancient art form. This concert is one that could make anyone want to hear more.”
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"...Bisantz evoked lines interwoven beautifully with the vocals..." – Mercury News
The Marriage of Figaro – “In his Opera San Jose debut, conductor Andrew Bisantz revealed the emotions behind Mozart’s incredible technique. The composer’s favorite number, the Act III sextet, was a revelatory experience. Bisantz evoked lines interwoven beautifully with the vocals, with textures crystal clear, giving the mastery of Mozart’s counterpoint its resplendent shine.”
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"… Bisantz brought the act to a truly terrifying climax…” – The Boston Musical IntelligenceR
Tosca – “Under Andrew Bisanz’s baton, the BLO orchestra brought Puccini’s score to life. The reminiscence motives weresubtly marked and Puccini’s instrumentation was treated with an extraordinary sensitivity. Particularly remarkable was the first act’s grand crescendo… Bisantz brought the act to a truly terrifying climax…”