Lydia Vermeesch

Lydia Vermeesch is an active choral conductor, music educator, pianist, and soprano. She recently completed her Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting at the University of Michigan (2023), where she studied under Dr. Eugene Rogers. While at Michigan, Lydia served as conductor of Orpheus Singers and assistant conductor of the University Choir. Previously, Lydia served on the faculty of several private schools in the Chicago area, where she taught curricular music classes, conducted choirs, expanded the vocal music curriculum, and directed musical theater productions. Lydia is also an experienced church musician, having served as Director of Music, choral conductor, and pianist at numerous liturgical churches.

Lydia is particularly interested in interdisciplinary collaboration, and has spearheaded several projects exploring the relationship between artistic disciplines. In Chicago, Lydia coordinated a collaborative performance involving choral and instrumental music, liturgical text, theater, visual art, and culinary art (2017). Lydia’s undergraduate scholarly research culminated at the Midwest Regional Conference on Christianity and Literature, where she presented her academic paper on the intersection of oral tradition and musical rhetoric in Handel’s Messiah (2017). More recent collaborative projects include virtual choir videos produced during the pandemic (2020), and theatrical performances combining vocal music and storytelling (2021). 

Lydia earned a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in Music and English Literature from Wheaton College (2013). Her former conducting teachers and coaches include Jerry Blackstone, John Nelson, John William Trotter, Mary Hopper, and Daniel Sommerville.