Marsden is delighted to announce that Shawn Michael Condon has been appointed as the new Director of Altissime, Marsden's premier auditioned choir.

Shawn is a Wellington-based conductor, music educator and researcher with an impressive international career. Since 2018, he has been the Musical Director of the Bach Choir of Wellington and also performs as a tenor in Nota Bene, a Wellington chamber choir.

Shawn's academic background is equally distinguished, holding a BA in Music Education with a focus on choral conducting and piano performance (College of New Jersey, USA) and an MA in Music, Mind, and Technology (University of Jyväskylä, Finland).

His extensive teaching experience includes directing vocal and choral music at both intermediate and secondary levels, alongside guest conducting for primary, intermediate and secondary honour choirs. He has also served as Principal Accompanist for the Princeton GirlChoir, repetiteur at the Academy of Dramatic Arts (New York City) and Assistant Conductor of Chamber Choir Cantinovum in Finland.

Currently, Shawn chairs the New Zealand Choral Federation’s Wellington Region and lectures at Massey University (Wellington), where his research focuses on emotional expressivity in musical performance and how culture shapes communication and expression.

We are thrilled to welcome Shawn to Marsden in 2025 and look forward to seeing Altissime flourish under his expert guidance.