The Team

Ryan Kozak began playing violin at the age 4 following his family’s return from Stuttgart, Germany. Just five years later, he was accepted into the York Junior Symphony Orchestra. He is a former student of the Gettysburg Chamber Orchestra’s founder, Norman Nunamaker, whom he studied with for 6 years. Since then, he has played in orchestras across the United States, Bulgaria and Hungary. In October of 2010, he made his debut at Zankel Hall at Carnegie.

 

As a conductor, Ryan has covered various genres including opera, musicals, chamber and symphonic works. His interpretations have been described as “sensitive” and as having “expert direction.” Beginning with the 2023-24 season, Ryan began his tenure as the Music Director of the Gettysburg Chamber Orchestra. He was recently appointed to serve as the Conductor for the Dickinson College Orchestra from the fall 2024 academic semester through the spring 2026 academic semester and as the Director of Orchestra and String Ensemble at Shippensburg University. He has had the opportunity to study and participate in workshops in many countries including Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Italy and the United States, which has included masterclasses with conductors from the Israel Philharmonic, Colorado Symphony, Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Austrian-Turkmenistan Symphony and the Sophia Philharmonic. Ryan served as the Assistant Conductor of the Gettysburg College Symphony Orchestra for 6 seasons. During the Fall of 2012, he worked with members of Harmonius Blacksmith in preparation for the first ever student-run opera performance at the Sunderman Conservatory in his role as Music Director. His most recent work has included serving as the Conductor for the Concert Strings program with the Frederick Regional Youth Orchestra since 2019. 

 

An active violinist and violist, Ryan currently plays with ensembles across the Mid-Atlantic area, as well as having a private studio of students. He is also a member of both Cormorant’s Fancy and Dearest Home as their fiddle player, performing traditional Irish and Appalachian/Civil War era music. Ryan attended the Sunderman Conservatory at Gettysburg College where he received a Bachelor of Music in Performance degree as well as a Minor in Political Science from the Eisenhower Institute. He has also received his Master of Music degree in Conducting at the Lamont School of Music.