Artistic Director & Conductor Matthew Mehaffey
Matthew Mehaffey is OSM’s Artistic Director and Conductor. He also is Associate Professor of Music at the University of Minnesota, where he conducts the Concert Choir and the Men’s Chorus, teaches graduate courses, and serves as Music Director of the University Opera Theatre.
A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Dr. Mehaffey holds degrees from Bucknell University (BM), Westminster Choir College (MM), and the University of Arizona (DMA). Recent professional engagements include work with the Washington National Opera, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Carnegie Hall, VocalEssence, Minnesota Chorale, Air America Radio, and Turner Network Television.
Dr. Mehaffey is in frequent demand as a lecturer and guest conductor, and has published extensively with GIA Publications. Additionally, he serves as Director of Music at St. Clement's Episcopal Church in St. Paul. An avid sports fan, he enjoys golf, baseball, and rooting for the world champion Pittsburgh Steelers in his spare time. He lives in downtown Minneapolis with his wife Libby and daughter Veda.
Accompanist Helen Jensen
Helen Jensen is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and Union Theological Seminary School of Music in New York. Her teachers included Bernhard Weiser, Edward Berryman, Alec Wyton, and Robert Baker. She was interim organist at St. Mark’s Cathedral, and has been accompanist for the Oratorio Society since 1993.
Conductor Laureate George S.T. Chu
George Chu founded the Oratorio Society in 1980 and served as its Artistic Director until May 2008, when he was named its first Conductor Laureate.
As professor of music and choral activities at Hamline University, Dr. Chu directs the A Cappella Choir, an ensemble which gives students — most are non-music majors — an opportunity to sing the finest choral music and tour internationally.
Dr. Chu's love of teaching resulted in a unique expansion of the Oratorio Society's activities — Viva Coro! high school choral workshops, with an emphasis on leadership.
His musical training includes a bachelor's degree from Yale University (1969) and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Indiana University (1979), where he studied with Julius Herford.
