Bel Canto Chorale

Gregory Mercer

Music Director

Bel Canto Chorale

American conductor and singer Gregory Mercer has been hailed throughout the world for his artistry, discipline and musicianship.  The New York Times has called him “elegant, high spirited, musically convincing and exiting”.  The Salzburg Nachrichten sited his “obvious discipline, training and irresistible romantic gestures”.  The Calgary Herald mentioned his “dignity, elegance, technical virtuosity and heart-felt conviction”.  Opernglas Magazine in Hamburg stated that he was “intelligently in control, yet strongly expressive”.  The Washington Post said  “technically cultivated and musically polished”, while the Prague News acclaims his “fiery Italian temperament and undeniable artistry”.

Having studied conducting in college, where he was student conductor for three years, Mr. Mercer was encouraged by Leonard Bernstein, while a fellow at the Tanglewood Festival, to pursue a career in choral conducting.  Later that summer he was awarded the coveted Jackson Prize for outstanding musicianship; the first and only time it was awarded to a fellow.  He took post graduate studies in conducting at Westminster  Choir  College and Eastman School of Music and in 2000 was asked by the well known choral conductor Johannes Somary to be assistant conductor at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan. .  When Dr. Jennifer Pascual took over for Mr. Somary in 2003 she asked him to stay on in that position and added to his duties there.  Currently he conducts sixteen High Masses a year, which are broadcast over Sirius Satellite Radio and many special Masses, installations and ordinations with Cardinal Egan presiding.  In 2005 he was asked to join the choral conducting roster at Hofstra University, under David Fryling, where he has conducted the Hofstra University Mixed Chorus.

Gregory Mercer holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Rollins College  in Florida and a Master of Music degree from Manhattan School of Music.  In addition to conducting, he has been a soloist with The Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, and choral groups such as Musica Sacra, Oratorio Society of New York, and New York Choral Society, among others.  This season marks his debut as Music Director of the Bel Canto Chorale in Nassau County, Long Island.