MUSICAL DIRECTOR
Under his leadership, the Chorale has been building new audiences, partnering and collaborating with local performing arts organizations, and actively involving children and youths into its innovative programming.
Dr. Mikhail (Misha) Shtangrud
Misha Shtangrud was named the artistic director of the Burbank Chorale in 2000.
The chorale has enjoyed increased performance opportunities at both local and world-class venues. Misha expanded the repertoire of the chorale to include some of the most treasured choral masterworks, with Mozart’s Requiem, Solemn Vespers, and Coronation Mass, Saint-Saens’ Christmas Oratorio, Fauré’s Requiem, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, and Rutter’s Mass of the Children (Los Angeles premiere, 2010), among many others.
In addition to his work with the Burbank Chorale, Misha serves as the artistic director of Musical Youth of California (MUSYCA) Children’s Choir and leads the vocal ensembles at the Colburn School of Performing Arts.
Known for their excellence, Misha's choirs perform in top venues in the US and abroad, including Zipper Hall, Carnegie Hall, St. Peter’s Church in Vatican, Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, Prague’s Smetana Hall, and Rio de Janeiro's Candelaria Church. Groups under his direction collaborated with the Glendale Symphony, New Valley Symphony, the Los Angeles Opera, and performed at the Beverly Wilshire post-Oscars party, Key Arts Awards, Operation Smile Gala, and 2012 UNICEF Ball.
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Misha's voice has been heard on the operatic and concert stages, on Radio and TV, and has been recently featured in the English language release of the popular Russian animated series Masha and the Bear. His compositional credits include musical scores for several independent films.
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Born in Moscow to a family of choral conductors, Misha took violin and piano training at the Liadov Children’s Music School. As a child, he performed and recorded with the Big Children’s Choir of the Russian State Radio and Television. Misha studied choral conducting at the Moscow State Music College named after Tchaikovsky, and earned Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from California State University at Northridge and completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Southern California.