Dr. Sharon A. Hansen, Professor Emerita of Conducting and Director of Choral Activities at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, is internationally recognized as a conductor and master teacher. Her distinguished career includes engagements with renowned ensembles including the Romanian National Radio Choir, the Gächinger Kantorei and Bach Collegium Stuttgart, the Stockholm Conservatory Chamber Choir, the Moldavian and Oltenian Philharmonic Choirs in Romania, and the University of Regensburg Symphony Orchestra in Germany. Ensembles under her direction have been featured at state, regional, and national American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) and National Association for Music Education (NAfME)

conferences. A highly sought-after clinician and conductor, Dr. Hansen has led all-state and regional honor choirs in more than forty states. In recognition of her exceptional contributions to choral music in Wisconsin, she was honored with the WCDA Morris D. Hayes Award.

Hansen is the founder of the Milwaukee Choral Artists, a professional vocal ensemble acclaimed for its expressive performances, opulent sound, and expansive musical repertoire. Under her visionary leadership, the ensemble left a lasting legacy by commissioning, premiering, and publishing fifty innovative works for treble voices. An accomplished author as well as conductor, Hansen has made significant contributions to the discourse on choral artistry and conducting. Her seminal book, Helmuth Rilling: Conductor Teacher, explores the renowned conductor’s pedagogical philosophies and methodologies. Her influential essay, “Women, Conductors, and the Tenure Process: What’s Up in the Academy?” published in Wisdom, Wit, and Will: Women Choral Conductors on Their Art, provides a compelling analysis of gender dynamics and academic structures in the choral profession. In addition, Hansen has contributed to numerous publications from GIA and Hal Leonard/McGraw-Hill, underscoring her enduring commitment to the advancement of choral music and education through both scholarship and practice.

Dr. Hansen served for 25 years on the editorial board of ACDA’s Choral Journal, where she founded and edited the pivotal article series “On the Voice.” Her enduring commitment to vocal pedagogy culminated in a landmark study on voice education in choral classrooms throughout ACDA’s first 50 years. This work was published as Monograph #18 in ACDA’s monograph series and featured in the November/December 2022 issue of the Choral Journal. She also discussed these topics as a guest on the Choralosophy Podcast (Episode #128, “The Strange Relationship between Choral Music Ed and Vocal Ped,” November 2022).

Now living in Tempe, Arizona, Hansen is the Chorus Director for the Arizona Musicfest Orchestra. She serves on the Board of Directors for the AzACDA, where she acts as the Community Choirs liaison. Her passion for musical theatre is reflected in her active involvement with the Musical Theatre Alliance of Arizona, where she serves on the Board of Directors and recently conducted Sondheim’s A Little Night Music and Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance.