Grete Pedersen begins Yale appointment as principal conductor of Yale Schola Cantorum
The internationally respected Norwegian conductor and pedagogue Grete Pedersen has formally taken up her new role at Yale, bringing decades of leadership in choral performance, historically informed practice and conducting education to one of North America’s leading university ensembles.
Grete Pedersen has begun her appointment as principal conductor of Yale Schola Cantorum and professor in the practice of conducting at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music and Yale School of Music. She joins Yale following more than 30 years on the conducting faculty of the Norwegian Academy of Music.
Yale Schola Cantorum is Yale University’s internationally recognised chamber choir, made up of graduate students and professional singers. Closely associated with the Institute of Sacred Music, the ensemble is known for its wide-ranging repertoire, spanning early, modern and contemporary sacred music, large-scale oratorio and historically informed performance, and for its collaborations with leading orchestras and guest conductors.
Pedersen comes to Yale after a 35-year tenure as artistic director of the Norwegian Soloists’ Choir, during which the ensemble gained international acclaim and numerous major recording awards. She is also the founding conductor of the Oslo Chamber Choir and a prominent figure in the historically informed performance movement, with guest engagements across Europe and North America.
Her Yale debut with Yale Schola Cantorum will take place on 5 March at Woolsey Hall. Later in the spring, she will lead performances of Haydn’s The Creation with Juilliard415 in New Haven and New York, followed by an Italian tour in May 2026.