Nathan Lofton

Appointed Fall 2024

Nathan Lofton is a Washington, DC-based conductor, singer, educator and administrator. Equally experienced in leading instrumental and vocal ensembles, he has been a staff conductor for the Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia and the Washington Chorus; has prepared choruses for the Baltimore Symphony, National Symphony and Philadelphia Orchestras; and has appeared as a conductor with the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Chestnut Street Singers, Boston Opera Collaborative and the Boston New Music Initiative. Lofton is a staff singer at St. John’s Church, Lafayette Square, in DC and performs regularly with the Washington Master Chorale and the Washington National Cathedral Choir. Lofton has been a member of the music staff at Opera Philadelphia since 2017, and has been an administrator and musical assistant at the Artosphere Festival in Fayetteville, Arkansas, since 2022. A committed educator, he is currently on the faculty at the University of Maryland, College Park, and has previously taught at Temple University and Widener University. Dr. Lofton holds a bachelor’s degree in composition from New England Conservatory, a master’s degree in choral conducting from Temple University, and a doctorate in choral conducting from the University of Maryland. His principal conducting teachers have included Jason Max Ferdinand, Edward Maclary, David Neely and Paul Rardin, and he has participated in masterclasses with Simon Halsey, David Hayes, Helmuth Rilling and Robert Spano.