Nathan Beary Loughstein
Music Director • Pianist • Singer
Transcriber • Copyist • Music Theorist
I conduct, arrange, orchestrate, accompany, coach, analyze, teach, and perform musicals. I explore how the music of musical theatre works, and makes sense, and thrills. The sensibilities of theatre-making—collaboration, drama, the pleasure of song and dance—lie at the heart of my musical practice and research.
Beetlejuice at The National Theatre (Photo: Norman Reich)
I have worked with resident and regional theatres throughout the Mid-Atlantic and New England, and was the resident music director at American University for six years. You can read my full resume here.
I completed my Ph.D. in Music Theory from Indiana University. I wrote a dissertation titled “Through Arrangements of Shadows: Experiences of Reprise in Stephen Sondheim’s Leitmotivic Musicals.” You can read it here.
As a teacher and coach, my goal is for students to interrogate how their craft, artistry, and identity align with the idealized lives to which characters aspire onstage. You can schedule a coaching with me here.
I’ve gained a following on TikTok, where I talk about and demonstrate things I find exceptional in musicals. Most videos are about Sondheim. You can access my profile (and follow me) here.