CJ Madsen, Assistant Director 2024-present
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Christopher Jed "CJ" Madsen recently earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree, emphasis in choral conducting, from the University of Arizona. CJ earned his Master of Music degree in choral conducting from Brigham Young University (BYU), in Provo, Utah. He also earned his bachelor's degree in piano performance from BYU.
As a composer and arranger, CJ has had his works performed by all the auditioned BYU choirs. CJ's most recent large work, an opera entitled He Shall Prepare a Way, was staged in April 2022 and released as an album and concert video. In addition, CJ is the composer of One Fold, One Shepherd, a sacred work for choir and orchestra released in 2019 as an album and performed in April 2024 at the Tabernacle at Temple Square in Salt Lake City. In May, 2025, Wasatch Chorale performed the world premiere of Waterworks—a breathtaking new choral suite by CJ Madsen. With evocative lyrics penned by poets and Wasatch Chorale choir members Jesse and Geoff Griffin, these five original pieces explore the ways water shapes our lives—its beauty, its strength, its necessity, and its deep emotional resonance. CJ grew up in West Jordan, Utah, and was a volunteer missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 2012 to 2014 in North Carolina. Much of CJ's inspiration as a conductor, composer, and pianist comes from his belief in Christ, his passion for people, his thirst for powerful music, and his love for his wife, Samm, and five children, Hollis, Charlotte, Jonathan, Taran, and Georgia. |