Sean Ritenauer
Sean Ritenauer is a versatile and accomplished percussionist based in New York City, and the co-founder and artistic leader of Rocket City New Music. While maintain a robust performing career, Sean launched Rocket City New Music in 2021, and has worked to establish Huntsville, Alabama as a meeting place for contemporary music. His vision and leadership have shaped the organization’s bold programming and its collaborations with acclaimed composers and performers from across the country.
A highly sought-after performer, Ritenauer has contributed to award-winning film and television scores including Barbie, Moonrise Kingdom, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Only Murders In The Building!. On Broadway, he has held percussion chairs for Hair, Pippin, Something Rotten!, and Sweeney Todd, and will appear this fall in Ragtime at the Vivian Beaumont Theater.
Ritenauer has served as Principal Percussionist of the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra since 2016 (joined in 2005) and appears regularly with the New York Philharmonic and National Symphony Orchestra, with whom he has toured internationally. He has been featured as a concerto soloist with the HSO in works by Jennifer Higdon, Andy Akiho, and Gregory Vajda.
A committed educator, Ritenauer is Adjunct Assistant Professor of Percussion at Hofstra University and serves on the faculty of The Juilliard School’s Music Advancement Program. His students have been accepted to top conservatories including Juilliard, Eastman, and NEC.
Sean Ritenauer
Do-it-all percussionist Sean Ritenauer’s multi-genre fluency has led to an all-encompassing performance career. Particular highlights include on Broadway (Something Rotten!, Pippin), television and film (The Marvelous Ms. Maisel, Moonrise Kingdom, A Dog’s Purpose), on tour with the New York Philharmonic, and even playing congas with Aretha Franklin. In performance, Ritenauer has been hailed for “mesmerizing dexterity” in a performance of Jennifer Higdon’s Percussion Concerto that earned “an immediate standing ovation” (The Huntsville Times). The Ohio native was named Principal Percussion of the Huntsville Symphony (AL) in 2016, and is the Percussion Instructor at Hofstra University, where he directs the Hofstra Percussion Ensemble. Alumni of his private studio in Manhattan have been admitted to the country’s top music programs, including Juilliard, Eastman, and the New England Conservatory.
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