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 every major theatre that produces musicals in the DC area, 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.