Brian A. Schmidt is a GRAMMY©-nominated conductor focused on developing powerful musical experiences for audiences and artists alike. Schmidt has a passion for championing unsung musical heroes past and present, presenting rarely heard and expansive choral repertoire, and is known for his ability to draw from singers a luminous, deeply expressive choral sound of distinctive warmth and depth.
Schmidt currently serves as artistic director on the team of Gateway Music Festivals & Tours, helping design life-changing performance tours for bands and choirs nationally and internationally. Brian is also a part-time lecturer at the University of Minnesota teaching graduate choral courses, and director of traditional music at Wayzata Community Church.
Schmidt founded the South Dakota Chorale in 2009, conducting and leading the organization through rapid growth and recognition. The Chorale released several acclaimed recordings which Gramophone Magazine described as “luminous,” Audiophile Audition called “stunning,” and the ensemble was hailed as “one of the most exciting choral ensembles in America” by Sounds Choral (WWFM). Their 2017 recording of Tyberg Masses, received three GRAMMY© nominations including ‘Best Choral Performance,’ ‘Best Engineered Album, Classical,’ and ‘Best Surround Sound, Classical.’ His discography includes recordings found on Pentatone, MSR Classics, Gothic Records, and Oxford University Press Music.
Schmidt served as Associate Professor of Choral Music at Baylor University and conducted the Baylor A Cappella Choir and Chamber Singers, along with directing the graduate program in choral conducting. He was also the founder and director of the Baylor International Choral Conducting Masterclass and Young Artist Program (ICCM), an intensive summer program providing training for the next generation of young conductors that hosted guest teachers such as Martina Batic, Stefan Parkman, and Richard Sparks.
Previously, he was conductor of the Duke Vespers Ensemble at Duke Chapel, where he also founded both a monthly Bach Cantata Series and Cappella Baroque, a professional period-instrument orchestra specializing in early music.
As a guest conductor, Schmidt has appeared with St. Jacob’s Chamber Choir of Stockholm, Phoenix Chorale, Magnum Chorum, Boston Early Music Festival, and The Rolling Stones. ACDA also selected him to represent America in the International Conductor Exchange Program in Sweden.
Schmidt studied choral music at South Dakota State University and holds a master’s degree and doctorate of music arts in choral conducting at the University of North Texas.