jay besch

choral conducting fellow

L. Jay Besch is an active conductor, singer, and music educator currently based in Houston, Texas. Following graduation from Westminster Choir College (BM/MAT ‘16), he taught elementary and middle school general and choral music and led handbell and drama programs in New Jersey, Maryland, and Massachusetts.

Jay earned a Masters in Choral Conducting from the University of Delaware, taught Creative Sound Design and directed the vocal music section of Collegium, the university’s early music ensemble. He served as the operations manager of Elevate Vocal Arts and assistant conductor of Elevation, an all-professional, intentionally diverse choral ensemble under the leadership of Dr. Arreon A. Harley-Emerson, which focuses on inclusion and the many ways the human voice is used in creative and artistic expression.

Jay is currently pursuing is DMA in Choral Conducting at the University of Houston. Jay performs regularly with professional ensembles including Elevation and the Same Stream Choir. He has toured with the Delaware Choral Scholars, sung with the GRAMMY-nominated Williamson Voices, and recorded with the American Prize-winning Westminster Kantorei, a small ensemble specializing in early music.

When not pursuing music or teaching, Jay is an avid traveler, hiker, reader, rock climber, and whitewater kayaker. He resides in Houston, TX, with his fiancé Emily and their Chocolate Lab, Waylon.