Today we’d like to introduce you to Seonjeong Park.
Hi Seonjeong, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am a choral conductor whose work focuses on ensemble leadership, musical preparation, and collaborative engagement within academic and professional sacred music contexts. My training and professional experience reflect a consistent trajectory of increasing responsibility, interdisciplinary collaboration, and sustained contribution to the choral field.
I earned my Master’s degree in Choral Conducting from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where I completed advanced training in rehearsal technique, score study, ensemble leadership, and contemporary conducting practices. During my studies, I served as assistant conductor for multiple large-scale ensembles, including the IU Singing Hoosiers, a Grammy-nominated show choir, and the All-Campus Chorus. These ensembles consisted primarily of non-music majors from diverse academic backgrounds, requiring clear communication, efficient rehearsal strategies, and adaptive leadership. Through this work, I developed strong skills in ensemble cohesion, rehearsal planning, and musical communication across varying levels of experience.
In addition to choral ensemble leadership, I gained professional production experience as Assistant Chorus Master for the opera Suor Angelica. Because opera is an interdisciplinary art form, this role required close collaboration with orchestra, stage direction, principal singers, production staff, and design teams. Through this experience, I strengthened my ability to coordinate across artistic disciplines, support large-scale rehearsal processes, and contribute to stable and effective production outcomes. This work reinforced the importance of detailed preparation, clear communication, and collaborative problem-solving in professional musical environments.
I currently serve as Interim Choir Director at St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, where I help oversee a multi-ensemble sacred music program within a large institutional setting. My responsibilities include liturgical music planning, supervising and communicating with paid musicians, and directing three ensembles with distinct structures and artistic functions: the Choristers (children’s choir), the volunteer Cathedral Choir, and the professional Evensong Scholars ensemble. Leading these groups requires flexibility in rehearsal methodology, clarity in musical direction, and consistent coordination across ensembles with differing skill levels and expectations. In addition, my work within the cathedral involves ongoing collaboration with multiple ministries and departments, requiring effective communication and shared planning to support the institution’s broader mission.
Alongside this role, I serve as Music Director of the Stellarum Chamber Choir, an audition-selected community ensemble whose repertoire extends beyond traditional classical sacred music to include contemporary and secular a cappella works. This position allows me to apply my training in diverse repertoire contexts while maintaining high performance standards in a community-based professional setting.
Taken together, my academic training and current professional appointments demonstrate a clear progression from advanced study to sustained leadership roles within established musical institutions. My work reflects continued professional development, interdisciplinary collaboration, and active contribution to the choral and sacred music landscape in the United States.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My path as a conductor has not always been smooth. One of the earliest challenges I faced was learning how to lead confidently while still remaining open, flexible, and deeply human. As someone who cares strongly about people and community, I initially struggled with balancing empathy and authority—especially in rehearsal settings where clear direction and efficiency are essential. Learning when to listen and when to lead decisively took time, experience, and reflection.
Another challenge came from working across very different musical environments. During my studies at Indiana University, I moved between non-major ensembles, opera productions, and academically rigorous conducting coursework. Each setting required a different communication style, rehearsal pace, and leadership approach. Adapting quickly while maintaining musical clarity was demanding, but it taught me how to be flexible and responsive as a conductor.
I also encountered challenges working within large institutions. Whether in university settings or now in a cathedral environment, effective music-making depends on collaboration beyond the rehearsal room. Learning to communicate clearly with administrators, production teams, and multiple departments—often with differing priorities—required patience and a willingness to grow beyond purely musical concerns. Over time, I learned that these challenges are not obstacles to artistry, but an essential part of sustaining healthy and successful musical communities.
Rather than discouraging me, these struggles clarified my values. They pushed me to become a more thoughtful, prepared, and collaborative leader. Each challenge strengthened my ability to listen, adapt, and lead with intention—skills that continue to shape my work today.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My work as a conductor centers on creating meaningful musical experiences through collaboration. I specialize in choral and vocal ensemble music, working in both sacred and secular settings, and much of my artistic life has developed through building ensembles and projects together with people I have met throughout different stages of my life.
After completing my undergraduate studies in Korea, I reunited with colleagues with whom I had studied closely and formed a vocal ensemble called Makers. Together, we organized and presented performances that we planned, rehearsed, and produced ourselves. Following my graduation from Indiana University, I again worked with fellow musicians to create a Project A Cappella concert, continuing this practice of collaborative music-making beyond an academic setting. These experiences taught me how to bring people together around a shared artistic goal and guide a project from idea to performance.
In San Diego, I continue this work through my role at St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, where I am currently preparing a Lenten Music Service. The ensemble for this project has grown from musicians and colleagues I met here—people who were first acquaintances and gradually became trusted collaborators and friends. Organizing rehearsals, selecting repertoire, and shaping performances together has been one of the most meaningful parts of my professional life.
Across these projects, a consistent theme has emerged: I value sustained relationships and ongoing communication with the people I work with. I am most proud not only of individual performances, but of the communities that form around them. What sets me apart is that I do not see ensembles as temporary groups assembled only for a concert. Instead, I view them as living communities. My role as a conductor is to help musicians listen to one another, trust one another, and create something meaningful together. The fulfillment I feel comes from seeing those connections continue beyond a single performance and lead to future artistic work.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I am always open to collaboration with singers, instrumentalists, composers, and arts organizations who are interested in creating thoughtful and community-centered musical experiences. People can work with me through performances, ensemble projects, or educational and church music programs. I especially value long-term artistic relationships, and I welcome musicians who are interested not only in performing together but in building meaningful musical communities over time.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.stellarumchoir.com/
- Instagram: seonjeongpark_music
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ParkSeonjeong
