Choral Conducting

Preparing You For A Professional Life In Conducting

Led by Dr. Mariana Farah and Dr. Bert Pinsonneault, the graduate choral conducting program at UW–Madison offers comprehensive studies in choral conducting, literature, and pedagogy, and prepares students for the challenges of professional life in choral music. Our select graduate choral conducting program gives individual attention to each student with small conducting seminars, intensive choral literature courses, and a large amount of podium time.

Graduate students sing and assist with Concert Choir and Chorale and co-conduct our large auditioned Treble Choir and our non-auditioned mixed group, University Chorus. In addition, all graduate conductors receive training and are involved in the preparation of major choral orchestral works performed annually with the UW-Madison Symphony Orchestra.

UW–Madison choral conducting students are afforded several opportunities to learn from leaders in the choral art from around the country. Workshops and masterclasses have been given by visiting artists, including Rick Bjella (Professor Emeritus, Texas Tech University), Ben Spalding (Spire Chamber Choir), Maggie Burk (Director of Choral Activities, Carthage College), Dr. Paul Crabb (Professor Emeritus, University of Missouri), Brandon Boyd (Director of Choral Studies, University of Missouri).

Teaching Assistantships and Fellowships are available to MM and DMA students on a competitive basis.

Degrees offered

Master of Music (M.M.)

Admissions

Please see the graduate admissions page for detailed information on application and audition requirements. When filling out the Graduate School application, be sure to apply for MM: Music Performance.

Please note that auditions will be held on special days reserved by the Conducting faculty (not on the general graduate audition days).

Degree Requirements

See your degree worksheet below for details. This is the document your advisor will use to keep track of your degree progress.

M.M. Choral Conducting

For detailed information on exams, recitals, etc., please visit the graduate admissions page. Be sure to check out the School of Music Graduate Student Handbook.

Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.)

Admissions

Please note that auditions will be held on special days reserved by the Conducting faculty (not on the general graduate audition days).

Degree Requirements

See your degree worksheet below for details. This is the document your advisor will use to keep track of your degree progress.

D.M.A. Choral Conducting

For detailed information on exams, recitals, etc., please visit the graduate admissions page. Be sure to check out the School of Music Graduate Student Handbook.

Doctoral Minor – Required for all Doctoral programs

The purpose of the doctoral minor is to add breadth and depth to the D.M.A or Ph.D degree. To insure coherence a minor program must be approved by the appropriate department, a student’s advisor, or the Director of Graduate Studies, and must include courses at the 300-level or above. Typically, a minor requires 12 credits of work.

Students have a variety of options, including completing an internal minor within the School of Music (e.g., a D.M.A. conducting student who minors in ethnomusicology or a Ph.D. in music theory who minors in clarinet performance), completing a minor in a department outside the School of Music (e.g., a D.M.A. in horn performance who minors in Women’s Studies or a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology who minors in East Asian studies).

Students may, in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies, devise a distributed minor that brings together courses from a variety of departments around a particular topic or area of interest. For example, a D.M.A. student in voice devises a minor in vocal health that includes courses in communicative disorders, or a Ph.D. student in musicology devises a minor in Medieval History that includes courses in art history, history, and languages.

Current Choral Graduate Students

Monica Bertrand

Monica Bertrand is a conductor from the Chicago Suburbs. She holds an M.M. in Choral Conducting from Simpson College, an M.M. in Music Education from Western Illinois University, and a B.A. in Music Education from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. Monica taught high school for 11 years in Illinois at St. Charles East High School, Plainfield North High School, and Zion-Benton Township High School. She also served as associate conductor for Anima Young Singers in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Monica is the founder and artistic director of the philanthropic women’s chorus “Giving Voices Collective,” that raises funds for causes that affect women. Active within her profession, Monica served as the Illinois Music Education Association District 9 vocal jazz co-representative. She is a dedicated member of the American Choral Directors Association, where she held the position of Senior High School Choir and Repertoire specific chair and the Podium editor on the Illinois board. In 2022, Monica was honored with the IL-ACDA Outstanding Young Choral Directors Award. She is currently pursuing a Choral Conducting DMA Degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Mary Brandenstein

Mary Brandenstein completed her Masters in Choral Conducting from the University of Oregon in June 2023, under the mentorship of Dr. Sharon Paul. During her 2-year program, Mary conducted the Repertoire Singers, organized an independent student ensemble, and held numerous church choir positions. Before pursuing her Masters degree, Mary taught high school for two years in Hillsboro, Oregon and before that, middle school in Salem Keizer, Oregon for four years. While teaching, she managed the middle and high school Oregon All State choirs and served as program assistant for the Oregon Bach Festival’s Stangeland Family Youth Choral Academy. She received her Bachelor of Music Education from Millikin University. Mary is thrilled to embark on the next chapter of her musical journey in the Fall of 2023 as she begins her Doctoral studies in Choral Conducting at UW–Madison.

Liz Olson

Liz Olson is a conductor, educator, and arranger from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She has earned degrees from the University of South Carolina (BM Music Theory) and the University of Colorado Boulder (MM Choral Conducting). While in Boulder, she was the Music Director at Niwot United Methodist Church and the Director of the medical student and faculty chorus at the University of Colorado Anschutz. Upon graduation from the University of Colorado, Olson returned to South Carolina, teaching various levels of high school Chorus and IB Music. She is currently pursuing a Choral Conducting DMA Degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Kyle Sackett

Kyle Sackett, baritone, is a DMA student in voice performance with a doctoral minor in choral conducting. Before coming to Madison, Kyle worked extensively both teaching and performing in Chicago. He holds the M.M. in voice and opera performance from Northwestern University and the B.M. in music education from SUNY Fredonia.

Sam Speer

Sam Speer is a DMA student in choral conducting at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A native of the Rockies, he earned his M.M. and B.M. at Brigham Young University, where he conducted the University Chorale and taught conducting and sight-singing. Sam also sang baritone with the Madeleine Cathedral Choir in Salt Lake and was Company Manager for the Santa Fe Desert Chorale.

Kuo-Chen (Jennifer) Yu

Born in Taipei, Taiwan, Kuo-Chen Yu completed her degree in voice from the National Taiwan Normal University in June 2023. She is excited to move to the United States in the Fall to pursue her MM in choral conducting from UW–Madison. Kuo-Chen began her study of conducting at the age of 19. She also sang with the Formosa Singers, a choir that is often selected to perform at the American Choral Directors Association Convention. She is a well-rounded musician, acting not only as a singer and conductor, but also as a choral accompanist. In 2021, Kuo-Chen founded the community choir, Glaßingers. She remains their conductor and artistic director.

Mead Witter School of Music