BRANDON CHASE
DI NOTO

Brandon Chase Di Noto is an American conductor, vocalist, educator, and composer with a diverse background and musical career. He earned two baccalaureate degrees, one in Music with concentrations in Composition, Conducting and Vocal Performance; and the other in Business Communication with concentrations in Marketing and Organizational Management; from Point Loma Nazarene University. Di Noto graduated magna cum laude from PLNU and was presented with the Outstanding Music Student award, the highest honor given in the Department of Music. He earned his Master of Music degree in Choral Music, with concentrations in Composition, Conducting, and Music Education, from the USC Thornton School of Music. While at USC, Di Noto sang with the USC Thornton Chamber Singers and served as an Associate Conductor with the University Chorus.

Di Noto has established himself as a versatile & in-demand conductor, frequently requested to work with a variety of ensembles in clinics and performances. Primarily a choral conductor, he has held conducting positions with the following organizations and ensembles: Music Academy of the West (Sing! Children’s Choir Director), Oceanside First Presbyterian Church (Director of Choral Music), Pacific Harmonix (Founder & Artistic Director), Point Loma Nazarene University Chorale (Associate Conductor), Santa Barbara Choral Society (Assistant Conductor), UC Santa Barbara Singing Gauchos (Instructor & Conductor). No stranger to working with orchestras, Di Noto served as Associate Conductor of the PLNU Chamber Orchestra for two seasons, where he prepared and conducted standard concert repertoire and several new student premieres. Also maintaining an interest in opera, he made his conducting debut in 2022 leading the offstage chorus in San Diego Opera’s four-concert run of Mozart’s Cosí fan tutte. With Sing!, Di Noto prepared a select amount of students to sing with GRAMMY-Winning mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato in her touring Eden concert production. With the Santa Barbara Choral Society, he helped prepare the chorus to sing with the 11-voice a cappella group Voctave during the group’s annual gala concert. Recently Di Noto served as a workshop conductor on GRAMMY-Winning composer Danaë Xanthe Vlasse’s new production of Mythologies 2, also collaborating with GRAMMY-Winning Sopranos Hila Plitmann & Sangeeta Kaur on the project; and conducted the world premiere of Vlasse’s One Heart with Sterling Ensemble Los Angeles featuring Kaur as the soprano soloist. He currently serves as the Director of Choral & Vocal Ensembles at Classical Academy High School, Conductor of the Azusa Pacific University Bel Canto Women’s Choir and Men’s Chorale Club; and continues to maintain an active performance calendar. Di Noto’s mentors include: Grant Gershon, Cristian Grases, Daniel Jackson, Michelle Jensen, Nicole Lamartine, Larry Livingston, Keith Pedersen, Jo-Michael Scheibe, Tram Sparks, Bruce Stasyna, Nick Strimple, Philip Tyler, and Jo Anne Wasserman.

An equally accomplished and in-demand vocalist, Di Noto’s performances include: choral, musical theatre, opera, operetta and solo appearances. He has sung with several internationally acclaimed ensembles and conductors including: Bach Collegium San Diego (Ruben Valenzuela), PLNU Concert Choir (Daniel Jackson), Sacra/Profana (Juan Carlos Acosta & Krishan Oberoi), USC Thornton Chamber Singers (Jo-Michael Scheibe), and Voces8 (Barnaby Smith). Di Noto’s soloist highlights include selections from Bach’s Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit, Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb, Handel’s Messiah, Mendelssohn’s Die Erste Walpurgisnacht & Elijah, and Schubert’s Mass in G. Musical theatre & operetta highlights include the roles: Gomez Addams (The Addams Family), Lazar Wolf (Fiddler on the Roof), Jud Fry (Oklahoma!), Cowardly Lion (The Wizard of Oz). No stranger to session singing, his voice can be heard on the recently released recording, Gregorian Meditations: Choral Works of Forgotten French Masters Desenclos and Langlais, released in 2021 with the USC Thornton Chamber Singers. Di Noto was also one of sixteen singers selected and featured on The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power preview panel at San Diego Comic-Con in 2022 alongside series composer Bear McCreary. He currently sings with Sterling Ensemble, a chamber choir based in Los Angeles, and the Azusa Pacific University Chamber Singers; both under the direction of Michelle Jensen. With Sterling Ensemble, Di Noto sang at the 2023 ACDA National Convention in Cincinnati and will appear at the 2024 ACDA Western Regional Conference in Pasadena. With the APU Chamber Singers, he sang and soloed at the 2023 International Musical Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Wales, and will appear at the 2023 NCCO National Conference in Atlanta. Di Noto’s mentors include: Isabel Bayrakdarian, J. Craig Johnson, Amy Mein, Mary Mattei Scheibe, and Michael Sokol.

Di Noto’s passion for music education has allowed him to serve as a K-12, Collegiate and Community music educator & administrator in addition to his performance activities. He has held several positions at the following institutions: Bach2Rock Music School Encinitas (Assistant School Director), Maranatha Christian Schools (Long-Term K-12 Substitute Music Teacher), UC Santa Barbara (Instructor). Frequently requested as a clinician, lecturer and guest conductor, Di Noto has been invited to work with multiple choral ensembles including: Azusa Pacific University Chamber Singers, Solana Beach Presbyterian Church Chancel Choir and University of San Diego Choral Scholars. He has also served on Masters Thesis Defense Committees at Point Loma Nazarene University, edited doctoral dissertations at the USC Thornton School of Music, and is a past member of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Subcommittee of the Music Academy of the West. Di Noto currently serves as the Director of Choral and Vocal Ensembles at Classical Academy High School, an Adjunct Professor of Choral Music at Azusa Pacific University; maintains a private studio teaching piano and voice, and continues to serve on Masters Thesis Committees at PLNU.

As a composer, Di Noto is captivated by traditional and innovative methods of conveying musical narratives to his audiences. He is interested in blending traditional and extended harmonies, as well as modern composition techniques with the many cultural and musical traditions at his disposal, in his works. Di Noto’s composition mentors include: Neal Desby, Victor Labenske, Z. Randall Stroope, and Frank Ticheli.

Di Noto divides his time between Southern California, Miami, and the myriad of locations his performance career takes him. On the rare occasion when he is not involved in musical activities, Di Noto enjoys cooking, exercising, hiking, traveling, watersports, and spending time with his friends and loved ones.