Brian von Rueden originally hails from Wausau, Wisconsin. He earned his Master of Music degree from Roosevelt University and his Bachelor of Music degree from Valparaiso University. Mr. von Rueden has appeared in various opera roles, including Count Almaviva in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, Louis in Holst's The Wandering Scholar, Melibeo in the U.S. premiere of Cimarosa's L'infedeltà fedele, and Tarquinius in Britten's The Rape of Lucretia, all with Chicago's Millennium Chamber Players. He has also been seen in recent productions of The Love for Three Oranges, The Mikado, The Impresario, The Scarf, and The Face on the Barroom Floor. While living in Dresden, Germany, he sang in the chorus of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden and presented recitals with Christoph Heinig of the Semperoper at the Pianosalon Dresden and Schloss Siebeneichen in Meissen. Mr. von Rueden has also made a name for himself in concert repertoire, having sung the bass solos in Saint-Saëns' Christmas Oratorio, the Lutheran Masses of J.S. Bach, and several cantatas of Buxtehude and Bach, most notably with the renowned early music group Ars Musica Chicago. His teachers have included Richard Stilwell, Ralph Klapis, Monika Lerez, Rändel Wolfe, and Barbara Lattimer. He currently studies with countertenor Mark Crayton.