Matthew D. Oltman has had an illustrious career in choral music, beginning with his tenure as a tenor with Chanticleer in 1999. In 2004, he was appointed Assistant Music Director under Joseph Jennings, and in 2009, he took over artistic leadership of the ensemble following Jennings’ retirement. During his decade with Chanticleer, Mr. Oltman appeared on twelve critically acclaimed recordings, toured extensively across North America, Europe, and Asia, and led numerous workshops and masterclasses with choristers worldwide. One of his notable achievements includes conducting over 450 high school choral and orchestral students from across the country in Chanticleer’s first National Youth Choral Festival, “The Singing Life,” at Davies Symphony Hall in March 2010.

Mr. Oltman is also an accomplished editor, contributing significantly to the Chanticleer choral series published by Hinshaw Music and being deeply involved in the publication of Chanticleer’s “Silver Jubilee Anthology of Music” and “A Chanticleer Christmas Anthology.” He holds a B.M. in Performance from Simpson College and an M.A. in Performance from the University of York in England, supported by a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship. Before joining Chanticleer, Mr. Oltman sang with the Santa Fe Desert Chorale for four seasons and was on the faculty of Simpson College, where he taught harmony, French diction, choral techniques, and voice.

Mr. Oltman’s distinguished career includes roles such as Associate Director of the Master of Music in Choral Conducting program at Music at Simpson, Music Director Emeritus at Chanticleer, and former Associate Professor of Voice and Director of Choral Activities at Shenandoah University. He has also served as a lecturer at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Texas State University, and UC Berkeley, and as Artistic Director Emeritus of the Empire City Men’s Chorus. Additionally, he has contributed to program development at Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY). Matthew D. Oltman studied at Central Academy (Des Moines, Iowa), Simpson College, and the University of York.