PRESS KIT:

  • HEADSHOTS (click here)

  • FULL BIOGRAPHY:

    Isaac Lovdahl is an award-winning composer, conductor, educator, and bass-baritone vocalist who serves as Director of Choral Activities at Bemidji State University and Artistic Director of the Bemidji Chorale. Under his direction, The Bemidji Choir (BSU’s premier choral ensemble) was invited to perform as a featured ensemble at the 2025 ACDA-MN state conference. Prior to his appointment at BSU in 2024, Isaac served as a music educator and director of choirs at the University of North Dakota, Cretin-Derham Hall High School, and Sartell High School. He has also directed numerous church choirs and served as the Assistant Conductor for both the Fargo-Moorhead Choral Artists and Vox Nova Chorale.

    His music has been described as “a revelation” and “remarkable” (The American Prize), and continues to garner acclaim for its emotional depth, distinct harmonic palette, and innovative treatment of text and texture. Isaac’s choral compositions and art songs have been performed internationally by educational, community-based, and professional ensembles and soloists.

    Isaac’s recent achievements include commissions, performances, and premieres by renowned ensembles such as Cantus, the Yale Glee Club, The Singers – Minnesota Choral Artists, Choral Arts Initiative, KC-VITAS, the Young New Yorkers' Chorus, VocalEssence, and the Cambridge Chamber Singers, among others. He has also been recognized by organizations and festivals including the Festival of New American Music, The American Prize, the Ithaca College Choral Composition Festival, and the North Dakota Music Teachers Association in collaboration with the Music Teachers National Association. His growing catalog reflects a unique and evolving voice — one that embraces the complexity of contemporary life while remaining grounded in the expressive traditions of choral music.

    As a composer, Isaac is interested in the interplay between musical gesture and the rhetorical layers embedded within a text. His harmonic language moves fluidly between functional tonality, modality, extended tonal techniques, and chromaticism, resulting in a nuanced sonic palette that serves and deepens textual meaning. His rhythmic treatment of words is fresh and inventive, yet idiomatic — designed to support singers in inhabiting the music naturally and expressively.

    At the heart of Isaac’s artistic philosophy is a desire to write music that asks questions rather than provides answers. He seeks out texts that blur the boundaries between sacred and secular, often revealing a humanistic engagement with divine or metaphysical ideas. These themes are matched by a passion for collaboration: Isaac thrives in creative partnerships, valuing input from performers and conductors as an essential part of the compositional process. Whether working with professional artists or student musicians, he approaches each project with curiosity, humility, and a shared commitment to crafting meaningful musical experiences.

    As a chorister, Isaac has performed with various professional and semi-professional ensembles, including The Singers - Minnesota Choral Artists, the Minnesota Beethoven Festival Chorale, Oratory Bach Ensemble (Bach Roots Festival), Vox Nova Chorale, imPulse (MPLS), and Border CrosSing.

    Isaac holds a Bachelor of Music (BM) in Vocal Music Education from Concordia College - Moorhead (class of 2015) and a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Choral Conducting with a cognate in Music Theory from North Dakota State University (class of 2023), where he was selected as the first ever Challey School of Music Choral Conducting Fellow. His vocal and choral music mentors include René Clausen, Jo Ann Miller, Michael Culloton, Michael Weber, Charlette Moe, and Peter Halverson.

    His original music can be found online through Graphite Publishing, Santa Barbara Music Publishing, NewMusicShelf, VocalEssence Music Press, MusicSpoke, and his own website: isaaclovdahl.com.

  • MID-LENGTH BIOGRAPHY:

    Isaac Lovdahl is an award-winning composer, conductor, educator, and bass-baritone vocalist who serves as Director of Choral Activities at Bemidji State University and Artistic Director of the Bemidji Chorale. Under his direction, The Bemidji Choir (BSU’s premier choral ensemble) was invited to perform as a featured ensemble at the 2025 ACDA-MN state conference. Prior to his appointment at BSU in 2024, Isaac served as a music educator and director of choirs at the University of North Dakota, Cretin-Derham Hall High School, and Sartell High School. He has also directed numerous church choirs and served as the Assistant Conductor for both the Fargo-Moorhead Choral Artists and Vox Nova Chorale.

    His music has been described as “a revelation” and “remarkable” (The American Prize), and continues to garner acclaim for its emotional depth, distinct harmonic palette, and innovative treatment of text and texture. Isaac’s choral compositions and art songs have been performed internationally by educational, community-based, and professional ensembles and soloists.

    Isaac’s recent achievements include commissions, performances, and premieres by renowned ensembles such as Cantus, the Yale Glee Club, The Singers – Minnesota Choral Artists, Choral Arts Initiative, KC-VITAS, the Young New Yorkers' Chorus, VocalEssence, and the Cambridge Chamber Singers, among others. He has also been recognized by organizations and festivals including the Festival of New American Music, The American Prize, the Ithaca College Choral Composition Festival, and the North Dakota Music Teachers Association in collaboration with the Music Teachers National Association. His growing catalog reflects a unique and evolving voice — one that embraces the complexity of contemporary life while remaining grounded in the expressive traditions of choral music.

    Isaac holds a Bachelor of Music (BM) in Vocal Music Education from Concordia College - Moorhead (class of 2015) and a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Choral Conducting with a cognate in Music Theory from North Dakota State University (class of 2023), where he was selected as the first ever Challey School of Music Choral Conducting Fellow. His vocal and choral music mentors include René Clausen, Jo Ann Miller, Michael Culloton, Michael Weber, Charlette Moe, and Peter Halverson.

    His original music can be found online through Graphite Publishing, Santa Barbara Music Publishing, NewMusicShelf, VocalEssence Music Press, MusicSpoke, and his own website: isaaclovdahl.com.

  • CONDENSED BIOGRAPHY:

    Isaac Lovdahl is an award-winning composer, conductor, educator, and bass-baritone vocalist who serves as Director of Choral Activities at Bemidji State University and Artistic Director of the Bemidji Chorale. His music has been described as “a revelation” and “remarkable” (The American Prize), and is increasingly gaining traction throughout the choral music world. In recent years, Isaac has received award recognition, commissions, and premieres from Cantus, the Yale Glee Club, The Singers - Minnesota Choral Artists, the Young New Yorkers' Chorus, the Cambridge Chamber Singers, Choral Arts Initiative, the Festival of New American Music, the Ithaca College Choral Composition Festival, Minneapolis SongSLAM, and the North Dakota Music Teachers Association in conjunction with the Music Teachers National Association, among others. To learn more, please visit isaaclovdahl.com.