Saengerfest Staff
Michael Driscoll, Music Director
Michael Driscoll has been director of Boston Saengerfest Men’s Chorus since 2001 and has been Director of Choirs at Brookline High School since September 2003. At Brookline High School he directs three choirs, advises three student-run a cappella ensembles, teaches AP music theory and class piano. He was Assistant Conductor of the Masterworks Chorale for four years under Allen Lannom and he has directed the choirs at Emerson College and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. In the Fall of 2007 he guest-prepared Chorus pro Musica’s performance of Faure’s Requiem and Roger Ames’ Requiem for Our Time. In March 2009 he served as guest conductor for Chorus pro Musica in a program featuring the New England première of Jonathan Dove’s Köthener Messe.
Driscoll is President-elect of the Massachusetts division of the American Choral Director’s Association (MassACDA) and currently serves as Treasurer for the organization. He is a passionate advocate for teaching music literacy skills in the choral classroom and has given presentations on the subject at two MassACDA Summer Conferences at Gordon College, at two workshops for singers sponsored by MassACDA and American Guild of Organists and at the Massachusetts Music Educators Association All-State Conference. He recently published two articles entitled “But I Dont Have Time! A Case For Teaching Music Literacy” in the Mass Music News magazine for music educators throughout Massachusetts. He has been involved with the MMEA Eastern Division as chorus manager of the high school festival and has helped organize the sight-singing portion of the vocal exam for the past several years. As a service to other music educators, he provides a number of free music literacy resources on his personal website.
Driscoll received his Master’s degree in Choral Conducting at the New England Conservatory where he studied with Simon Carrington. He began conducting as an undergraduate at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), directing Simple Harmonic Motion, a 14-member male à cappella group, for three years. He was Assistant Director of the WPI Men’s Glee Club for three years and directed the WPI Concert Choir for two years. Driscoll graduated from WPI in 1997 with a BS in Electrical Engineering and a Minor in Music. He completed his Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering at WPI in 1999 and worked as a software development engineer for two years prior to beginning graduate studies in Choral Conducting at New England Conservatory in the Fall of 2001.
You can read more about him on his personal website: www.michaeldriscollconductor.com
James Roth, Accompanist and Associate Director
Jim Roth received his formal education at the Eastman School of Music and Boston University. Now retired, he was Director of Music at the Reading, MA public schools and conductor of the Reading Symphony Orchestra. He has served as Saengerfest accompanist since 1993.
Linus Travers, Compère
Compère for Saengerfest‘s concerts, Linus Travers is a fund-raising consultant and emeritus professor of English literature who has performed in glee clubs and a cappella groups since his high school and college days. A compère or master of ceremonies is a regular part of many Welsh choral performances, helping to bridge the gap between stage and audience.
Jennifer McDonald, Administrative Coordinator
Jennifer McDonald served as Artistic Administrator at Boston Lyric Opera for two years and prior to that was General Manager for the Masterworks Chorale. Jennifer completed the Master of Music in Opera program at Longy School of Music, studying with Robert Honeysucker and Donna Roll, and also holds a BA from Mount Holyoke College.
