Personnel

Scott Hochstetler, Music Director and Conductor

Scott Hochstetler, DMA, is Associate Professor of Music at Goshen College (IN), where he teaches in the choral, vocal and opera theater programs. Under his direction, the Goshen College Men’s Chorus performed to acclaim at the ACDA regional convention in March 2012. He is also the director of St. Joseph Valley Camerata, an area professional choir. Previous appointments include Western Mennonite School (OR), the University of Michigan – Flint, and Corban College (OR).

As a scholar, his work on Vaughan Williams has been published by The Choral Journal. He is the co-author of the IPA Pronunciation Guide to Translations and Annotations of Choral Repertoire: German Texts, published by earthsongs, with a second book on French and Italian diction forthcoming.

As a baritone, he has performed opera and oratorio roles and given recitals in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Oregon. Most recently, he performed as baritone soloist in Fauré’s Requiem with the Toledo Symphony under the baton of Vance George. His voice students have consistently placed highly in vocal competitions, including a winner of the 2011 Indiana NATS competition. Dr. Hochstetler holds a DMA in choral conducting from Michigan State University, a double MM in conducting and voice from the University of Michigan, and a BA in music and biology from Goshen College.

He has studied conducting with David Rayl, Sandra Snow, Jonathan Reed, Jerry Blackstone, Theodore Morrison and Kenneth Kiesler, and he has studied voice with Leslie Guinn, Stephen Lusmann and Doyle Preheim.

Dr. Hochstetler lives in Goshen, Indiana with his wife Rachel and two children, Leah and Aaron.

David A. Seitz, Music Director Emeritus

David A. Seitz, music director, was born into a singing family in 1943. He showed early interest in leading hymns and conducting choirs in the Mennonite churches of his youth. After graduating from Eastern Mennonite College (now University) at Harrisonburg, Virginia, he earned a master's degree in choral conducting at Indiana University. At Bloomington he studied conducting and choral literature under Charles Webb, Fiora Contino, and Julius Herford, one of Robert Shaw's primary mentors.

In 1968 David joined the faculty of Eastern Mennonite College teaching voice and conducting the touring choir. At this time he was also active singing, arranging, conducting, and recording for Mennonite Broadcasts (now MennoMedia). He was closely involved with the production of three LPs that have since been reissued as CDs. He also wrote, directed, and performed music for the summer stage productions of Good Enterprises in Lancaster County, PA.

Since moving to Indiana in 1971, David has served as music director at Prairie Street Mennonite and Trinity United Methodist Churches in Elkhart. In 1999 he began his current position as music director at First United Methodist Church in Mishawaka where he shares the music leadership with his wife, organist/pianist Christine Larson Seitz.

In 1975 David, with the help of singing friends, started the community chamber choir Camerata Singers (now St. Joseph Valley Camerata) based in Elkhart County, Indiana. He and Christine, who still serves as Camerata's keyboard artist, collaborated in the group's artistic leadership from 1978 through David's retirement as the group's music director in 2010.

A strong area of David's music activities has been choral composition and arranging. Four of his choral arrangements of Randall Thompson solo songs have been published by E. C. Schirmer Publishing. Over 40 of his titles are offered on his CamerataPress.com website.

Christine Larson Seitz, Keyboard Artist

Christine Larson Seitz, piano, has been a sought-after recital accompanist in Michiana for 35 years. She earned a bachelor’s degree in piano performance and a master’s in studio accompanying from Indiana University South Bend, studying under Robert Hamilton and John Owings. Christine joined Camerata Singers as pianist and assistant director in 1978, and since then no one else has ever accompanied a Camerata performance. Christine has been on the faculty at Bethel College and IUSB, and since 1999 has served as assistant professor of music at Goshen College. At GC, she teaches music theory and humanities, and is staff accompanist for faculty and student recitals. Christine has been the organist at First United Methodist Church in Mishawaka since 1987.