Michael Wittenburg

Hailed as a “real virtuoso” by the late Ruth Laredo, conductor and pianist Michael Shane Wittenburg made his European debut with the Romanian National Theater of Opera and Ballet “Oleg Danovski” conducting Puccini’s Turandot.

He is active with many companies in the greater NYC area, including the New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera where he serves as Associate Conductor and Chorus Master and has been an assistant conductor and vocal coach at opera companies in Nashville, Orlando, and Sarasota. While at Nashville Opera, he directed 66 performances of the world premiere children’s opera, The Ugly Duckling  by Andrew Duncan.

He has been a faculty member of the Heifetz International Music Institute, was the interim Conductor of the Chattanooga Symphony Youth Orchestra, and has appeared in collaborative recital with such artists as Metropolitan Opera soprano Stella Zambalis, violinist Livia Sohn, and Orpheus Ensemble oboist Gerard Reuter.

A graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy, Mr. Wittenburg’s training includes Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Piano Performance from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, and a Master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

His teachers include Henry Charles Smith, David Effron, Dr. Steven Bird, and Michael Jinbo at the renowned Pierre Monteux School for Conductors and Orchestral Musicians.