ARIZONA MASTERWORKS CHORALE APPOINTS NEW MUSIC DIRECTOR
CONDUCTOR SCOTT YOUNGS TO LEAD CHORALE FOR NEW SEASON

(Phoenix, Ariz.) One of the city’s most respected conductors, Scott Youngs, has been appointed Music Director for the Arizona Masterworks Chorale, the 42-year old choral organization that performs throughout the Valley.

Youngs is also the Music Director for the Arizona Bach Festival, an organization he founded in 2008 which brings top classical artists from around the world to perform in Phoenix each January. The Bach Festival is recognized for its high quality musicianship, artistry and variety of programming.

As a choral conductor, he has toured with choirs extensively, recorded multiple CD’s and conducted for MidAmerica Productions at Carnegie Hall. A highly respected organist and pianist, he has both taught and performed throughout the United States, Europe and South America. 

A long-time Valley resident, Youngs served as Music Director for 30 years at All-Saint’s Episcopal Cathedral in Phoenix where he founded the Boy and Girl Chorister Programs which were affiliated with the Royal School of Church Music in England. He taught Baroque Performance Practice at the Arizona State University for several years, and lectures annually for OSHER Life-Long Learning.

“There is nothing that stirs such emotion and inspires beauty like the human voice. I’ve found that my work as an educator and as a conductor works well together, bringing out the best in musicians and guiding them to reach for greater and more challenging artistic heights. 

“For my first season with the Chorale, we are planning a series of concerts called American Beauty which focuses on the music of the United States. The 2021-22 Season will be a celebration of American choral music which shares our diverse harmony and sense of coming home. I’m so looking forward to working with the group to create a new sound for the ensemble, with performances that inspire both the artists and the audiences.” – Scott Youngs

The Arizona Masterworks Chorale will be holding a free open workshop on July 24 from 9 am to noon at Ascension Lutheran Church, 7100 N. Mockingbird Lane in Paradise Valley, and invites all area singers to come for a coaching session and to learn about the Chorale. 

Auditions will begin Saturday July 31, visit arizonamasterworks.com/auditions/ for more information.

The Arizona Masterworks Chorale’s 2021-22 Season, American Beauty, will be announced in September, with tickets on sale at arizonamasterworks.com

For more information on the Arizona Masterworks Chorale and to subscribe to their email newsletter, visit arizonamasterworks.com

About Arizona Masterworks Chorale

Founded in 1979, The Arizona Masterworks Chorale is dedicated to presenting innovative and enjoyable concerts for the community by performing the finest in classical and contemporary choral music. Under the direction of Founder Mary Ann Dutton, the Chorale began as the chorus for the Phoenix Symphony, before becoming independent in the mid 80s. Since its inception, The Masterworks Chorale has performed in major concert venues in the U.S. and Europe, including Carnegie Hall, the Royal Festival Hall in London, and at the dedication of the World War II Memorial in Washington DC., as well as locally with the Arizona Opera in a production of Verdi’s Aïda, and a commemorative performance of James DeMars’ An American Requiem on September 11, 2002 at Phoenix Symphony Hall. Following Dutton’s retirement in 2007, the Chorale was led by Music Directors Dr. William A. Gleason (2007-2018) and Dr. Karen Parthun (2018-2020). In July of 2021, conductor Scott Youngs was appointed as the Arizona Masterworks Chorale’s new Music Director. Youngs, a brilliant pianist, organist and conductor, is well-known as the Founder and Music Director of the Arizona Bach Festival, and will embark on his first season in 2021/2022, with a program designed to celebrate the diversity of American music and to illustrate the musicality of the Masterworks Chorale singers.