Jason Carlson is a collaborative pianist and vocal coach.  He is a frequent recitalist, including appearances with New York Philharmonic trombonist Joseph Alessi, legendary flautist Sir James Galway, and a lecture recital on law and opera with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  As a répétiteur, Jason has worked with renowed singers such as Neil Shicoff and Elizabeth Futral, and has served as a rehearsal pianist under maestros Lorin Maazel, Stephen Osgood, John DeMain, Andrew Bisantz, Dean Williamson, and William Waters, among others.

Jason is currently a vocal coach and rehearsal pianist at Northwestern University, and has provided musical preparation for all of the main-stage productions in the last 15 years, ranging from Monteverdi (Orfeo and L’incoronazione di Poppea) to the Midwest premiere of Dog Days by David T. Little in 2019.  He has also served as the music director for the Northwestern University Intensive Vocal Performance Seminar since 2009, as well as music director and faculty advisor to OPUS, Northwestern’s student-run opera initiative, since its inception in 2015.

Elsewhere in Chicago, Jason is the founding music director for the award-winning Third Eye Theater Ensemble, specializing in contemporary works by living composers, and has also served as music director for many regional opera companies, including Main Street Opera, Petite Opera, American Chamber Opera, and New Moon Opera.

He has previously held teaching positions at the Castleton Festival and the Music in the Marche program in Italy, and has been invited to give masterclasses worldwide, including the Chicago Vocal Arts Consortium in Chicago, Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand, and the Academy of Performing Arts in Hong Kong.  He is excited to be joining the music staff at La Musica Lirica in 2021.