Stuart Ryerse

Lampyridæ (Lampyridae) band member headshot - Stuart Ryerse

Stuart Ryerse is a multi-instrumentalist currently studying in New England Conservatory’s Contemporary Improvisation department. He plays piano, recorder, mandolin, guitar, bass guitar, quenacho, and harpsichord, in addition to singing, composing, and songwriting.

A native of Dillsburg, PA, he started playing piano at age 5, and studied classical piano and music theory for twelve years before branching out to other instruments and styles. He has studied with James Sempeles, Richard Roberson, Hankus Netsky, Ran Blake, Bert Seager, Aldo Abreu, John Tyson, John Gibbons, Eden MacAdam-Somer, Carla Kihlstedt, Winifred Horan, Warren Senders, and Jerry Leake on all of his instruments in countless styles and performance practices.

Stuart has performed with the Harvard Baroque Chamber Orchestra, the Boston Recorder Orchestra, Renaissonics, and a variety of NEC school ensembles, among many others. He was co-music-director for two musicals at Shippensburg University, in addition to accompanying six other musicals in the Central PA area. For a year, he made up and accompanied fully improvised musicals at the Harrisburg Improv Theater twice per month. He has given many solo private concerts and shows that include piano music, comedy, and juggling.

Stuart is an avid juggler, and can juggle seven balls, or six clubs. In his spare time, he enjoys learning and speaking Icelandic, playing board games, hiking, rock climbing, mathematics, stenography, baking, computer programming, drawing, writing poetry, knitting, crocheting, sewing, tennis, basketball, ping-pong, fancy paper airplanes, balancing rocks, sailing, kayaking, and traveling, among many other things.