The American Festival Chorus is a leading artistic voice in northern Utah as it seeks to enrich its community through performance, education, and appreciation of choral art. The chorus performs a varied and vibrant musical repertoire, ranging from masterworks, opera, pops, gospel, Americana, and Christmas music. The chorus brings together more than 200 auditioned singers from the community, and Utah State University faculty and students.
Milestone performances include Britten’s War Requiem, Brahms’ German Requiem, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, Haydn’s Creation, and Mozart’s Requiem.
Since the American Festival Chorus was founded in 2008 by Dr. Craig Jessop, it has enjoyed a diverse roster of guest artists, including Kurt Bestor, Donny Osmond, Maureen McGovern, Peter Cetera, Kansas, Paul Phoenix, Alyson Cambridge, Jenny Oaks Baker, Nathan Pacheco, and Lexi Walker. The group regularly appears in Salt Lake City and Sun Valley, and provides outreach to smaller communities in northern Utah and southern Idaho.
Dr. Craig Jessop, Director and Conductor, is a professor of music and the founding dean for the Caine College of the Arts at Utah State University in Logan. Dr. Jessup had a distinguished tenure as the Music Director for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir from 1999 to 2008. In addition, he served as Director of the U.S. Air Force Singing Sergeants in Washington D.C., as Conductor of the Band of the U.S. Air Forces in Europe, and as Director of the Maryland Choral Society.