Zachariah (Zach) Mandell is a bass-baritone who has spent his life immersed in the music of the Orthodox Church. The world of sacred choral music was always where he wanted to be, whether he realized it or not, even while playing trombone collegiately in the award-winning Penn State Blue Band and dabbling extensively in the study of Classical Greek and Latin. Since 2013, he has directed youth and adult choirs, including several Eastern Orthodox church and event choirs. He focused on his study of Orthodox sacred music, especially that which emerged from the Russian tradition, at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, studying Voice, Conducting, Theory, and Composition. Having performed with the sundry seminary choirs as well as other ensembles based in the NY-Metro area, including the ensemble Carnelian (of which he is a founding member), Zach was featured as an ensemble singer, soloist, and composer on the St. Vladimir’s Seminary Octet CD Arise! Music of the Psalms (2019), which featured diverse settings of the Psalms, including Palestrina, Georgian chant, Russian masters such as Chesnokov, and original compositions by contemporary composers. Zach was humbled and thrilled beyond belief to make his debut with The Saint Tikhon Choir for the premiere and recording of Benedict Sheehan’s Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom in 2019. He is currently the Music Director at St. Mary’s Orthodox Cathedral in Minneapolis, Minnesota.