Artistic Director

Jason Iannuzzi joined Cantemus Chamber Chorus as Artistic Director in 2022. A conductor, educator, and artistic leader, he believes that artistic excellence grows from curiosity, trust, shared responsibility, and meaningful human connection. His work encompasses choral and orchestral repertoire, music education, opera and musical theatre, commissioning, international touring, nonprofit leadership, and the development of programs designed to connect singers and audiences through music.

Since coming to Cantemus, Iannuzzi has built on the ensemble’s four decades of artistic excellence while broadening its repertoire, collaborations, and modes of expression. Programs under his direction have included James Whitbourn’s Annelies; I Hear America Singing, an exploration of the American experience through music and poetry; Shared Breath, Shared Song, bringing together sacred repertoire from multiple faith traditions; and concerts ranging from the Great American Songbook to contemporary works, music from a range of cultural traditions, and established masterworks of the Western choral canon. His work frequently places repertoire in conversation with history, poetry, culture, spirituality, and contemporary life, inviting audiences to listen across differences and encounter familiar ideas from new perspectives. Cantemus’ 2026–27 season continues that approach with Once Upon a Winter: Tales of Wonder Through a Child’s Eyes and A Place Called Home.

Collaboration is central to Iannuzzi’s artistic work. Cantemus performances under his direction have brought the chorus together with professional singers, instrumentalists, composers, and guest artists, while the ensemble’s Choral Intern program creates opportunities for high school and college singers to rehearse and perform alongside experienced adult musicians. He treats singers as informed musical partners whose understanding, experience, and curiosity contribute to the artistic result.

Before joining Cantemus, Iannuzzi spent sixteen years as Director of Choruses at Lexington High School, where he led a comprehensive program serving more than 250 singers. Under his direction, the Lexington Chamber Singers grew from approximately thirteen to forty singers and were selected to perform at the 2022 ACDA Eastern Region Conference. His Lexington ensembles appeared twice at Carnegie Hall, commissioned and premiered numerous works, collaborated with professional orchestras and guest artists, and toured throughout Europe and Asia.

Earlier in his career, Iannuzzi served as Assistant Conductor of the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, preparing the professional symphonic chorus for performances with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under conductors including Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Leonard Slatkin, Mariss Jansons, Yan Pascal Tortelier, and Richard Hickox. His additional conducting experience includes community and festival choruses, opera and musical theatre, honor ensembles, and choral-orchestral collaborations.

Iannuzzi currently teaches music and theatre at Pinkerton Academy in Derry, New Hampshire, and serves as President of the Massachusetts chapter of the American Choral Directors Association. He is also President and Managing Director of Cantare Productions, whose programs include youth and adult choral initiatives. His work in nonprofit and arts leadership encompasses artistic planning, budgeting and financial management, staffing, touring, program development, marketing, and community engagement.

He holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education, summa cum laude, from Westminster Choir College and a Master of Music degree in Conducting from Carnegie Mellon University, where he studied with Robert Page. His professional writing and research interests include choral pedagogy, repertoire and programming, cultural context, boys’ choral singing, and the ways communal music-making can foster empathy, belonging, and connection.

Across these varied roles, Iannuzzi’s work is grounded in a belief that choral singing can be both artistically rigorous and deeply human — an act of disciplined listening, shared responsibility, and connection.

Jason Iannuzzi

Artistic Director, Cantemus Chamber Chorus
cantemusdirector@gmail.com