SINCE MOVING TO CANADA, SWISS-NATIVE MICHAEL ZAUGG HAS DISTINGUISHED HIMSELF AS AN INNOVATIVE AND VERSATILE CONDUCTOR ON THE NATIONAL CHORAL SCENE. ACTIVE AS ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, GUEST CONDUCTOR, PEDAGOGUE AND CLINICIAN, MICHAEL ZAUGG BRINGS A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE AND CREATIVITY TO HIS WORK. 

2012-2013 MARKED THE START OF MICHAEL'S TENURE AS ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AND PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR WITH PRO CORO CANADA IN EDMONTON. THE PROFESSIONAL CHOIR IS A RESIDENT ENSEMBLE AT THE WINSPEAR CENTRE PRODUCING 7- 9 SEASON CONCERTS AND PARTICIPATING IN MANY LOCAL AND NATIONAL CHORAL EVENTS.

AS ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF BOTH THE ST. LAWRENCE CHOIR IN MONTREAL (2007 - 2013) AND THE CANTATA SINGERS OF OTTAWA (2005 - 2014), MICHAEL IS CONSTANTLY EXPLORING NEW WAYS OF INTEGRATING ART FORMS WITH CHORAL MUSIC, FEATURING LIVE PAINTINGS, POETRY AND LIGHT /MULTI-MEDIA TO NAME A FEW. HIS CONCEPTS FEATURE TRADITIONAL ORCHESTRAS AS WELL AS RARELY-HEARD INSTRUMENTS SUCH AS THE ALPHORN, ACCORDION OR THE GAMELAN. 

IN 2009 MICHAEL FOUNDED THE MONTREAL CHORAL INSTITUTE, AN UMBRELLA ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF CHORAL EDUCATION. THE INSTITUTE’S MAIN MISSION IS TO EDUCATE THE CHORAL LEADERS OF TOMORROW THROUGH MASTER CLASSES, WORKSHOPS AND PERFORMANCES.

THE INSTITUTE’S IN-HOUSE CHOIR VOCES BOREALES (FOUNDED IN 2006) SHOWCASES CONTEMPORARY A CAPPELLA MUSIC OF SCANDINAVIA AND THE BALTICS ALONG WITH THE CLASSICAL WORKS OF CHORAL HISTORY. UNDER HIS LEADERSHIP, THE 24-VOICE ENSEMBLE HAS BEEN FEATURED IN THE MONTREAL INTERNATIONAL BACH FESTIVAL, THE NAC EXPRESSIONS MUSIC SERIES AS WELL AS ON CBC RADIO 2. 

AS GUEST CHORUS MASTER OF THE ORCHESTRE SYMPHONIQUE DE MONTRÉAL, MICHAEL SUCCESSFULLY PREPARED GROUPS OF UP TO 1500 SINGERS FOR OSM ARTISTIC DIRECTOR KENT NAGANO, INCLUDING THE AWARD-WINNING PERFORMANCE OF ST. FRANÇOIS D’ASSISE BY MESSIAEN. MICHAEL ALSO PREPARES THE CANTATA SINGERS FOR THEIR APPEARANCES WITH THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE ORCHESTRA UNDER CONDUCTORS SUCH AS FRANZ-PAUL DECKER, DAVID LOCKINGTON, TREVOR PINNOCK, HELMUTH RILLING AND GRAEME JENKINS. 

ACTIVE ALSO AS A GUEST CONDUCTOR, MICHAEL ZAUGG HAS WORKED WITH GROUPS INCLUDING THE GRAMMY-NOMINATED CHOIR OF TRINITY WALL STREET (NYC), THE RICHARD EATON SINGERS, HALIFAX CAMERATA, MUSICA INTIMA, L'ORCHESTRE SYMPHONIQUE DE LONGUEUIL, THE ONTARIO AND THE NOVA SCOTIA YOUTH CHOIRS. AS GUEST LECTURER HE HAS WORKED WITH STUDENTS AT BRANDON UNIVERSITY (MB), UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA AND MCGILL UNIVERSITY (QC). HE IS OFTEN INVITED TO WORK WITH PROVINCIAL CHORAL FEDERATIONS THROUGHOUT CANADA, NAMELY IN NOVA SCOTIA, NEW BRUNSWICK, ONTARIO, AND ALBERTA.

IN EUROPE HE HAS APPEARED WITH THE DANISH NATIONAL YOUTH CHOIR AND THE ACADEMIC CHAMBER CHOIR OF LJUBLJANA (SLOVENIA) AT THE BRAMSTRUP PERFORMING ARTS FESTIVAL IN DENMARK, AS WELL AS WITH THE INTERNATIONAL CHOIR OF THE ZIMRIYA FESTIVAL IN ISRAEL. IN SWITZERLAND, HE WAS CHORUS MASTER OF THE SWISS ORATORIO CHOIR REGIOCHOR FOR FIVE YEARS BEFORE MOVING ABROAD. 

MICHAEL ZAUGG WAS THE FIRST SWISS CONDUCTOR TO BE ACCEPTED TO THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF MUSIC IN STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, IN ITS PRESTIGIOUS POST-GRADUATE DIPLOMA FOR PROFESSIONAL CHOIR CONDUCTING.  THROUGHOUT THIS TWO-YEAR PROGRAM, MICHAEL WORKED WEEKLY WITH SINGERS OF THE WORLD-RENOWNED SWEDISH RADIO CHOIR AND ALSO HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH SWEDEN’S GEMS- THE ADOLF FREDRICK’S GIRLS CHOIR AND THE MIKAELI CHAMBER CHOIR. 

ORIGINALLY AN ACCOMPLISHED TENOR, MICHAEL ZAUGG TOURED EUROPE AND ASIA WITH PROFESSIONAL GROUPS INCLUDING THE SWISS CHAMBER CHOIR, THE CHAMBER CHOIR OF EUROPE, THE WORLD CHAMBER CHOIR AND THE STOCKHOLM CHAMBER CHOIR. 

A PASSIONATE PEDAGOGUE, MICHAEL ZAUGG IS STRONGLY COMMITTED TO HIS WORK NOT ONLY WITH CHOIRS BUT ALSO WITH OTHER CONDUCTORS. HE TEACHES PRIVATELY AND HAS GIVEN NUMEROUS MASTER CLASSES ON CONDUCTING AND REHEARSAL TECHNIQUE. THE MONTREAL CHORAL MASTERCLASS ATTRACTS MANY CONDUCTORS FROM CANADA AND ABROAD EVERY YEAR. MICHAEL’S STUDENTS, COMING FROM DIVERSE CHORAL BACKGROUNDS, APPRECIATE A HANDS-ON APPROACH WHEN WORKING WITH HIS ENSEMBLES.