Jon Madden, Minister of Music
Jonathan Thomas Madden is a graduate of St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Music Degree in Composition. Jon is a former member of the internationally-renowned St. Olaf Choir, serving as principal ensemble pianist, bass section leader, and secretary/treasurer for the ensemble. A four-year member of and pianist for the Gospel Choir of St. Olaf, Jon also served as co-director of this student-led ensemble his senior year. Among other on-campus roles, Jon worked as a piano tutor and a Classroom Assistant for Music Theory/Aural Skills as well as Basic Conducting classes, and was a member of the Music Department Student Committee. From 2018-2020, he served as the Choir Director and Organist at Highview Christiania Lutheran Church in Farmington, MN. Jon studied piano with Christopher Atzinger, organ with James E. Bobb, and composition with Timothy Mahr. He has also studied privately with Jake Runestad.
Jon is an award-winning composer, having his works recognized at both national and state levels. Most notably, he was awarded 2nd place in the 2019 American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Brock Student Composition Competition. Other awards and recognitions for his writing have come from the National Association for Music Education, New York State School Music Association, The Choral Project (San Jose, CA), and True Concord’s Stephen Paulus Emerging Composer Competition (Tucson, AZ). His pieces have been performed by seven of the large ensembles at St. Olaf, including choirs, bands, and orchestras, and in the Spring of 2018, his music made its international debut as the Hochstein Youth Symphony Orchestra from Rochester, NY brought one of his works on their tour to Portugal and Spain. Jon is passionate about bringing the voices of living composers into the sacred music canon.
A native of Rochester, NY (and a member of the Fairport High School Class of 2016), Jon remains active in local musical theater as a pit musician and music director. He has served as accompanist for the Fairport High School choirs. Jon enjoys taking long walks around his hometown, is an avid baseball fan, and enjoys baking and cooking. Jon aspires to pursue graduate studies in Choral Conducting in the future.