Steve Staruch

Steve Staruch began piano lessons with his Mom in his home town of Butler PA as a young child. He first studied viola in grade school. From Oberlin College (OH) he obtained a B.M. in Viola Performance and a B.A. in History. Further education took him to the Eastman School in Rochester NY where he trained with Martha Katz and earned a M.M. in Viola Performance. He has been active as a freelance musician since moving to the Twin Cities in 1990.

As a violist Steve has studied with Marilyn McDonald, David Douglas and Marc Destrube. He has been a member of The Lyra Baroque Orchestra (MN) since 1993. He has participated in the Vancouver (BC Canada) Early Music Festival and the Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute. He has performed with the Buffalo (NY) Philharmonic, the Rochester (NY) Philharmonic and the Rochester (MN) Symphony.

Showing his versatility, Steve was a member of the tenor section in the Dale Warland Singers for eight seasons. He is a recorded soloist with the group. He has sung with the Minnesota Opera Chorus and the Oregon Bach Festival. He has also been a section leader/soloist in several metro area churches.

Mr. Staruch was an announcer/producer for Classical 89.3 WCAL for fourteen years. There he created and developed popular programs such as Favorites on Fridays, Best New Classics, Drivetime Classics and Evening Song. He was host of the admired Top of the Day program from 1999-2004. Now an employee at Minnesota Public Radio, Staruch is the classical music host from 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm Monday through Friday on KSJN 99.5 FM.

Steve and his wife, Naomi, have hosted two travel adventures under the auspices of the Center for Lifelong Learning. ADVENT IN GERMANY (2004) included experiences in opera, ballet,  oratorio and Christmas markets. Wagner's epic THE RING CYCLE (2001) was an innovative (sold-out) Seattle Opera production. They live in Minneapolis on their oasis of calm in the city.