Professor of Music, Director of Choral Activities

Education

• San Jose State University, CA, B.M. Music, 1987
• San Jose State University, CA, M.A., 1989
• University of Colorado, Boulder, D.M.A., 1999

Biography

Dr. Michael Busch is professor of music at Concordia University, Irvine, where he serves as Director of Choral Activities. His teaching responsibilities include the areas of conducting, music theory, church music, and choral methods. His work with the Concordia Choir and the Concordia Master Chorale is featured in an acclaimed concert series which annually attracts sell-out crowds to the Concordia Center for Worship and Performing Arts. He has led the Concordia Choir on concert ministry tours throughout the United States, as well as through Brazil, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, and Italy. During their concert tour through Brazil, The Concordia Choir enjoyed singing before an audience of over 10,000 during the centennial celebrations of the Lutheran Church in Brazil. In their most recent international tour through Italy, the choir was featured during services at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, as well as St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice.

Dr. Busch received the doctor of musical arts degree in the literature and performance of choral music from the University of Colorado, Boulder and his master’s degree in both the fields of choral conducting and organ performance from San Jose State University. Prior to his arrival at Concordia, he taught choral and instrumental music at every grade level and administered large choral and orchestral music programs in California and Colorado. It is his great joy to mentor musicians desiring to serve as music educators and church music leaders.

Under his direction, past MasterWorks at Concordia concerts have included Bach cantatas, F.J. Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Honegger’s King David, Schubert’s Mass in G, Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem, Bach’s Magnificat, Vaughan Williams’ Dona nobis pacem, Haydn’s Te Deum, Mozart’s Great Mass in C minor, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Durufle’s Requiem, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem, Mendelssohn’s St. Paul and Bach’s Mass in B Minor.

In addition to his duties at Concordia, Dr. Busch has served as a guest conductor, festival organist, choral adjudicator and workshop leader at clinics, conventions and festival events throughout the western United States. He has served as Repertoire and Standards Chair for Music in Worship for the western division states of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA).

Teaching

• Conductor, The Concordia Choir
• Conductor, Concordia Master Chorale
• Choral Methods
• Conducting
• Music Theory

Professor of Music, Director of Musical Activities, Chair - Division of Fine Arts

Education

• Concordia Teachers College, River Forest, IL, B.A., 1971; M.A.Ed., 1974
• The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Ph.D., 1990

Professional Experience

• Concordia Lutheran Middle School, Hong Kong, 1971-75
• Director of Music, University Lutheran Chapel, Ann Arbor, MI, 1975-79
• Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1976-78
• Lutheran High School West, Detroit, MI, 1978-79
• Director of Music, St. Luke Lutheran Church, Ann Arbor, MI, 1979-88
• Concordia College, Ann Arbor, MI, 1979-88
• Concordia University since 1988

Biography

Dr. Herb Geisler is Professor of Music and director of Concordia University's multi-ensemble handbell program involving over 50 ringers. He also teaches music education, ethnomusicology, and theory. He has served as director of parish music and taught music and handbells at all levels from elementary to graduate school in Hong Kong, Illinois, Michigan, and California. He earned the B.A. and M.A. Ed. degrees at Concordia College, River Forest, and the Ph.D. in music education at the University of Michigan. He serves as a handbell and music education clinician and has published numerous articles and handbell works with Concordia Publishing House and Morning Star Publications.

Achievements

Dr. Geisler presented a paper, "Faith, Reason and Emotion: At the Nexus of Music and “Religious Experience” in Contemporary American Christianity" at the international Society for Ethnomusicology conference in Columbus, Ohio. Dr. Geisler also published an article, “Thinking Outside the Bell-Music for Handbells AND Other Instruments” in Overtones, the national magazine of the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers.

Assistant Professor of Music, Director of Instrumental Activities, Chair - Performing and Visual Arts Division

Education

• D.M.A. Music Education – Boston University
• M.A. Arts and Letters – The American Band College (Southern Oregon University)
• B.A. Music – Valparaiso University
• Lutheran Teaching Certificate – Concordia University (Irvine, CA)

Biography

Jeff Held is the music director of both the Concordia Wind Orchestra and the Concordia Sinfonietta. He joined the faculty of Concordia University in 2005 and established most of the existing orchestral instrument program at the university. In 2011, he was named Chairman of the Performing and Visual Arts Division (Music, Theatre, and Art Departments) in addition to his duties as Director of Instrumental Activities. His teaching duties vary from semester to semester. He has taught music history, instrumental rehearsal techniques and repertoire, instrumentation and orchestration, music appreciation (online and classroom versions), brass techniques, and has coached chamber ensembles.

Prof. Held is a Doctor of Musical Arts at Boston University. His research interest is comparing learning atmospheres between large and small universities for music majors. He received his master's degree from The American Band College at Southern Oregon University and his undergraduate degree from Valparaiso University. His career began as band director and music department chairman at Orange Lutheran High School, where he established a prominent concert band, jazz band, and handbell ensemble. Highlight performances included concerts in the Sydney Opera House, Carnegie Hall, cathedrals of Germany, and the opening ceremony of the Nechita Center at Orange Lutheran High School. During his time at the high school, he also completed his Lutheran Teacher's Certification from Concordia University Irvine. Held is known nationally for his innovative hymn festivals with wind orchestra and voices, sacred-theme concerts, implementation of new music for wind band in worship, involvement with the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, and his work as a board member of Lutheran Music Program (which produces Lutheran Summer Music Academy and other music programs).

