E-Meeting: Michael Conley and the Power of Music

While all art is instrumental in expanding our minds and unlocking empathy and emotion, music has a unique power to connect us to each other, to probe our broken places, and to facilitate grieving, healing, and ultimately, joy. Michael Conley will talk about why art, generally, and music, specifically, are so crucial to our well-being as individuals and to our success as a society.

Michael Conley has enjoyed the privilege of a multifaceted career in music for three decades now as conductor, pianist, organist, oboist, singer, and composer. The New York Times has said of his work, “first-rate conducting,” and of his compositions, “tuneful,” “handsome,” “ambitious,” “piquant,” and “surprising.” Since 2015 he has been the Director of Music Ministries at Calvary Presbyterian Church in Pacific Heights, where he oversees a highly regarded, diverse music program. Prior to coming to San Francisco, Mr. Conley worked for two decades as a freelance musician in NYC where he conducted choral societies, headed church music programs, taught high school choirs, sang in professional choral ensembles, and music-directed for the theater, numerous other gigs, and projects.

He has prepared choirs for over fifteen Carnegie Hall appearances along with numerous performances at prestigious venues including Lincoln Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Smetana Hall in Prague, St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, the Caramoor Festival, the Verbier Festival in Switzerland, and for several off and off-off Broadway productions.

Michael holds an undergraduate degree in Composition from James Madison University in Virginia and completed his graduate studies in choral conducting at Westminster Choir College, where he was a student of renowned conductor Joseph Flummerfelt. His compositions are published by Seeadot Music.

Please note that this meeting is via Zoom only.

This meeting is free, but you must register to get the Zoom link: Click here to register for attendance via Zoom.