Ryan Touhey Conducting Broadway Show

Ryan's interests initially were focused on acting, but he also always loved music. When he was in Middle School at Sanford, Ryan was encouraged to showcase his musical talents and interests in his classes. For instance, in fifth grade, he wrote a song for the story "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." He also composed a song for Señor Rolleri’s Spanish class celebration of Columbus Day. When he wrote a new theme song for "Romeo and Juliet" based on studies in Mrs. Yasik’s English class, it was so well-received that his classmates asked him to perform it at their end-of-year Closing Exercises.

In high school, Ryan continued his pursuit of acting and music by taking as many courses offered in the performing arts as he could. He was a member of the Sanford Repertory Theatre Company (SRTC) and a frequent star on the Sanford stage. In fact, Ryan is a member of the elite 10 Show Club. "I left Sanford with a well-rounded music resume that included on-stage opportunities with the jazz band, select choir, large chorus, and SRTC. I had the opportunity to learn from faculty and guest directors who allowed—and encouraged—me to excel."

Ryan went to the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where he focused on musical theater performance and not on musical composition. Ryan's studies centered around acting, dance, and voice. He had very little formal piano training, which did not have an adverse impact on his ability to work professionally as an actor in Philadelphia upon his graduation. He did have to polish his skills as a pianist in 2010 when he was cast in a role as a piano player. Ironically, a local director of a Philadelphia musical company was in the audience and saw Ryan's performance. Based on what he saw and a subsequent interview, Ryan became the musical director of that company, and he has been orchestrating and arranging ever since.

In the past decade, this shift in career focus has led Ryan to be a part of the team that produced "Cher" on Broadway and out-of-town trials in Chicago for "King Kong the Musical." In November 2018, Ryan responded to a Facebook post seeking musicians for the hit show "Beautiful." This enabled Ryan to reconnect with Jason Howland, a director with whom he had worked with in California on the show "Paradise Square." Howland offered Ryan the opportunity to sub in the "Beautiful" pit for the keyboardist, which he did from March 2019 until the show’s closing on October 31, 2019. Ryan recalled: "That was an amazing experience! The time there just flew by, but left me having learned a lot of new things regarding musical theater."