Ryan J. Tibbetts
Artistic Director and Conductor
Conductor Ryan J. Tibbetts began his tenure as the fourth Artistic Director and Conductor of the Central Virginia Masterworks Chorale in August 2015. Since 2015, he has also served as the Artistic Director of the Richmond Concert Chorale, and in 2017 he became Director of Music at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Goochland. Prior to moving to Richmond, he served as Assistant Conductor of Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia, Assistant Conductor of the Newark Symphony Orchestra, and Music Director of the Newark Symphony Chorus. He has held visiting and adjunct faculty positions at Hampden-Sydney College, Randolph-Macon College, The College of New Jersey, and Bucknell University, and has served as Interim Organist-Choirmaster at St. Thomas Episcopal Church (Richmond), Organist and Choir Director at Summit Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia) and Director of Liturgical Music at St. Joseph Catholic Church (Delaware).
Dr. Tibbetts received his DM in Choral Conducting from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he was the chorus master for several IU Opera Theater productions, an assistant conductor of the University Singers, and taught courses in undergraduate choral conducting. He received his BA in Music from Princeton University and his MM in Choral Conducting from the University of Delaware. He has studied conducting with William Jon Gray, Paul Head, Brian Stone, Richard Tang Yuk, Carmen Téllez, and Gary Wedow, and has participated in shorter class sessions and masterclasses with conductors such as Charles Bruffy, Vance George, Don Moses, Donald Nally, Robert Porco, Dennis Shrock and Dale Warland. Recent performances include Dominck Argento’s Walden Pond, Bach’s Magnificat, Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem, Beethoven’s Mass in C, Requiem Masses of Maurice Duruflé and Gabriel Fauré, Purcell’s Hail, bright Cecilia, and the Vivaldi Gloria . Dr. Tibbetts is also committed to programming the music of living composers, and in recent years has conducted works including Benjamin Broening’s Wit Wonders, Bob Chilcott’s Christmas Oratorio, Melissa Dunphy’s Suite Remembrance, Dan Forrest’s i thank You God and Jubilate Deo, Cecilia McDowall’s Stabat Mater and A Winter’s Night, and Zachary Wadsworth’s Benedicite. In the spring of 2023, he prepared singers from CVMC for the world premiere of Leonard Raybon’s Libby Prison. CVMC’s 2023-24 season will also feature the music of living composers with performances of John Rutter’s Magnificat, Elaine Hagenberg’s Illuminare, and the local premiere of William Payn’s LOVE, whose commission was partially funded by CVMC as part of a consortium with ensembles in Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.
In addition to his work as a conductor, Dr. Tibbetts is also active as a professional singer and keyboard player. He is a member of The Piedmont Singers of Central Virginia and has sung with the professional Schola Cantorum at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Richmond; prior to moving to Richmond, he was a member of the professional cores of Mendelssohn Chorus, Choral Arts Philadelphia, and The Philadelphia Singers. Since 2016, he has played harpsichord continuo with RVA Baroque, and he currently serves as Dean of the Richmond Chapter of the American Guild of Organists after having served as editor of the Chapter’s newsletter, the Stoplist, and a member-at-large on the executive committee. He has studied voice with Mary Ann Hart, Daniel Cole, Elem Eley, and Vince Treadway; he is currently an organ student of Grant Hellmers. Dr. Tibbetts is a native of Wilmington, Delaware, and lives in Richmond, Virginia, with his wife Kate and their cat, Rocky.
Brent te Velde
Accompanist
A native of Stillwater, Oklahoma, Brent te Velde earned his undergraduate degree from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, with a double major in German literature and organ. As part of his undergraduate studies he spent a semester in Bremen, Germany, studying at both the University of Bremen and the Bremen Musikhochschule. He then earned his masters degree and an additional certificate in sacred music from Yale University, and completed graduate studies with doctoral work in organ, sacred music, and music theory at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. His doctoral final project examined J.S. Bach’s early autodidactic study of fugal composition with a focus on Bach’s fugues borrowing Italian fugue subjects. A fifth generation organist, Brent began organ studies with his mother, the organist and composer Rebecca Groom te Velde. His primary organ teachers thereafter were Christopher Young, Bruce Neswick, Martin Jean, Jeffrey Brillhart, David Heller, Christoph Grohmann, and Hans Davidsson. He earned first prizes in the John R. Rodland Memorial Competition, the AGO Regional Young Organists competition, and the William Hall competition in San Antonio, and has performed for both regional and national conventions of the American Guild of Organists. His playing has also been featured on the public radio program Pipedreams. In his spare time, Brent enjoys cooking, gardening, running, playing tennis, and spending time with his children.
Former Directors
Learn more about the past directors that have made this group what it is today.