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.