Teaching

• Conductor, Concordia Wind Orchestra
• Conductor, Concordia Sinfonietta
• Coach, Concordia Brass
• Instrumental Methods
• Brass Techniques
• Orchestration
• Music and the Liberal Arts (online course)
• Experiences in Music (online course)

Assistant Professor of Music, Associate Director of Choral Activities

Education

• D.M.A. Choral Conducting and Pedagogy – The University of Iowa
• M.M. Vocal Performance – University of Minnesota
• B.A. Vocal Music Education – St. Olaf College

Biography

Marin Jacobson is Associate Director of Choral Activities at Concordia University Irvine where she conducts two choral ensembles and teaches a variety of courses in the music department. She brings a wealth of experience in collegiate, church, community, school, and studio settings to her work at Concordia. She has conducted performances of the Grinnell College Community Chorus, the University of Iowa Kantorei, and the University of Iowa Women’s Chorale. As musical director and conductor of the Ames Chamber Artists, an auditioned adult community choir, Dr. Jacobson initiated a series of collaborative concerts with the Central Iowa Symphony, the Ames Children’s Choirs, and several area high schools. Dr. Jacobson has also served as a Lutheran church musician for over twenty years, providing worship leadership as an organist, pianist, and conductor of choral and handbell ensembles for children and adults. While working as an elementary music teacher, she founded the Mankato Children’s Chorus, a community chorus in Mankato, Minnesota. She enjoys mentoring students who are preparing to serve as church musicians, teachers, and performers.

She is an active member of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) and the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and has served as regional vice president for the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians.

Teaching

• Conductor, Women’s Ensemble
• Conductor, Men's Chorus
• Music History
• Experiences in Music
• Aural Skills
• Voice

Resident Faculty in Music, Director of Parish Music Program

Education

• Doctor of Worship Studies – Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies (Jacksonville, FL)
• M.M. Organ Performance – University of Nebraska
• B.S. Education (music emphasis) – Concordia University (Seward, NE)

Biography

Carol R. (Schroeder) McDaniel is a part-time faculty member, teaching courses in Church Music, Aural Skills and Children’s Music Methods; she also serves as the music faculty representative on the Chapel Planning Committee. Carol recently celebrated 25 years in music ministry as a teacher, conductor, organist and parish music administrator. She received her B.S. in Education, with an emphasis in organ, music education and parish music, from Concordia University, Seward, Nebraska in 1983. She was a graduate teaching assistant and received her Master of Music degree in Organ Performance from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1985. She has studied with Charles W. Ore, Theodore Beck, David Held, Quentin Faulkner, George Ritchie, Marianne Webb, Michael Burkhardt and Esther Jones. She has taken additional coursework at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, Missouri, University of California, Los Angeles, California, California State University, Fullerton, California, and Concordia University, Irvine, California. Carol serves fulltime at Bethany Lutheran Church, Long Beach, California as Minister of Music/Organist, and is a frequent clinician and organist for Lutheran events in the southern California area. When she’s not at Concordia or Bethany, Carol enjoys writing new hymn texts for worship, in addition to spending time traveling with her husband Gary and their four children.

Teaching

• Church Music
• Aural Skills

Biography

Dr. Hyunjoo Choi received her M.M and D.M.A degree in piano performance from Michigan State University under Yong hi Moon. While completing her D.M.A. degree in Michigan State University, Dr. Choi has been recipient of scholarship with working as staff accompanist in the same school. Since she moved to California, she has served as a staff accompanist at Hope International University and Saddleback College. She was also teaching piano lesson in Flint School of Performing Arts and pianoforte. She has performed and studied in worldwide music festival such as the Millennium Keyboard Festival in Spain, The Banff Keyboard Festival and The Orford Music Festival in Canada, and The Chautauqua institute Summer Festival in New York. As a soloist and chamber musician, Dr. Choi performed Rachmaninoff 2nd concerto as keyboardist in Contemporary Music night with Flint Orchestra, The Real New Music 2009, and many solo recitals in Auditorium of Michigan State University.

Currently, Dr. Choi is working as a Staff Accompanist, piano instructor, and ensemble coaching in Concordia University.

Director of Contemporary Worship Arts

Praise bands, contemporary worship

Director of Operations, Music Department

Biography

Mike Zelazo assumed the position of Music Department Director of Operations at Concordia University Irvine in June of 2011. Mike brings a broad range of music performance, adjudication, music proofreading and preparation, administration and event production to Concordia. As a professional trombonist, he has performed with such diverse artists as Chris Botti, Roger Daltrey, Diane Schuur, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Bob James, Peter Cetera, Natalie Cole, Leonard Bernstein, Michael Feinstein, Bernadette Peters, Tommy Tune, Englebert Humperdink and Ralph Carmichael. He has also performed for motion pictures, television, soundtracks, symphony orchestras, big bands, theme park atmosphere groups, and in pit orchestras for over 100 Broadway-style musical productions. As a music copyist and proofreader, Mike has prepared scores and parts for such notable clients as John Williams, The Olympic Games, Jerry Goldsmith, Elliott Goldenthal, Bob Florence, The Pacific Symphony Orchestra and many publishing companies. His production company has provided musical equipment for The Grammy Awards, PBS Broadcasting, the Black Entertainment Network, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Warner Bros. Television, The Walt Disney Company, the Getty Museum and many other respected organizations. Mike managed thousands of live entertainment performances and special events at The Disneyland Resort for 15 years prior to joining us at Concordia University Irvine.

Adjunct Faculty

A Capella Vocal Groups

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