ABOUT
Jonathan Thomas Madden is a conductor, composer, and church musician from Rochester, NY. He currently serves as the Director of Music at University Presbyterian Church in Rochester Hills, MI, and is pursuing the Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Choral Conducting at the University of Michigan.
From 2020-2025, Jon served as Director of Music at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church (Pittsford) and was on the faculty of the Hochstein School as Assistant Director and Composer-in-Residence for the Hochstein Youth Singers. Previously, Jon taught vocal music and choir at McQuaid Jesuit High School, and served as Assistant Director for the choirs of Nazareth University (Brian Stevens, director), First Inversion (Lee Wright, director), and the Eastman/Christ Church Schola Cantorum (Stephen Kennedy, director). He also held membership in the Eastman-Rochester Chorus and the early music ensemble Musica Spei.
Jon’s compositions have been finalists in the 2022 ACDA Pearl Prize Competition (Shall We Gather at the River) and the 2023 American Prize (Music, when soft voices die). His writing for SSA ensembles has been recognized by the 2023 ACDA Focus Prize (honorable mention, The Gift to Sing) and the 2019 ACDA Brock Student Composition Competition (2nd place, The Lord is my Light). Passionate about writing quality repertoire for singers of all ages, Jon’s setting of Francis Ellen Watkins Harper’s poem Songs for the People was featured at the inaugural Rochester Intergenerational Choir Day in November 2025.
At the University of Michigan, Jon serves as Assistant Conductor to the historic U-M Men's Glee Club, Chamber Singers, and Associate Conductor of the Orpheus Singers.
Prior to attending the University of Michigan, Jon received the Masters of Music Degree in Choral Conducting from the Eastman School of Music, where he was also awarded the Graduate Teaching Assistant Prize for his teaching of first-year aural skills. He earned the Bachelor of Music Degree in Composition from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. While in Minnesota, he sang with and was a collaborative pianist for the internationally renowned St. Olaf Choir, accompanied and co-directed the Gospel Choir of St. Olaf, and served Highview Christiania Lutheran Church as choir director and organist.
​
Jon is proud to be a student of Christopher Atzinger, Anton Armstrong, James E.Bobb, Therees Hibbard, Timothy Mahr, Brian Preston, Eugene Rogers, S Joshua Sheppard, Janet Stadt, Emery Stevens, and William Weinert, among many other compassionate and generous people.