Sarteano Choral Workshop

The Sarteano Choral Workshop—originally founded as the Sarteano Chamber Choral Conducting Workshop—was established in 2004 by Brian O’Connell and Gail Leicher. Over the past 22 summers, more than 1,000 choral musicians from 40 countries have gathered in Sarteano, a beautiful Tuscan hill town known for its warmth and strong sense of community. Through rehearsals, performances, study, and shared experiences, participants have developed enduring musical and personal connections. We invite you to become part of the Sarteano Choral Workshop family.

The Workshop welcomes participants from across the choral spectrum, including music educators; undergraduate and graduate students; community chorus singers and directors; and conductors serving schools, universities, and religious institutions. Participants work in a supportive, focused environment dedicated to the thoughtful study, rehearsal, and performance of choral music at a high artistic level. It is also a place to renew your enthusiasm, strengthen your musicianship, and rediscover what first drew you to choral music.

Today, under the artistic leadership of Tony Thornton, the Workshop continues the tradition established by its founders. Many alumni describe their time in Sarteano as a formative step in their development as conductors, educators, and singers. Student alumni are regularly selected for ACDA student conducting masterclasses and pursue advanced degrees in choral conducting and vocal performance at leading universities and conservatories. Former participants now hold prominent academic, professional, and community choral positions around the world, while others continue to enrich ensembles in their own communities through their lifelong commitment to singing.

Workshop alumni include Mark Anthony Carpio of the Philippine Madrigal Singers; American composer and conductor Joan Szymko; Anthony Blake Clark of the Dallas Symphony Chorus and Baltimore Choral Arts Society; Sarah Blythe Shapiro, 2025 winner of The American Prize’s Dale Warland Award in Conducting in the college/university division; Cameron LaBarr and Erin Plisco of Missouri State University; Caron Daley of Duquesne University; Jurica Petar Petrač of the Oratorio Choir of St. Mark’s Church in Croatia; Timothy Shantz of the University of Alberta in Canada; Alexander Naji of Kantorei Tokyo Yokohama in Japan; Cheryll Chung of the Cantabile Chamber Singers in Canada; Justyna Chełmińska of the Warsaw Medical University Orchestra Chorus in Poland; and Gerrit Scheepers of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.

Participants have represented institutions including Yale University, the Eastman School of Music, Westminster Choir College, the University of Southern California, Indiana University, the University of Notre Dame, Oklahoma State University, the University of Miami, Brigham Young University, Western Michigan University, the Peabody Conservatory, Cornell University, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Butler University, the University of Connecticut, Ithaca College, the University of Arizona, the New England Conservatory, and the Boston Conservatory.

We invite you to join us in Tuscany to study, sing, and collaborate with choral musicians from around the world. Apply now to become part of this exceptional international community of choral musicians.