Stephen Neely Appointed Junior Mendelssohn Choir Music Director!
The Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh is pleased to announce that Stephen Neely is joining the staff as the Music Director of the Junior Mendelssohn Choir! Mr. Neely was previously a member of the professional core of the Mendelssohn Choir, as well as a former faculty member of the Junior Mendelssohn. We are delighted to welcome him back to the MCP! Stephen Neely‘s bio can be found on the JMCP Staff & Faculty page.
“What a joy it is to join the staff of the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh!
I first met and sang with The Mendelssohn Choir in the 1980s when I was still in high school. Robert Page brought the members of the core to my high school for a side-by-side rehearsal and choral masterclass and it just knocked my socks off. I loved singing in choirs before that residency, but after meeting and sitting beside all of the members of the core, I was an absolute goner. I ended up attending Carnegie Mellon as a Vocal Performance major, then joining the Mendelssohn core, and I even spent a season as a Jr. Mendelssohn faculty member. I am so thankful to Robert Page and the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh for the years of music excellence I was permitted to share in.
My musical journey has afforded me so many wonderful collaborations. I currently hold faculty positions at Carnegie Mellon, where I have taught every undergraduate music major since 1999, and CAPA High School, where I direct the operas, teach Eurhythmics, and have conducted multiple choirs. In addition to my years with the Mendelssohn Choir, I have performed in more than 50 mainstage operas as a soloist, chorister, chorus master, or conductor, and now I have the chance to collaborate with the best high school singers from around the region.
I am so pleased to be joining the Jr. Mendelssohn as Music Director. I owe a debt of gratitude to the founding directors Robert Page and Christine Jordanoff as well as past Music Directors, Christine Hestwood, Susan Medley, and Maria Sensi Sellner for continuing the artistic excellence and bringing the ensemble to such a strong position in the arts community. I have to say though, I am mostly excited to meet the high school singers that will be joining the choir in the new season. We have our work cut out for us. I think it is going to be great.”