MUSIC DIRECTOR

Don Scott Carpenter is a conductor, composer, organist, and arts leader whose work centers on creating meaningful musical experiences for singers and audiences alike. He serves as Choral Director of the Healdsburg Chorus, where he leads the organization’s artistic programming, conducts its main ensemble and Healdsburg Chamber Singers, and helps shape its growing commitment to education, community engagement, and singer development.

In addition to his work in Healdsburg, Carpenter is Music Director of the Brentwood Community Chorus and Founder and General Director of Vox Humana SF, a professional chamber choir dedicated to adventurous and thoughtfully curated choral programming. He is also the founder of ChoralVia, an international choral touring initiative that brings singers together for artistically focused performance experiences abroad.

Carpenter’s work as a conductor is guided by a belief that community ensembles can combine musical ambition with genuine welcome. His programming often brings together established masterworks, contemporary composers, music from the theatrical stage, folk traditions, and works that speak directly to the communities performing them. He places particular emphasis on thoughtful preparation, expressive singing, strong ensemble musicianship, and creating programs with a clear dramatic and emotional arc.

As a composer and arranger, Carpenter has written music for chorus, solo voice, organ, handbells, and other ensembles. His musical background also includes extensive work as an organist and collaborative musician.

Carpenter holds a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Louisville and a Bachelor of Music degree in Organ Performance. Across his work as conductor, composer, educator, and arts administrator, he continues to explore the ways music can create connection, deepen community, and give singers opportunities to do work of which they can be proud.

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COLLABORATIVE PIANIST

Beth Benjamin is delighted to be part of the Healdsburg Chorus family as their Collaborative Pianist. She has been actively involved in teaching piano, organ, and accompanying for many years in MN and CA. She started accompanying as a 6th-grade choir member and has never stopped. After graduating from Bethel University in MN, she started teaching piano and organ.  She currently serves on the Board for the Music Teachers Association of California-Sonoma. In her spare time, she and her husband Kerry, enjoy gardening, fishing, camping, and their six grandchildren.