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More About Maxine Linehan and Accompanist Ryan Shirar

Maxine Linehan is an Irish-born singer, writer, producer, and actress whose work lives at the intersection of music, storytelling, and emotional truth. An acclaimed interpretive artist, she reimagines iconic songbooks through deeply personal, theatrical concert experiences that invite audiences inside the lyrics, and inside themselves. Known for her sensually emotive vocals and fearless storytelling, Linehan fuses autobiographical narrative with curated musical worlds, creating immersive performances that explore identity, resilience, and human connection. Her repertoire is refreshingly eclectic, spanning the songbooks of U2, Petula Clark, Broadway, and now Andrew Lloyd Webber, whose music she approaches with both reverence and emotional daring. Linehan has performed to sold-out audiences at world renowned venues including Lincoln Center and Paris’s Théâtre du Châtelet, earning high praise from The New York Times, Billboard, USA Today, and The Huffington Post. Based in Southern Vermont, Linehan continues to write, record, and tour internationally while building bold, story-driven concert works that honor beloved music and make it feel entirely new.

Ryan Shirar is a New York and Miami-based conductor and music director who is also an accomplished pianist and orchestrator. Trained classically, he is diversely capable in styles ranging from masterworks to pop to Broadway.  Shirar is currently the music director of the concerts The Four Phantoms, featuring four of Broadway’s Phantoms of the Opera, and Good Witch/Bad Witch, featuring Broadway’s Elphabas and Glindas.  He has performed globally at venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Aspen Music Festival, Theatre du Chatelet (Paris), New York’s Town Hall, and 54 Below and has conducted or concertized with orchestras including Signature Symphony, Plymouth Philharmonic, Austin Symphony, Lexington Philharmonic, West Virginia Symphony, Columbus Symphony, and Cleveland Pops.  He also performs with Manhattan Concert Productions, which holds residencies in New York City every spring culminating in choral and orchestral performances at Carnegie Hall.  

One of Shirar’s interests is in the development of new works in classical, pop, and theatrical genres.  Last year, he was conductor for the premiere of the opera Death of the Mouse at New York’s DiMenna Center. He is orchestrator for The American Pops Orchestra, and through APO, has written for the PBS series, One Voice: The Songs We Sing.  As an arranger and orchestrator, Shirar has collaborated directly with Stephen Schwartz, Jerry Herman, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Mandy Gonzalez, Christopher Jackson, Sheena Easton, MercyMe, the MUNY, Spot-On Productions, the Cincinnati Pops, and the Boston Pops.  Currently, he is orchestrator for The Voice of Whitney: A Symphonic Celebration with reimagined versions of Whitney Houston classics and a pending album.  He is delighted to have worked with Maxine for over a decade.

Shirar received his Bachelors of Arts in Mathematics and Music from the University of Kentucky and his Masters in Orchestral Conducting from Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music.