Biography

Ryan Fitzpatrick has worked internationally with music students, schools, and ensembles as a teacher, clinician, and adjudicator. A dedicated teacher, “Mr. Fitz” is currently the high school orchestra director in the Elmbrook School District, one of Wisconsin’s premier school districts and serves as a director in the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestras. As an active member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas, he has completed core cello training in levels 1-10 and been a nominated for various Golden Apple Awards. Mr. Fitzpatrick has previously served as an Assistant Professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where he taught cello and Music Education courses preparing students for careers in Music Education. He also taught at the Fairbanks Suzuki School of Talent Education, the Anchorage Suzuki Institute, the Intermountain Suzuki Strings Institute, the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, the Alaska Cello Intensive, and founded the Fairbanks Cello Festival. He has served as President of the Alaska chapter of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) and was a conductor for Fairbanks Youth Symphony Orchestra. He has been an active member of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), served on the board for the Alaska Music Educators Association (AMEA), and been a regular presenter at various state Music Education conferences.

In addition to his teaching, Mr. Fitzpatrick has an active musical career as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral player, and studio musician. As a versatile musician, he has given several regular solo recitals, shows, and in numerous ensembles, including the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, as the principal cellist in the Wisconsin Philharmonic and the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestras, as assistant principal cellist in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and is currently the cellist in the Milwaukee-based crossover “Rockestra” band, Joe 2.0, alongside original Cheap Trick vocalist, Xeno. Mr. Fitzpatrick was recently a featured musician in the Skylight Music Theatre’s 25th anniversary performances of The Spitfire Grill. Furthermore, Mr. Fitzpatrick has extensive publications and arrangements of chamber music and educational works.

Mr. Fitzpatrick earned his degrees from Indiana University Bloomington and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His primary cello teachers have included Dr. Carol Semmes, Dr. Emilio Colón, and Daniel McDonough of the Jupiter String Quartet, with additional long-term studies with Dr. Helga Winold, Marc Coppey, and Richard Aaron at the Aspen Music Festival and School.

Mr. Fitzpatrick currently performs on a 2017 William Whedbee cello, made in Chicago, a bow made by Rodney Mohr, and a NS CR-4 electric cello.