Jason Tramm

Jason Chris Tramm (born December 29, 1974) is an American music conductor and Director of Choral Activities at Seton Hall University.

He currently holds the position of artistic director and Principal Conductor at MidAtlantic Opera, where he debuted at Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium in 2015, with a program titled A Prayer for Peace.

He also currently resides as the executive director of the Light Opera of New Jersey, the music director of the Putnam Chorale, and music director of the Taghkanic Chorale

His performance repertoire, featuring compositions by Bernstein, Vaughan Williams, and Saygun, received standing ovation, prompting plans for two annual performances at Carnegie Hall.

Previously, he served as the artistic director of the New Jersey State Opera from 2008 to 2012, collaborating with opera voices such as Samuel Ramey, Vladimir Galouzine, and Angela Brown.

His work with the opera garnered regional Emmy Award recognition for the 2009 HDTV broadcast of "Verdi Requiem: Live from Ocean Grove" on PBS affiliate NJN.

Early life and music education
Tramm was born on December 29, 1974, to Joan Anne Tramm (née Weininger) and John Carl Tramm in Nanuet, New York. His passion for music manifested at a young age when he sang as a soprano soloist at Saint Thomas Church in West Nyack, NY. Tramm's musical training encompassed various instruments, including voice, piano, and viola.

He pursued his formal music education at the Crane School and the Hartt School, earning degrees in music. Tramm furthered his studies in conducting, obtaining a doctoral degree from Rutgers University, where he was honored with the Presidential Fellowship.

Music career
Tramm's career extends to opera, symphonies, and choral masterworks, with performances taking place in Albania, Italy, Romania, Hungary and across the United States.

During the summer months since 2008, Tramm has held the position of Director of Music in Residence at the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, he oversees choral, orchestral, and oratorio performances at the historic Great Auditorium (Ocean Grove, NJ), including the renowned Ocean Grove Choir Festival. He has also frequently conducted on the Summer Stars Classical Music Series, where he has collaborated with Gordon Turk, Organist. Tramm has appeared on two National Public Radio broadcasts with organist Gordon Turk and a large orchestra.

Tramm has directed Coro Lirico, the 60-voice amateur chorus based in Morris County, for four years.

He curated a program at Seton Hall University to pay homage to his mentor, the late Alfredo Silipigni, a renowned conductor who had previously graced the Seton Hall stage. The event featured a new generation of opera talents participating in the Grand Finals Concert of the Alfredo Silipigni International Vocal Competition at the Jubilee Auditorium.

Additionally, Tramm led the University Chamber Choir in a performance at the annual Evening of Roses fundraiser for the Sister Rose Thering Fund for Education in Jewish-Christian Studies.

In 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic's disruption of live events, Tramm, along with his son Quinton Tramm, initiated the YouTube podcast Music Matters with Jason Tramm.

In September, 2023 Tramm and pianist Kariné Poghosyan conducted the MidAtlantic Philharmonic Orchestra in a performance of Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 18 and the Piano Concerto in D-flat Major, Op.38 of Aram Khachaturian in honor of their births. This performance took place at the St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral in Manhattan, NY

Tramm is known for his work at New Jersey State Opera, in 2006, mentored by Alfredo Silipigni. He assumed leadership of the company in 2008.

During his time he orchestrate the staging of Porgy and Bess at Newark Symphony Hall. Recognizing the need to broaden the opera's audience base, Tramm strategically chose "Porgy and Bess" for its universal themes and crossover appeal.

Pedagogy
In addition to his conducting roles, Tramm is an accomplished educator and mentor, serving as Director of Choral and Orchestral Activities at Seton Hall University since 2011. He was named the 2017 University Faculty Teacher of the Year

In 2003, he received the Rising Star Award from the SUNY Potsdam Alumni Association, joining artists like Renee Fleming and Stephanie Blythe. He has conducted operatic and symphonic performances across Europe, including Italy, Romania, Albania, and Hungary, where he recorded an album of rare French operatic arias with the Szeged Symphony.

Tramm's performances have received critical acclaim from Symphony Magazine, which named him "Conductor to Watch," and the Huffington Post, which described him as filled with Italianate passion.