Nathan Lofton enjoys an active career as a conductor, composer, singer, educator, and administrator. At present, he is the Artistic and Production Manager for the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, on the faculty of Widener University, a member of the music staff at Opera Philadelphia, and regularly conducts the Chestnut Street Singers, a Philadelphia-based collaborative chamber choir. A former Music Director of the Boston New Music Initiative, Nathan has also previously served on the music staffs of the Tanglewood Music Center and the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia. Recent guest conducting engagements include a program of contemporary one-act operas at the Longy School of Music of Bard College and preparing the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia for an appearance with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Mann Center.
Nathan’s arrangements have been performed by the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, the United States Navy Band, and members of the Boston, San Francisco, and Utah Symphony Orchestras. Recent commissions have included arrangements for the Temple University Theater Department, Philadelphia Mural Arts, and the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia.
Also a professional choral singer, Nathan is a staff singer at the Church of the Good Shepherd, Rosemont, and has performed with the Philadelphia Singers, the Philadelphia Symphonic Choir, and the Opera Philadelphia Chorus. A former member of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, Nathan has performed with the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops on many occasions, including appearances at Carnegie Hall, the Lucerne and BBC Proms Festivals, and on PBS’s Great Performances.
A native of San Francisco, Nathan is a graduate of the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts, New England Conservatory, and Temple University. Nathan has studied composition with Michael Gandolfi and Scott Wheeler, and conducting with Paul Rardin, Charles Peltz, and Hugh Wolff. Nathan has participated in conducting masterclasses sponsored by the American Choral Director’s Association, Chorus America, and the Oregon Bach Festival with Simon Halsey, Helmuth Rilling, and Robert Spano.