Kyle Nielsen

Dr. Kyle Nielsen is the incoming Director of the Osher School of Music and Head of Choral Activities at the University of Southern Maine. Previous to this appointment, he was Director of Choral Activities at Southern Virginia University, where he conducted the Chamber Singers, Men’s Chorus, led the Choral Studies concentration, taught applied voice, and oversaw the Choral Studies internship. The choirs at Southern Virginia have received several performance invitations under his direction, most notably the Chamber Singers’ appearance as the only collegiate choir at the 2022 VMEA Professional Development Conference.

Also in demand as a guest conductor and professional ensemble singer, recent appearances include the 2024 VCDA District V Honor Choir, Southern Utah Performing Arts Festival, Utah Music Educators’ Association State Choir Festival, as well as regular residency with the Piedmont Singers of Central VA and the fully professional schola at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Richmond, VA. He has also presented lecture sessions on rehearsal technique & engagement, incorporating technology & social media into a choral culture, and singer-focused aesthetic programming at state, regional, and national conferences of both the American Choral Directors Association and Chorus America.  Additionally, Nielsen is one of six representatives of the United States selected by the ACDA for their upcoming International Conductor Exchange Program with Israel, scheduled for 2025.

Previous professional appointments include: Artistic Administrator for the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, a project-based professional choir in based in Santa Fe, NM; conducting fellow with the Grammy-nominated professional choir Seraphic Fire; and Associate Conductor of the Master Chorale of South Florida. He is also the Founder and Artistic Director of The Origin Initiative, a professional ensemble singing training program which prepares pre-professional vocal artists for contemporary careers through diverse performance, personalized mentorship, and skill development.

Nielsen is a graduate of the DMA Choral Conducting program at the University of Miami Frost School of Music, the MM Choral Conducting and Vocal Performance & Pedagogy programs at East Carolina University, and holds both a BA in Music and Theatre from Southern Virginia University.