Stan Engebretson

• Choral Tour (June 29–July 5, 2024)

Stan Engebretson served as the Artistic Director and conductor of the National Philharmonic Chorale from 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.

A Midwest native, Engebretson began his early training singing in the Scandinavian choral tradition. He earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Piano and Voice from the University of North Dakota, and then went on for his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Conducting from Stanford University. He held faculty positions within the University of Texas system and at the University of Minnesota. In addition, he served as the Artistic Director of the Midland-Odessa Symphony Chorale and was the Associate Conductor of the Minnesota Chorale.

In Washington, DC Dr. Engebretson was a professor of music at George Mason University for three decades. He is the Director of Music at the historic New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. Beginning in 1992, Engebretson lectured for the Smithsonian Institution including the Bach Festival in Carmel, CA; the Aspen Music Festival in Aspen, CO; and the Spoleto-USA Festival in Charleston, SC. In 2009, he served as a Fulbright Senior Scholar to Iceland. Abroad in recent seasons he performed in Europa Cantat and AMJ (Arbeitskreis Musik in der Jugend) events plus others in Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Russia, Lithuania, Estonia, Ireland, Iceland, Switzerland, China, South Korea, and Australia. In 2018, he co-edited a new book for Carus publishers, “Hallelujah! Spirituals and Gospels for European Choirs.” He recently received the J. Reilly Lewis Ovation award for Outstanding Contributions to Choral Music. Presented by Choralis, this prestigious honor marks his many years of choral leadership in the Metropolitan Washington, DC area. 2024 will find him in France, where he will be directing the choruses of the American Church in Paris.