Loren W. Pontén

Loren Pontén, founder and artistic director of Opus 7 Vocal Ensemble, has been a prominent conductor in the Pacific Northwest for over 35 years. A champion of contemporary choral music, he and Opus 7 have commissioned and premiered over 30 new choral works, while also including traditional repertoire in their programs. After founding the group, Pontén focused on performing choral works by Northwest composers, and in 2000, he instituted an annual Student Choral Composition Awards Program to encourage young composers. From 1989-2025, he served on the faculty of Midsummer Musical Retreat, a week-long festival workshop for adults, leading the faculty orchestra and festival chorus since 2003. Pontén has worked with renowned American and British choral conductors such as Andrew Bernard, Joan Conlon, Eric Ericson, Paul Hillier, Abraham Kaplan, Andrew Parrott, Lloyd Pfautsch, Robert Scandrett, James Savage, Ward Swingle, and Dale Warland.

“In addition to a fascinating program of considerable breadth, Opus 7, capably led by its director Loren Pontén, sang with its customary polish, handsome balance and keen sense of pitch.”  — Seattle P-I