Stan Engebretson,  Artistic Director & Conductor of the Chorale

National Philharmonic Chorale Artistic Director Stan Engebretson has conducted throughout the United States and in Europe, most notably in the Cathedral of St. Mark in Venice, Italy, and in conducting workshops in Cologne and Trier, Germany and St. Moritz, Switzerland. He has studied with great masters of choral music, including Robert Shaw, Gregg Smith, Richard Westenburg, Roger Wagner and Eric Ericson, Conductor Emeritus of the world-renowned Swedish Radio Choir in Stockholm, Sweden.

A native of North Dakota, Engebretson grew up in a musical environment, receiving his early training in the Scandinavian choral tradition. After receiving undergraduate and Master's degrees in Piano and Voice from the University of North Dakota, he earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Conducting from Stanford University. Dr. Engebretson has 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 since 1990, Dr. Engebretson, in addition to his work with the National Philharmonic Chorale, is Professor of Music and Director of Choral Studies at George Mason University, and is the Director of Music at the historic New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. From 1993-2003, he was the Artistic Director of the predecessor to the National Philharmonic Chorale, the Masterworks Chorus and Orchestra, and their semi-professional smaller ensemble, the National Chamber Singers. In addition to these commitments, Dr. Engebretson remains active in other areas, including performances as a professional chorister.   From 1993 to 2000 he served as lecturer for the Carmel Bach Festival from 1993-2000, and since 1998 he has led the Smithsonian Institution’s Study Journeys at the Spoleto-USA Festival of the Arts. In the summer of 2003, Dr. Engebretson appeared at the Europa Cantat in Barcelona, Spain, guiding participants on the presentation and interpretation of American music.