We’ve been hard at work in the search for our new Artistic Director, and after a nationwide search and a fall concert series showcasing our three finalists, we are thrilled to announce that the new Artistic Director of Tulsa Chorale is Dr. Zachary Malavolti!
Dr. Malavolti brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and community connections to our organization. He has a long-standing relationship with Tulsa Chorale, first as an undergraduate intern, and later as the chorale’s first Assistant Artistic Director. His love of choral music will be evident as he takes on the role of the fourth Artistic Director in our thirty-year history.
Join us in welcoming Dr. Malavolti, and stay tuned for details on our spring concerts coming soon. We are excited for what’s to come and can’t wait to share it with you!
Zachary Malavolti is a conductor, composer, and musical clinician originally from Tulsa. Dr. Malavolti has conducted and prepared musicians throughout Oklahoma in performances with the Tulsa Symphony, OKC Philharmonic, OK Mozart Festival, The University of Oklahoma, and The University of Tulsa. He is presently the Artistic Director of the Bartlesville Chorale.
Dr. Malavolti is also the Associate Director of Music and Composer-In-Residence at Saint John’s Episcopal Church in Tulsa where he directs the parish choir, youth choristers, and their professional chamber choir. The church proudly offers a professional Choral Evensong every Sunday. Next year, this ensemble will offer the complete cycle of the evening musical services of Herbert Howells.
Before returning to Oklahoma, Dr. Malavolti was the Assistant Conductor of The Collegiate Chorale in New York City where he assisted in preparing the symphonic chorus for performances around the world with esteemed conductors such as Riccardo Muti, Zubin Mehta, Charles Dutoit, and Alan Gilbert. At this time, he was also the Conductor-In-Residence of the MUSET Homeschool Orchestra in Kingston, New York.
Dr. Malavolti is a graduate of The University of Tulsa (BM) where he was a prize-winning composition student under Joseph Rivers and Roger Price. At the Bard Conservatory of Music (MM), he studied both choral and orchestral conducting with James Bagwell and Harold Farberman. He completed his doctorate at The University of Oklahoma (DMA) under the supervision of Richard Zielinski and David Howard. His research is on colonial American choral music and its later use by the twentieth-century American composer Henry Cowell.
“There is an excellent quote on the vocation of teaching that I often come back to. I have adapted it here to fit my own work as a conductor.
“The joy of conducting lies not in one’s own enthusiasm for musicians and audiences, or even for the actual music played, but rather for the privilege of introducing the one to the other.”
I find the greatest satisfaction when another person is energized by exposure to great art. The choral arts are extremely special because, as the esteemed conductor Robert Shaw said, “here we can meet the greatest creative musical minds, together, without first training for twenty years in a practice room.” I believe choral music is a great way for many people to experience great art. I believe all my work, at its foundation, is to facilitate this as Artistic Director of Tulsa Chorale.”
-Dr. Zachary Malavolti