Biography

Dr. Mark Stover is the Director of Choral Activities at °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±¼Ç¼×ÊÁÏ where he proudly serves as a part of a dynamic team of faculty, conductors, and artist-teachers. He shares his passion for people and building community through pursuing the highest levels of choral artistry. He came to Grand Rapids in 2024 from Ann Arbor, Michigan where he previously served for six years as the Associate Director of Choirs at the University of Michigan, conducting the University Choir, Michigan Youth Chamber Singers, teaching conducting, and holding the role as music director of the University of Michigan Men’s Glee Club. Prior to his time in Ann Arbor, Stover was in Northfield, Minnesota, home of Saint Olaf College, where he served on the music faculty as conductor of the St. Olaf Chapel Choir and Viking Chorus while teaching conducting and a course he designed titled, Music and Social Justice. 

Stover had the privilege of leading choirs and serving on the artistic committee for the annual St. Olaf Christmas Festival, a tradition held for over a century and regarded around the world as one of the great music festivals of the season. Stover led the Chapel Choir, Viking Chorus, and the Festival Mass Choir of over 300 voices in the St. Olaf Christmas Festival presented at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis at the 2017 National Convention of the American Choral Conductors Association (ACDA). 

From 2018 through 2022, he conducted the Together In Hope Choir holding the role as artistic director for the Together In Hope Project. This work led to performances throughout Rome, including opening the 17th Annual International Festival of Sacred Music and Art at the Papal Basilica St. Paul Outside the Walls. In July of 2022, Stover led the Together In Hope Choir and Trondheim Solistene in the world premiere of The Stranger (composed by Kim André Arnesen to raise global awareness about refugees and displaced persons) at the Trondheim International Olavsfest, the largest annual cultural event in Norway. He conducted the U.S. premiere in St. Paul, MN at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in October of 2022. Additionally, Stover served for multiple seasons as the artistic director of Magnum Chorum, a premiere community choral ensemble of over 60 voices based in Minneapolis-St. Paul, and regularly guest conducts for festivals, conferences, regional and all-state choral gatherings. 

In April 2022, Stover led the Men’s Glee Club in the world premiere of Tesfa Wondemagegnehu’s To Repair as a part of a full concert performance in Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City. On the heels of the premiere last spring, the Men’s Glee Club was invited to present the work and an accompanying lecture at the 2023 American Choral Conductors Association National Conference in Cincinnati, OH. Also of note, in May of 2024, Stover took the Men’s Glee Club on a three-week tour through parts of South America, presenting concerts in Brazil, Argentina, and Peru. 

Dr. Stover holds degrees from St. Olaf College and Luther Seminary where he studied conducting and choral repertoire under the mentorship of Dr. Anton Armstrong and Dr. Paul Westermeyer and completed his D.M.A. in choral conducting at Michigan State University in 2023, studying under Dr. David Rayl, Dr. Sandra Snow, and Dr. Jonathan Reed. 

For questions related to choral music at Calvin or to set up an audition, please email Dr. Mark Stover at mark.stover@calvin.edu