Scott Allen Jarrett

Conductor Scott Allen Jarrett was recently lauded by the Boston Globe as “the most promising young figure to emerge on the local choral scene.”  A native of Virginia, Jarrett came to Boston in 1997 to pursue graduate degrees at Boston University, where he received his doctorate in conducting. Jarrett serves as Director of Music, Chapel Organist and Choirmaster at Boston University’s Marsh Chapel. Also at Boston University, his appointment includes adjunct faculty posts in both the School of Theology as a Lecturer in the Practice of Sacred Music and in the College of Fine Arts as Teaching Associate in Choral Conducting. As Director of Music at Marsh Chapel, Jarrett leads the Chapel Choir and Collegium in weekly services broadcast over the internet and on National Public Radio. In addition to these liturgical responsibilities, the Chapel Choir and Collegium present a yearly Bach Cantata Series, performing these masterworks in their original liturgical context. To celebrate the 200th anniversary of Mendelssohn's birth, this season will survey the choral and organ works of this great composer, culminating in a performance of the rarely heard LaudaSion. Recent seasons of Music at Marsh Chapel have included Bach’s Magnificat, Easter and Ascension Oratorios,Saint John Passion, Handel’s Saul and Solomon, the Faure Requiem, Buxtehude's MembraJesuNostri and Mozart’s Mass in C Minor. 

This fall, Jarrett returns for his fifth season as Music Director and Conductor of the Oratorio Singers of Charlotte, the resident chorus of the Charlotte Symphony in North Carolina. He travels to North Carolina weekly for rehearsals with the Oratorio Singers, preparing and leading the chorus in their appearances with the Symphony throughout the season. In addition to choral preparation for performances of the Faure Requiem and the Beethoven Mass in C, Jarrett will lead the chorus and orchestra in performance of Bach's B Minor Mass and the annual performances of Handel's Messiah. In recent seasons with the Charlotte Symphony, Jarrett conducted performances of Brahms’ Schicksalslied, Schumann’s Nachtlied, Messiah, Barber’s Prayers of Kierkegaard, Handel's Saul and Mozart's Violin Concerto No 4. Each year, Jarrett leads the Oratorio Singers Chamber Chorus in performance at the annual Piccolo Spoleto Festival inCharleston, SC.

After guest conducting the 30th Anniversary Concert, Jarrett was named the fifth music director of the Back Bay Chorale in Boston. The performance of Handel’s Judas Maccabaeus garnered critical acclaim from the Boston Globe: “Judas Maccabaeus was a great success, and Jarrett established himself as the most promising young figure to emerge on the local choral scene… This was Jarrett’s night – he’s tasteful and talented, someone to keep our eyes and ears on.” Recent seasons included performances of Schumann’s Das Paradies und die Peri, the Saint Matthew Passion of Bach, Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610, Mendelssohn's Elijah, and the Beethoven MissaSolemnis.  Highlights of the current season are Schuetz'sMusikalischeExequien, Brahms' Eindeutsches Requiem, the New England premiere of Finzi'sRequiem da camera,  and the world premiere of a commissioned work by composer and former Back Bay Chorale music director, Julian Wachner.

For eight summers, Jarrett served as the Assistant Conductor of Choirs at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute where he assisted Dr. Ann Howard Jones. Also at Tanglewood, Jarrett taught advanced music theory and history to the students in the Young Artist Vocal Program. He returns to Tanglewood this summer as Director of Choirs. 

As a pianist, Jarrett frequently serves as rehearsal pianist and assistant for Ann Howard Jones. He also accompanied rehearsals for the late Robert Shaw during his Boston visits. As the rehearsal pianist for the Carnegie Hall Choral Workshop, Jarrett played rehearsals for Charles Dutoit. As a baritone, Jarrett has been a member of the Robert Shaw Festival Singers, the Boston Bach Ensemble, and ScholaCantorum of Boston. He is also a proud alumnus of Furman University.