5-02-2025 8:52pm

Iain Sturrock takes over as new artistic director of Chesapeake Chorale

Iain Sturrock is the new artistic director of the Bowie-based Chesapeake Chorale. Courtesy photo

Iain Sturrock, the new artistic director for the Bowie-based Chesapeake Chorale, knew he had an affinity for music from a very young age.

"My parents like to tell the story that I came out singing," Sturrock said.

Of course, neither he nor his parents knew his passion for music would lead him to the Chesapeake Chorale, where he's responsible for all of the group’s programming, conducting and music selection. Additionally, he said he is responsible for crafting a larger “artistic vision” for the group’s future.

Sturrock also leads the group’s weekly rehearsals, held on Tuesday nights. The format of these rehearsals varies based on the needs of the group for that week, but generally Sturrock has one goal in mind.

“The whole goal is always for the singers to feel, you know, uplifted and energized by coming to rehearsal, by seeing their friends, by singing for a conductor that hopefully is inspirational and leads with grace and with humor,” Sturrock said.

The chorale has held one performance under the direction of Sturrock, and its next performance will be held May 18.

While Sturrock understands the necessity of performances, he said he has grown to find rehearsal time to be the most valuable.

Prior to his involvement with the chorale, Sturrock has had extensive involvement in the music industry.

His natural talent has always been evident. In his teen years, he accompanied full church services on the piano without having any formal training.

“My first instrument was always the voice,” he said. “But I was always attracted to conducting from a very young age. My parents would take me to symphony concerts or choir concerts, and I was always watching the person at the front who everyone else was watching…I was always just really taken with the idea that there's this single kind of conduit between performing force…and the audience.”

Sturrock later went on to attain his bachelor’s and master’s of music degrees from Temple University and then his doctor of musical arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin. He has since worked all over the country with various musical groups before returning home to Maryland to join the chorale.

In addition to the chorale, he also currently works at The Calverton School as a music teacher. Here he works with children ranging from fifth grade through 12th grade.

While Sturrock said he appreciates the opportunity to work with students, he prefers the complexity that comes with leading the chorale.

“The chorale is such a wonderful group, has such an amazing variety of experience, some really impressive resumes in there,” he said. “Not only musically, just in terms of the human beings themselves. And it's always hilarious to me…doctors and lawyers and movers and shakers politicos, you know, rehearse and listen to me tell them what to do for an hour and a half.”

The chorale is an auditioned group with roughly 50 members. While the group is based in Bowie, most of its members are from Prince George’s County and Anne Arundel County, according to the chorale’s website.

The group has been in existence for 44 years, and Sturrock is only its fourth artistic director.

The search for a new artistic director happened rather unexpectedly, when the previous director, Jesse Parker, passed away suddenly last summer.

Sturrock said he initially interviewed for the role of interim director and then interviewed for the full-time position in October, following Parker’s passing.

Chuck Tanner, one of the chorale’s founding members, served on the committee that brought Sturrock to the chorale.

“People are so happy with the way Dr. Sturrock is conducting the chorale,” Tanner said. “Their allegiance to the chorale is increased, if anything.”

Upon receiving Sturrock’s application, the committee also noticed that he had received training from one of the chorale’s previous directors, which set him apart from other applicants.

Mark Weadon, a member of the chorale and the publicity team, said that Sturrock has brought unique vocal exercises to their rehearsals.

“We do some really interesting warm ups. We don't just sing scales,” Weadon said. “He'll come in and surprise you with things, to try new things…it's just a way to warm up your voices and articulate… We do these tricky exercises, really gets us on our toes.”

Sturrock is significantly younger than the chorale’s previous director.

“He brings a lot of energy, and he's very devoted to varieties of music… So he brings a lot of excitement to the chorale,” Weadon said. “He makes me excited to come to rehearsals and certainly to perform.”

This season’s concert will be held Sunday, May 18, at 3 p.m. at St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church. The theme of this performance is “Singing Our Timeless Stories.” Tickets can be purchased online:

https://www.chesapeakechorale.org/uploads/2/7/6/9/27695811/cc_ticket_order_form.pdf

Tess Phillips covers Bowie as a student reporter for the University of Maryland Local News Network.