Art has always been celebrated by audiences in the United States, from opera born in Europe to celebrated medieval pieces.
Musical theater is truly American-born. It’s this history that draws Aaron McAllister ’03 to bring it to life.
“We created musical theater,” he says. “For generations, people flock to the theater and escape into the musical.”
Bringing it all together, from concept to curtain call, requires immense collaboration.
“It all starts with communication,” says McAllister. “Performers will share their artistry and themselves and give a little bit more, if they are working for someone they want to perform for.”
McAllister has been a professional musical conductor for 11 years, including positions in New York City. Since 2012, he’s been musical director at the Fulton Theatre in Lancaster, Pa., leading casts upwards of 50 people musically.
During the summer, when the Fulton “goes dark,” McAllister takes on other projects, including two seasons as musical director of the concert-style, musical review performances of the Finger Lakes Opera that was performed on the Geneseo campus — hand-picked by his former professor, Gerry Floriano ’84.
“He is a phenomenal musician and conductor who is at home in many, many different styles of music,” says Floriano. “… He is truly one of our most outstanding music department graduates, and a respected professional in the business.”
McAllister says he got his start in musical theater at Geneseo, as a vocal performance student and member of the Chamber Singers. He also was a vocal coach and mastered the piano. It’s that variety that’s been a solid foundation for his career.
“This set me up to be successful in an industry where there aren’t many of us who work exclusively in musicals,” says McAllister, who was a recipient of a Robert & Jeanette McClellan Endowed Scholarship in Music, and Friends of Music Scholarship in Music while at Geneseo. He went on to earn a master’s degree in conducting.
Working side by side with Floriano was really special, he says. As with all the performances, McAllister says his role “is to work with the cast on all of the musical elements in the show,” from music written on a page to moving an audience opening night.
He says he loves it most when he’s seated at the piano at the start of each show time, and the house lights are dimmed. There is this moment that it all comes together, as he gives his first downbeat as conductor to have the first notes of music fill the auditorium.
“It’s infectious, knowing there are hundreds of people behind me, just chomping at the bit, waiting for that the overture to start,” says McAllister. “When it does, there is this amazing moment where we all come together and the entire energy of the room gets to see this piece of art — that will only happen once , this way. I get to witness that, every night.”
— By Kris Dreessen