Zachary AldanaConductor

Choral Conductor & Director of Music

Conducting

More than a decade on the podium — from intimate church choirs to a 200-voice festival chorus — across sacred, classical, jazz, and contemporary repertoire.

FeaturedHow Lovely Is Thy Dwelling PlaceJohannes Brahms — from “Ein deutsches Requiem”

01 — Most recent

Rose City Park Presbyterian Church

Director of Music · Northeast Portland, Oregon

Two hours of rehearsal a week, then new music in front of the congregation each Sunday — a schedule that puts a real premium on planning and pace. To carry the choir between services, I built and ran an online portal with per-part practice tracks, Zoom-accessible rehearsals, and shared materials.

What I admire most is how the singers used it. Adults with full work weeks, kids juggling school, retired professionals — everyone arrived ready, week after week, no matter how the rest of their days had gone.

Here I Am, Lordarr. Anna Laura Page
Bright Morning StarsJay Althouse
Don’t CryKirk Franklin
You Are the New DayJohn David, arr. Peter Knight
The Lord Is MindfulEmma Lou Diemer
E’vry Time I Feel the SpiritWilliam Dawson
AlleluiaRandall Thompson
Watchman, Tell Us of the NightProcessional hymn
Wana Barakaarr. Zachary Aldana
Music Sunday 2025Full service
Rehearsal50 minutes · mixed repertoire

02 — 2011–2012

Loyola Academy

All-Male A Cappella Ensemble · Wilmette, Illinois

In 2011 I revitalized and rebranded the all-male a cappella ensemble at Loyola Academy, building a program that ranged from classical and jazz to modern contemporary. At the Illinois Music Education Association Solo & Ensemble Contest, the group earned a Division I ranking — the highest awarded.

The Lord Bless You and Keep YouPeter C. Lutkin · 200-voice mixed choir

In 2012 I had the privilege of leading a 200-voice mixed choir in Peter C. Lutkin’s benediction, The Lord Bless You and Keep You — a setting whose final, fading sevenfold “Amen” is among the most demanding tests of choral blend and control.

Artsa AlinuNina Gilbert
I Have Had SingingRon Jeffers
Come Fly With Mearr. Kevin Keller
NBC News ChicagoFeature segment

03 — 2012–2014

University of California, Irvine

Choral Program · with Prof. Emeritus Joseph Huszti

Across two years with UC Irvine’s Choral Program I directed a mixed chamber ensemble, a 100-voice beginners’ mixed choir, and a beginners’ men’s ensemble. In the men’s group, many singers spoke English as a second language — which turned the work of setting and shaping text into an exceptional shared learning experience.

Circle ChantUCI Men’s Choir

04 — Studio & ongoing

Studio Choral Production

Arranging · Recording · Engineering

My ongoing work aims at choral recordings of the studio caliber of ensembles like Chanticleer and The King’s Singers — capturing the authenticity of a live performance, and the subtler elements of overtone and dynamic, inside an intimate recording session.

Ain-a That Good News!William Dawson
Orphan ChildTraditional Cherokee folk song, arr. Zachary Aldana