Profiles
Music Director
Dr. Steven Morgan has served as Music Director of the British Embassy Choir Tokyo since 1998. His musical career spans nearly five decades and includes conducting ensembles in Illinois, Minnesota, British Columbia and Japan. Since coming to Japan in 1995 his activities have included teaching both music and English at a number of noted universities in the greater Tokyo area, serving as Director of Music at St. Alban's Anglican Church (2001-2010) in Tokyo, as Visiting Lecturer in Sacred Music at Tohoku Gakuin University in Sendai (2007-2008) and as conductor of the Chiba International Singers (2010-present).
Mr. Morgan is a founding member of the Rikkyo Institute of Church Music and in April 2009 joined Rikkyo University's Graduate School of Christian Studies as Associate Professor of Church Music. Mr. Morgan also composes music for chorus and orchestra. His major works include Magnificat (2007) for chorus and woodwind quintet, Sounds of the Winter (2007) for chorus, soloists and orchestra, a set of choral miniatures with piano accompaniment on poems by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams on the occasion of his historic visit to Japan in 2009. His most recent work, In pace: A Requiem of Peace, was premiered at Rikkyo University in October, 2011.
Assistant Director
Scott Ponzani graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University with a bachelor of music degree in vocal performance and earned a master of arts degree in choral music from Eastern Michigan University. He moved to Tokyo after ten years of teaching music in Michigan. Active in playing and conducting handbells, Scott is the founder and director of the Christian Academy in Japan Handbell Ensemble. He has also conducted, accompanied, and composed for the vocal choirs at the academy and accompanied the Kanto Plain International Honor Choir. He has done additional studies with The VoiceCare Network.
Accompanist
Mariko Sano was born in Tokyo and started playing the piano at the age of three. She studied under Sayoko Fukami and Asako Tamura. She took part in the summer course at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien and studied the piano and chamber music under Georg Ebert. She graduated from Ferris University with a BA in Instrumental Music (piano major), having studied under Noriko Uno.
Since then, Mariko has been active in chamber groups and as an accompanist, joining the British Embassy Choir in 1995.
