Anna C. Lenti

Anna Lenti is an active choral conductor and soprano who specializes in early music and the works of JS Bach. Prior to joining the faculty at Williams College, Anna served as Visiting Professor of Music at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, NY, where she directed the HWS Colleges Chorale and taught courses in music theory. Anna also served on the conducting faculty at Nazareth College, where she taught courses in choral conducting and choral literature.

Anna’s work on the podium is diverse and eclectic, encompassing a huge variety of musical styles, and her varied experience has led her to work with singers at every age and level of experience. Most notably, Anna recently appeared as a guest conductor for the 10th anniversary season of Ad Astra Musical Festival in Russell, Kansas, conducting two full performances of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with a professional orchestra and chorus. Anna is also in demand as a clinician for all-state and festival choruses, most recently appearing as the conductor of the Zone 8 Area All State Festival in Walton, NY in fall of 2022. She will also serve as the clinician for the FCPS 6th Grade All County Choral Festival in spring of 2024. 

In addition to her work as a conductor, Anna is sought-after for her work as a soloist and professional choral singer. Praised by the New York Times for her “beguiling soprano”, Anna performs with professional choral and early music ensembles across the country, including Bach Vespers at Holy Trinity, The Choir of Trinity Wall Street, The Choir of St. Luke in the Fields, Clarion Music Ensemble, Manhattan Chorale, Great Music in a Great Space, and Apollo’s Fire. She has appeared as a soloist on the stages of Carnegie Hall in New York and Orchestra Hall in Chicago. 

Anna is in-demand as a lecturer on a variety of topics related to early-music and choral music. She is a frequent contributor to the Amherst Early Music Festival’s online offerings, teaching classes on reading neumes, approaching vibrato in early music, and other topics. Her research interests include rhetorical devices in Baroque music and the cultivation of musical activism in 21st-century choral performances.

A native of Rochester, NY, Anna received a BM in Vocal Performance from the Eastman School of Music in 2011, an MM in Choral Conducting from Westminster Choir College in 2013, and a DMA in Choral Conducting from Eastman in 2022. When she’s not making music, she can be found baking elaborate cakes for her two children, running long distances, and knitting scarves for her friends.