About

Alex H. Van Sant (they/he) is a Boston-based composer and conductor whose work is informed by contemporary styles such as minimalism and extended techniques, as well as sacred and folk music. Grounded in a love of choral writing and sacred repertoire, he brings a deep attentiveness to text, ritual, inheritance and historical dialogue. Van Sant values collaboration with performers and poets, working with both contemporary and historical textual sources.

Van Sant holds a Bachelor of Music from McGill University’s Schulich School of Music, with a concentration in Classical Voice and minors in Religious Studies and Choral Conducting. They are pursuing a Master of Music in composition at Longy School of Music of Bard College.

Their training includes the University of Illinois Choral Conducting Symposium at Urbana-Champaign, the Walden Creative Musicians Retreat in New Hampshire and the Choral Chameleon Composer Institute in New York City.

The former Assistant Conductor of the Middlebury College Community Chorus, Van Sant sings with a variety of ensembles. They are pursuing a Master of Music in composition at Longy School of Music of Bard College under the tutelage of Alexandra du Bois.

A dual Canadian-American citizen, Van Sant was born in Vermont and grew up in Montreal. Fluent in French and English, they studied Russian at Middlebury College, motivated by an interest in Soviet Bloc sacred music.

Music