Summer hit a high note for Aaron Rueter ’25 when he stepped onto the stage of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center with his hometown ensemble – the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Rueter, a tenor, joined an international roster of vocalists alongside Albany Pro Musica, the Capital Region’s preeminent choral ensemble, in a performance of Carl Orff’s iconic Carmina Burana cantata.
“I had seen the Philadelphia Orchestra in person many times, so being able to perform with not only one of the top orchestras in the country, but one with personal significance to me was incredible,” said Rueter, a mechanical engineering major from the Philadelphia suburb of Plymouth Meeting, Pa.
“I never expected to be able to perform with such a prestigious group before coming to Union.”
Maestro Fabio Luisi, music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and principal conductor of the Danish Radio National Symphony Orchestra, conducted before an audience of nearly 5,000 in early August.
Rueter is the son of Michael Rueter, an engineer, and Julie Stone ’86, a scientific associate vice president at Merck & Co., where she conducts research relating to drug development. His brother, Matthew Rueter ’21, also studied mechanical engineering at Union.
Aaron Rueter '25 and his former professor, Shou Ping Liu
Aaron Rueter was the only college student among some 100 professional singers at the SPAC performance. His appearance marked the culmination of years of work with Shou Ping Liu, the former Music Department faculty member who has worked with him since his first year at Union. Liu now teaches at Connecticut College.
Rueter spoke of the complexity of singing Carmina Burana.
“Learning the words and pronunciations as well as many different rhythmic sections with such a limited number of rehearsals presented quite the challenge,” he said.
It wasn’t Rueter’s first time in the professional limelight. In spring 2023, he and other members of the Union College Chamber Singers joined Albany Pro Musica and Albany Symphony Orchestra in performances of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at Troy Music Hall.
That performance made a strong impression on APM Maestro José Daniel Flores-Caraballo, who subsequently asked Liu to prepare Rueter to sing with the Philadelphia Orchestra.
“It was an unforgettable experience being able to sing with Aaron on stage with the orchestra in front of such a large audience,” said Liu.
In addition to performing at SPAC and Troy Music Hall, Rueter performed with the choir at Carnegie Hall in New York City and in Washington, D.C. his first year at Union. And while a main reason he chose Union was for the strong arts and music programs that exist along with his mechanical engineering major, “I was still surprised by the opportunities that presented themselves. Most other schools that offer engineering don’t have anything on the level of what I’ve found at Union,” he said.
In addition to the campus music groups he is part of, Rueter is a member of the SAE Aero Team and the Ceramics Club. This year, he is looking forward to further involvement in these groups, working on his senior thesis (involving water striders, robotics and aerogels) with Professor William Keat, and completing a music minor.
“I’m excited to again work with Professor Dianne McMullen in the Early Music Ensemble and with Professor Jin Byun, our choral and orchestra conductor,” he said. “I’m proud of everything I’ve been able to do and accomplish at Union.”