Master Chorale of South Florida

Jeffrey Stern Jeffrey S. Stern is a third year doctoral student and teaching assistant at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music. There he studies choral conducting with Joshua Habermann and conducts the university men's chorus, Maelstrom. In the fall semester, Stern will also take on the role of Senior Teaching Assistant for the choral program under the new leadership of Karen Kennedy and teach undergraduate courses in choral conducting.

A native of Long Island, New York, Jeff earned his Master of Music degree at the University of Minnesota in 2009, studying with Kathy Romey and Matthew Mehaffey. While in the Twin Cities, Jeff sang with VocalEssence and served as Assistant Conductor of the Oratorio Society of Minnesota. He graduated summa cum laude from The George Washington University in 2005, earning a Bachelor of Arts in both Music and Political Science. There he performed with the Chamber Choir and University Singers in venues throughout the Washington, DC area, and on concert tours to Romania, Bulgaria, Argentina, and Uruguay.

This summer, Jeff pursued his dissertation research on William Schuman's one-act opera, The Mighty Casey, for which he was awarded the prestigious Theodore Presser Award. Past summer enrichment and experience includes studies of the Bach B Minor Mass with Helmuth Rilling as a member of the Oregon Bach Festival's Conducting Masterclass (2010), along with two years as Associate Conductor of the College Light Opera Company in Falmouth, MA (2008-2009). In this capacity, Jeff prepared the repertory company on nine full-scale theatrical productions each season. Jeff completed his tenure as Assistant Conductor of the Miami Symphony Orchestra in May, 2011.