Seth Velez
Conductor
Seth Velez is an accomplished bass-baritone, music educator, and conductor.
As a singer, Seth has extensive choral performance experience touring in the United States and Internationally. He has competed in international competitions in Wales, France, and Germany, has headlined international choral festivals in Sardinia, Italy, and has sung mass by invitation at St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome, Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin. In the US, Seth has been a featured performer at conferences for both the National Collegiate Choir Organization and American Choral Directors Association. Seth’s solo background encompasses both Classical and Musical Theatre styles, and he has been a featured soloist at the 2015 NCCO Conference, tours of the western U.S., and a tour to South Korea. Most recently, Seth competed as a finalist in the 2023 “Voice of Musical Theatre” competition in Llangollen, Wales.
Seth’s conducting portfolio includes over 6 years of podium experience with collegiate, community, and professional ensembles. He currently serves as assistant conductor to Dr. Malcolm J. Merriweather with Dessoff Choirs and as faculty assistant conductor to Dr. Heather Buchanan with the Montclair State University Chorale. Previously, Seth has served as assistant conductor to Drs. John Warren, José “Peppie” Calvar, and Wendy Moy at Syracuse University and has conducted and assisted rehearsals for the Sterling Ensemble, Ensoma Creative, and the California Children’s Choir.
Seth has over 9 years of experience as a music educator of high school, collegiate, and private students, having held positions with the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus, Syracuse University, and Azusa Pacific University teaching sight-singing, aural skills, music theory, and conducting. Alongside his current teaching position at Brooklyn Youth Chorus, Seth has a flourishing private voice studio in which he serves clients of all ages and ability levels. Seth’s research interests primarily focus on the flexibility and versatility of the human voice, with recent presentations on the differences in vocal production and technique necessary to seamlessly move between solo classical, choral, and musical theatre vocal styles.
Seth holds both a Master of Music in Choral Conducting and a Master of Music in Voice Pedagogy from Syracuse University and holds a Bachelor of Music with an emphasis in French Horn from Azusa Pacific University. He is an inducted member of Pi Kappa Lambda and holds active memberships with the American Choral Directors Association, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and the College Music Society.