St. Joseph Valley Camerata

Dr. Hochstetler becomes the second individual to hold this position in the organization's 36-year history. Hochstetler succeeds the founder of the St. Joseph Valley Camerata, David Seitz, who retired in the Fall of 2010.

Scott Hochstetler is assistant professor of Music at Goshen College (IN), where he directs Chorale and Men's Chorus and teaches voice, conducting, and diction. Recent acclaimed performances of the GC choirs include J.S. Bach's Magnificat with the Toledo Symphony and Handel's Messiah.

Dr. Hochstetler was music director at Western Mennonite School in Salem, Oregon (2000-2005), taught voice, lyric diction, opera and choral techniques at the University of Michigan-Flint (2005-2008), and served as adjunct voice instructor at Corban College (OR) in 2005. Dr. Hochstetler has performed opera and oratorio roles and given recitals in Indiana, Michigan, and Oregon. His voice students have consistently placed high in vocal competitions and festivals. His work on Vaughan Williams has been published by The Choral Journal, and he is currently co-writing two books on choral diction for Earthsongs publications.

Dr. Hochstetler holds a DMA in choral conducting from Michigan State University, a double MM in conducting and voice from the University of Michigan, an MA in teaching from Western Oregon University and a BA in music and biology from Goshen College. He lives in Goshen with his wife Rachel and their two children, Leah and Aaron.

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 Mennonite Media). 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 based in Elkhart County, Indiana. He and Christine have collaborated in the group's artistic leadership since 1978. In 2003 Camerata Singers reorganized as the current St. Joseph Valley Camerata.

A strong area of David's music activities has been choral composition and arranging. Over 125 titles are offered in his Camerata Press catalogue.

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.

Choir Members, 2011-2012