Mendelssohn Club of Albany Announces New Conductor

DELMAR, NY (12/07/2021) (readMedia)-- The Mendelssohn Club of Albany today announced the selection of Jason Dashew as the club's next conductor beginning in January 2022. Long-time conductor Jeff Vredenburg will retire after 22 years of service following the club's annual holiday concert on December 10.

"I am honored and humbled to have the opportunity to direct the Mendelssohn Club of Albany," said Mr. Dashew. "I look forward to continuing the traditions and rich history this ensemble and previous conductors have established while performing for more than a century in the Capital District."

Mr. Dashew currently serves as the director of choral activities at Bethlehem Central High School in Delmar, New York. In addition to conducting five choral ensembles, he also teaches music theory and is the musical director for the annual spring musical productions at Bethlehem's middle and high schools.

A frequent clinician and guest conductor at festivals and conferences in the Northeast, Dashew also is active in the New York State School Music Association, where he previously served as the Albany region representative to the Executive Council and currently serves as a festival adjudicator. He also directs the youth choirs at the First United Methodist Church in Delmar. For nine consecutive summers, Dashew traveled to Europe with American Music Abroad as a director of the Red Tour Choir, an ensemble of high school singers from around the Northeast.

Mr. Dashew earned a Bachelor of Music degree from SUNY Fredonia and a Master of Arts from SUNY Albany. He currently resides in Delmar with his wife and two children.

The Mendelssohn Club will return to the stage on Friday, December 10, 2021, at 7:30pm for "We Rise Again," a concert at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 125 Eagle Street in downtown Albany. Tickets for the concert are available for $22 each, or $20 for groups of ten or more. For ticket information, please contact concert coordinator Marjorie Ward at (518) 783-5741 or e-mail tickets@mendelssohn.org.

About The Mendelssohn Club: A Capital Region tradition since 1909, the 60-voice male chorus is the area's longest continually performing arts group. The club is composed of men from the Capital District, Hudson Valley and Berkshire regions, and performs a full range of male choral selections from around the world. The club performs annual subscription concerts in December and May, but also sings in other venues for various civic and charitable organizations.