Ryan Sullivan

Ryan Wilson Sullivan is a musician with high expectations for himself. He is a 2004 graduate of Kirkwood (Missouri) High School. Ryan currently studies music at the Conservatory of Music at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He is taking full advantage of his college education by pursuing degrees in both Music Education and Vocal Performance.

Sheila Dugan has been Ryan's voice teacher since February of 2003, and he attributes a great deal of his musical abilities to her brilliant teaching and coaching. Thanks in part to Ms. Dugan , Ryan captured a variety of characters including Sky Masterson, Bela Zangler, Atticus Finch and Ronnie Shaughnessy. Ryan plans to continue to be active in theater and has a long-term goal of returning to the role of Atticus Finch again as a middle-aged man.

Ryan plans to have a career as a teacher and/or conductor in choral music. His mother, Tresa Jo Wilson, a successful choir director in the St. Louis area, has also had a large impact on his musical drive. Ryan feels, though, that rather than making the choice, choral music chose him. Ryan wants to motivate other singers to take full advantage of the world of music.

Ryan has been highly active in the field of choral music. In high school, he was a two-time member of the Missouri All-State Choir. He has had the privilege of singing under such conductors as Anton Armstrong, Richard Bjella, Jerry Blackstone, Peter Bagley, Weston Noble, Eph Ehly, Charles Robinson and Joel Diffendaffer, member of Grammy Award® winning Chanticleer. As part of the UMKC Chorale, Ryan performed at the 2005 MMEA Convention where he also received the prestigious Wynne Harrell Music Education Scholarship, sponsored by MMEA. Ryan has also served as Vice President of UMKC's ACDA chapter.

If you are interested in communicating with Ryan, please feel free to write him at ryanwsullivan@umkc.edu.

"In my heart's sequestered chambers lie truths stripped of poet's gloss,
Words alone are vain and vacant and my heart is mute.
In response to aching silence memory summons half-heard voices
And my soul finds primal eloquence and wraps me in song"
Jane Griner