Hailed by The Oregonian for providing “the finest choral concerts in Portland in recent memory,” Ethan Sperry is Director of Choral Activities at Portland State University, Artistic Director and Conductor of the Oregon Repertory Singers.
Born in New York City, Sperry began studying conducting at the age of eight, cello at the age of twelve, and singing at the age of eighteen. He has earned a bachelor's degree in Philosophy from Harvard College and Masters and Doctoral degrees in Choral Conducting from the University of Southern California. Ensembles under his direction have won over 20 medals at International Choir Competitions, performed at over a dozen professional conference in the United States and toured to Bermuda, Canada, China, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Guadeloupe, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Puerto Rico, Russia, and Taiwan, and have performed at major venues in the United States including The Hollywood Bowl, The Kennedy Center, The Washington National Cathedral, St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, The Nassau Coliseum, Cincinnati’s Music Hall, Boston’s Symphony Hall, and the United Nations. In July 2013, he led the Portland State Chamber Choir to victory at the Seghizzi International Competition for Choral Singing in Gorizia, Italy where they captured 15 separate awards including the Grand Prix, becoming the first American choir to ever win this competition in its 52-year history.
A prolific arranger of World Music and Popular Music for choirs, Dr. Sperry’s arrangements are published by Santa Barbara Music Publishing, Hal Leonard, and CF Peters. He is also the editor of the Global Rhythms series for Earthsongs Music, one of the best-selling choral series in the country. Sperry is also a frequent collaborator with film composer AR Rahman and has appeared as a guest conductor for him numerous times including at Bollywood Night at the Hollywood Bowl and the 2008 Filmfare Awards, the Indian equivalent of the Oscars. He also serves as a consultant for the KM Music Conservatory in Chennai, the first classical music school in India, which opened in 2009.
From 2000-2010, Dr. Sperry was on the faculty at Miami University in Ohio where he conducted the Men’s Glee Club, Collegiate Chorale, and Global Rhythms Ensembles. From 2000-2006 he was the artistic administrator of the Arad Philharmonic Chorus in Arad, Romania, and from 2001-2003 was the principal conductor of the Choeur Regional de Guadeloupe, the only symphonic choir in the French West Indies
