Chicago conductor Jesse Borower to lead Glen Ellyn-Wheaton Chorale
The Glen Ellyn-Wheaton Chorale welcomes Jesse Borower as the group’s new music director.
Borower is a Chicago-based conductor, singer, and educator. He is choir director at Loyola Academy in Wilmette and an active church musician throughout the North Shore, most recently leading the choirs of the Village Church of Northbrook.
As a singer, Borower has performed many of the great choral-orchestral masterworks alongside historic orchestras including The New York Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and Berlin Philharmonic, and has contributed to choral recordings on labels including Naxos, Deutsche Grammophon, and GIA. He currently sings with Chicago’s Apollo Chorus, where he also serves on the board of directors.
An active author, Borower’s writing on choral pedagogy can be found in GIA Publications’ catalog. He is co-author of “The Complete Choral Warm-Up Sequences,” and contributed to the texts “Inside the Choral Rehearsal” and “The Conductor’s Triangle.” Borower studied at the historic Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, where he earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in music education.
“The Chorale has distinguished itself as an artistic community capable of both the highest musical growth and achievement,” Borower said. “I’m honored to help carry forward their great traditions and dream together of who we can become through the music ahead of us.”
He is confident he has the passion and potential to carry forward the mission of the Glen Ellyn-Wheaton Chorale by continuing a tradition of musical excellence while incorporating innovative repertoire. He looks forward to working with the returning and new voices of the Chorale in this season’s projects, which include Benjamin Britten’s Ceremony of Carols.
Auditions for the 2026-27 season will take place on Tuesdays, Aug. 4 and 11. Visit gewchorale.org to schedule an audition.
Mark your calendar for the Wintersong Concerts at the Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, and 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14.