Simon Music Center, C175
Biography
Chris Albanese is Pam and Jack Burks Associate Professor of Choral Conducting at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he conducts the Grammy-nominated Singing Hoosiers and teaches courses in choral conducting.
Under his direction, the Singing Hoosiers were invited to perform at both the 2021 and 2025 National Conference of the American Choral Directors Association. He has led and prepared the ensemble for collaborations with notable guests including Sylvia McNair and Sandi Patty.
Before Indiana, Albanese was a member of the Grammy Award-winning ensemble Chanticleer. With the ensemble, he performed across the United States and abroad, including at the Los Angeles Disney Concert Hall, Vienna Musikverein, Prague Rudolfinum, Paris Oratorie du Louvre, and St. Petersburg Mariinsky Theater. His performances were broadcast by public radio affiliates in Minneapolis, New York, Seattle, Denver, and Cincinnati, and he appeared with Chanticleer as a featured guest on the Hallmark Network’s Home and Family. He maintains an active career as a concert soloist and recitalist.
Albanese also serves as music director of the Akron Symphony Chorus. He has prepared the chorus to critical acclaim for collaborations with the symphony, most recently for performances of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Mozart’s Mass in C Minor, Haydn’s The Creation, Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem, and the world premiere of Julia Perry’s Frammenti dale lettere di Santa Caterina.
An active performer, Albanese’s solo credits include performances with the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Akron Symphony Orchestra, Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, Dayton Opera, Cincinnati Bach Festival, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Bloomington Early Music Festival, Ars Musica Chicago, and the Castleton Festival under the baton of Lorin Maazel.
Albanese is in demand as a clinician, guest conductor, and adjudicator, presenting workshops across the United States and abroad. He is frequently engaged to speak on the topic of vocal production and resonance building in the choral setting. In recognition of his excellence in teaching, he was awarded Indiana University’s Trustees Teaching Award during the 2021-22 academic year.
Albanese earned a B.M. in Music Education and Vocal Performance from the University of Dayton, an M.M. in Vocal Performance from Northwestern University, and a D.M.A. in Choral Conducting from the University of Cincinnati College–Conservatory of Music. His research centered on the double choir masses of Juan Gutierrez de Padilla.