Seth Velez is an accomplished singer, conductor, and music educator with over a decade of industry experience in Los Angeles and New York. Currently based in the NYC area, he holds positions in the Montclair State University Cali School of Music, the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, the Dessoff Choirs, and teaches privately in his voice studio. As a performer and conductor, his 23-24 season has included collaborations and performances with the New Jersey Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, and METLiveArts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Singing
Seth has performed extensively with choirs touring in the United States and Internationally. He has competed with choirs in the 2023 and 2015 International Eisteddfodd in Llangollen Wales, the 2017 Florilege Vocal de Tours in Tours France, and the 15th Internationaler Kammerchor-Wettbewerb in Marktoberdorf, Germany. His international performances also include singing mass by invitation at St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome, and Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris. In the US, Seth has performed at both the 2023 Conference of the American Choral Directors Association and the 2015 Conference of the National Collegiate Choir Organization. Seth’s solo background encompasses both Classical and Musical Theatre styles, and he has been a featured soloist at the 2015 NCCO Conference, tours of the western U.S., and a tour to South Korea. Most recently, Seth performed as a finalist in the 2023 international “Voice of Musical Theatre” competition in Llangollen, Wales.
Conducting
Seth’s conducting portfolio includes over 6 years of podium experience with collegiate, community, and professional ensembles. He currently serves as assistant conductor to Dr. Malcolm J. Merriweather with the Dessoff Choirs and as the faculty assistant conductor to Dr. Heather Buchanan with the Montclair State University Chorale. Previously, Seth has served as assistant conductor to Drs. John Warren, José “Peppie” Calvar, and Wendy Moy at Syracuse University and has conducted and assisted rehearsals for the Sterling Ensemble Los Angeles, Ensoma Creative, and the California Children’s Choir. Seth also works as a freelance conductor, most recently serving as the assistant conductor for MET LiveArts’ production of Terrance McKnight’s Handel: Made in America.
Teaching
Seth has over a decade of experience as a music educator of collegiate, high school, and private students, having held instructional positions at Syracuse University, the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus, and Azusa Pacific University teaching sight-singing, aural skills, music theory, and conducting. Currently, Seth teaches as a professor of Music Theory and Aural Skills at the Montclair State University Cali School of music, and works at the Brooklyn Youth Chorus as a conductor and educator. Seth also has a flourishing private voice studio which serves clients of all ages and ability levels. As a researcher, Seth primarily studies the flexibility and versatility of the human voice, with recent presentations on the differences in vocal production and technique necessary to seamlessly move between solo classical, choral, and musical theatre vocal styles.
Seth holds both a Master of Music in Choral Conducting and a Master of Music in Voice Pedagogy from Syracuse University and holds a Bachelor of Music Performance from Azusa Pacific University. Professionally, Seth is an inducted member of Pi Kappa Lambda and has active memberships with the American Choral Directors Association, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and the College Music Society.