American Conductor, Vocalist & Music Educator Jonathan E. L. Wall has served as Artistic Director for the Southwestern Music Festival and Director of Choral & Vocal Studies at Southwestern Adventist University since 2009. As a choral music educator he has developed and led The University Singers on international concert tours throughout Canada, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Costa Rica, South Korea, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany, France and England. These experiences provide life changing musical, cultural & spiritual experiences for the music scholars, while pursuing their degrees at Southwestern Adventist University. On tour, they have been featured in the worlds top concert venues, including Portsmouth Cathedral, Quarr Abbey on the Isle of Wight, Turku Cathedral, The American Church in Paris, The US Embassy in Bratislava, The American Spring Festival in Prague, Samyook University in Seoul, Universidad Nacional Costa Rica on behalf of ACDA CR, Aveiro Choral Festival, St. Paul’s Within the Walls in Rome, The Rock Church in Helsinki, The American Church in Paris, Sta Clara Kyrkan in Stockholm, Pentemont Abbey in Paris, the historic Naatalin kirkko built in Naantali, Finland in 1443, the famed Notre Dame Cathedral in Montreal and the most prestigious sacred venue in the world, Westminster Abbey in London.
The Singers have also been featured throughout the United States across Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Colorado, Washington D.C., Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Vermont, Florida & New York. They have performed in prestigious venues, such as, St. Patrick’s Cathedral in NYC, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Denver, The Senate Bible Study in Washington D.C., First Lutheran Church of Boston, Asbury United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City, St. Andrew UMC in Plano, St. Stephen Presbyterian Church in Fort Worth, First Presbyterian Church of Fort Worth, First United Methodist Church in Orlando, Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas State Capitol Rotunda in Austin, St. Vincent’s Cathedral in Bedford, The Historic St. Joseph’s Parish in San Antonio, Bass Performance Hall with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra for the Bernstein Centennial Concert and annually at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas.
In addition to the University Singers contributions to classical music, over the past couple years they have engaged in unique collaborations centered around Music & Worship with some of the most prominent artists of this era. In 2019, the Singers were invited to join Eight time Dove Award Winner Jaci Velasquez in Dallas for a LIVE concert featuring her early award winning music & worship songs. In 2018 & 2019, the Singers performed as guest artists with Gospel Music Hall of Fame Inductee Steve Green in Tulsa, Oklahoma & were the Featured Choir on his newest Spanish Album, El Descanso (2019). The Singers have also been recent collaborators with other adventist university choirs such as The Andrews University Singers, Stephen Zork, conductor, Pro Musica from Washington Adventist University, Dr. Anwar Ottley, conductor and the Oakwood Aeolians, Dr. Jason Max Ferdinand, conductor.
As Artistic Director of the Southwestern Music Festival, Wall has elevated the expectations for music education and increased opportunities for elite musical performance. In addition to the development of the festival mass choir, Wall established the Festival Orchestra, Festival Saxophone Ensemble and the elite Festival Honors Choir. In 2016 he founded the Festival Commission Project which has brought famous composers to the Southwestern Music Festival as new music creators and clinicians. To date the featured composers have been Ēriks Ešenvalds (I Believe for Choir & Strings) 2017, Kim André Arnesen (Sing the Earth for Choir, Brass, Organ & Percussion) 2018, Craig Courtney (Psalm 23 for Choir, Piano & Strings) 2019, Dr. Brandon Boyd (I’ll Fly Away for Choir, Piano, Bass & Drums) 2020, Philip W. Stopford (God is Our Hope and Strength for Choir, Brass, Organ and Percussion) in 2022 and Elaine Hagenberg (Valley of Vision for Choir and Piano) in 2023. These collaborations have extended the reach of the Festival and increased expectations for professional levels of performance & education each year. Wall also founded the Festival Scholarship Program which has introduced scores of elite students to Southwestern Adventist University and provided them with scholarships while attending.
During Wall’s tenure at Southwestern Adventist University, he has served as Chair of the Department of Music from 2010-2017 & 2024-present. While chair, he founded the Southwestern Recital Series, which since its debut has given over 175 concerts to the university and local community, started the Orchestra and Saxophone programs, wrote the curriculum for the Bachelor of Music Education degree, created the Southwestern Music Departmental & Festival Scholarship Programs and is currently championing the process to establish The Department of Music at Southwestern Adventist University as an All Steinway School.
As a vocalist, Professor Wall has been featured as a soloist across North America, South America, Asia, Australia, and Europe. His voice transcends the expected and can be “…strong as an anvil and light as a feather, all while dripping with emotion and tenderness”. He has presented solo recitals, masterclasses, and concerts and loves collaborating with choirs, church musicians, and artists from cultures around the world.
As a clinician, Professor Wall has directed Festival & Honors Choirs in Texas, Arkansas, Colorado, New York, Maine, Tennessee & Florida. He holds educational clinics on a regular basis and visits high schools & academies to champion choral music, to help build developing voices and to equip fellow educators with tools to help their programs & ensembles grow. Professor Wall holds a Bachelor of Music Education Degree with an Emphasis in Vocal Performance and a Master of Music Degree in Choral Conducting, both from Andrews University, under the mentorship of Professor Stephen Zork.
Wall is married to Czech Republic native Marcela Moskalova Wall, a professional portrait painter and arts educator, who teaches Painting, Drawing and Art Appreciation at Southwestern Adventist University. They have two daughters, Zasha and Luccia, whom they love dearly. Their family loves to travel together, finding new places to eat, new countries to visit and are always looking forward to the next adventure!
