Joel M. Rinsema

Joel M. Rinsema joined Kantorei in 2014 as the second conductor in its history, leading the organization to tremendous audience growth and nearly quadrupling its budget. A champion of new choral works, he has commissioned and premiered compositions by renowned composers including Kim André Arnesen, Ola Gjeilo, Sarah Quartel, Jake Runestad, Christopher Tin, and Eric Whitacre. His Naxos recordings with Kantorei have achieved commercial success, with Sing, Wearing the Sky (2020) and Infinity (2018) reaching top classical chart positions. Song Offerings: Choral Works by Christopher Tin was released in the fall of 2025, this time on the Decca Gold label. Prior to Kantorei, Joel spent twenty-three years with the Grammy Award-winning Phoenix Chorale as president and CEO and assistant conductor. He secured their Chandos Records contract, resulting in eight Grammy nominations and two wins. He appears on all Phoenix Chorale recordings and was a soloist on the Grammy-winning Spotless Rose. A recipient of Chorus America’s Louis Botto Award for innovation, Joel also worked as North American Choral Promotion Manager for Oxford University Press (2017–20). He holds degrees from Arizona State University and Whitworth University, and serves as artistic advisor and principal guest conductor of Guatemala’s choral organization Vocalis.