CHRIS ALBANESE, Director, Akron Symphony Chorus

Chris Albanese is Pam and Jack Burks Associate Professor of Choral Conducting at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he conducts the Grammy-nominated Singing Hoosiers. Under his direction, the Singing Hoosiers were invited to perform at national conferences of the American Choral Directors Association in 2025 and 2021. He has led and prepared the ensemble for performances with notable guests, including Sylvia McNair and Sandi Patty. In recognition of his excellence in teaching, he was awarded Indiana University’s Trustees Teaching Award in 2022. 

Before Indiana, Dr. Albanese was a member of the Grammy award-winning ensemble Chanticleer. With Chanticleer, he performed across the U.S. and abroad, including at Los Angeles’ Disney Hall, Vienna’s Musikverein, Prague’s Rudolfinum, and St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theater. With the ensemble, he appeared with the ensemble as a featured guest on The Hallmark Network’s Home and Family. 

Dr. Albanese concurrently serves as Music Director of the Akron Symphony Chorus where he has prepared the chorus to critical acclaim for performances of works including Beethoven’s Symphony #9, Mozart’s Mass in C Minor, Haydn’s The Creation, Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem, and the world premiere of Julia Perry’s Frammenti dale lettere di Santa Caterina.    

An active concert singer and recitalist, Dr. Albanese’s performance credits include appearances with the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Skylark Ensemble, Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, Dayton Opera, Ars Musica Chicago, the Castleton Festival under the baton of Maestro Lorin Maazel, and Chamber Fest in a performance of Britten’s Canticle III, Op. 55 with Konstyantin Travinsky (piano) and Oto Carrillo (horn). 

Dr. Albanese has presented workshops and led festival choirs across the United States and abroad, most recently for the Indiana State School Music Association, Michigan State Vocal Music Association, and Ohio Valley Choral Festival. He received his BM in Music Education and Vocal Performance from the University of Dayton, an MM in Vocal Performance from Northwestern University, and DMA in Choral Conducting from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.