Stan Engebretson has served as the Artistic Director of the National Philharmonic Chorale since its inception. In addition to the Chorale at Strathmore, Engebretson has appeared on concert stages throughout the United States and in Europe, Asia, and Australia. He has studied with great masters of choral music including Robert Shaw, Gregg Smith, Roger Wagner and Eric Ericson, Conductor Emeritus of the world-renowned Swedish Radio Choir in Stockholm, Sweden.
Engebretson earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Piano and Voice from the University of North Dakota, and his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Conducting from Stanford. He has held faculty positions within the University of Texas system and at the University of Minnesota, and has served as the Artistic Director of the Midland-Odessa Symphony Chorale and Associate Conductor of the Minnesota Chorale. In Washington, DC since 1990, Dr. Engebretson is a professor of music at George Mason University and Director of Music at the historic New York Avenue Presbyterian Church.
This past year, Stan received the J. Reilly Lewis Ovation award for Outstanding Contributions to Choral Music. Presented by Choralis, this prestigious honor marks his almost three decades of choral leadership in the Metropolitan Washington, DC area.
Professor Sano is the Harold C. Schmidt Director of Choral Studies and Rachford & Carlota A. Harris University Fellow in Undergraduate Education
The Director of the Chamber Chorale and Symphonic Chorus, Dr. Sano is a nationally and internationally invited master class teacher in conducting and choral music, guest conductor and adjudicator in choral music. He has conducted master classes and performances with festival, honor, and collegiate choirs, orchestras, and other instrumental ensembles from over 20 states as well as from England, Germany, Austria, Australia, Canada, and Japan. Sano also serves as Affiliate Faculty in Asian American Studies and Center for East Asian Studies.
A native of Palo Alto, California, Dr. Sano holds Master’s and Doctoral degrees in both orchestral and choral conducting from Stanford, and a Bachelor’s degree in piano performance and theory from San José State University. He has studied at Tanglewood Music Center and with Mitchell Sardou Klein, William Ramsey, Aiko Onishi, Alfred Kanwischer, Fernando Valenti, and Ozzie Kotani.
