Benjamin Rivera, Guest Conductor

With the retirement last May of our founding Artistic Director, Bruce Tammen, we are welcoming three guest conductors to the podium this year. Benjamin Rivera is serving as our first guest conductor and is leading the choir for our Fall concert, When David Heard, on November 15th.

Chicago native Benjamin Rivera began his career as a professional musician as a member of the Chicago Symphony Chorus, where he served for more than twenty seasons, including twelve as section leader. Rivera also sang with Chicago a cappella, the Grant Park Chorus, and several other ensembles, appearing frequently as a soloist and performing on dozens of recordings.

After completing his doctoral coursework, Rivera transitioned to full-time conducting, and he now holds positions in three states. His current roles include chorus director and regular conductor of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic in Indiana; chorus master of the Florentine Opera in Wisconsin; choirmaster of the Church of the Ascension in Illinois; and high holidays choir director at Temple Sholom in Illinois. Rivera has prepared ensembles for performances with the Chicago Symphony, where he served for eight seasons as assistant chorus director and language coach, as well as the National Symphony and St. Louis Symphony orchestras, the Grant Park Music Festival, and Music of the Baroque. He has conducted offstage forces in performances with the Chicago Symphony, both in Orchestra Hall and at the Ravinia Festival. He has collaborated with numerous international conductors and performers and is a frequent guest director with a wide range of volunteer and professional choruses.

Especially adept with languages, Rivera frequently coaches ensembles in German, Spanish, and Latin, among others. He holds degrees in voice and music theory from North Park and Roosevelt universities, respectively, and a DMA in conducting from Northwestern University. Rivera lives with his family in Beverly, a neighborhood on the southwest side of Chicago.