Artistic Director, Vocal Arts of Fairfax
Conductor, Vocal Arts Ensemble & Vocal Arts Singers
Michael L. Ehrlich, Artistic Director of the Vocal Arts of Fairfax, established on July 1, 2024, conducts the Vocal Arts Ensemble (VAE) and the Vocal Arts Singers (VAS). Ehrlich leads both ensembles on a musical journey that encompasses a variety of genres, including traditional choral literature, American folksongs and spirituals, music of different cultures, vocal jazz, and Broadway. He has thirty-four years of experience as a choral director, directing six ensembles from beginning through advanced levels, including tenor/bass, treble, and mixed choirs.
Ehrlich moved to Northern Virginia in 1983 to teach private lessons and color guard for several Northern Virginia high schools. From 1988 to 2018 he worked at W.T. Woodson High School in the choral program, starting with 35 students and growing to over 260 students. Under his direction, the six choirs at Woodson consistently received superior ratings at the Virginia Music Educators Association (VMEA) district choral festival and the festivals for the annual spring trip. The Select Women’s Ensemble performed for the VMEA convention in 1993, 1999, and 2014, and the Southern Division, American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) convention in 1998, 2006, and 2012. Other VMEA performances include the Select Vocal Ensemble in 2006 and the Select Men’s Ensemble in 2010 and 2017. The Select Vocal Ensemble was a 1997-1998 winner of the WGMS classical radio station/ GEICO Young Artists in the Community contest and was honored to perform at The Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater in 1998. The Select Vocal Ensemble has performed at The Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage and Concert Hall, in addition to a performance in Strathmore Hall.
He has led nine European concert tours involving students from both Woodson High School and the east coast of the United States, singing at venues in Austria, Switzerland, Italy, and France.
Highlights of the tour included singing mass at Notre Dame and also performances at a wreath-laying ceremony at the American Cemetery in Normandy, France. Each year, Mr. Ehrlich served as the vocal director and pit orchestra conductor for the school’s annual musical. He was also the stage and music director for the choral department’s annual revue, “Dessert on Broadway”, which he began in 1990, and it continues to this day.
Mr. Ehrlich’s leadership roles have included: district representative, vice president and president of the Virginia Choral Directors Association (VCDA) and the VMEA; twenty years working with the VCDA and VMEA boards; and nine years as Associate Conference Coordinator of the VMEA Professional Development Conference. He has spent twenty-five years as a guest clinician for District and All County choral events and also as an adjudicator for various festivals and assessments. Mr. Ehrlich is past president of the Fairfax County Choral Directors Association.
Ehrlich was honored to work with Nolan Williams Jr. serving as the associate chorus master for the Andrea Bocelli concert, which was held in Baltimore in February 2024.
Mr. Ehrlich has a Masters in Music Education and Choral Conducting from Florida State University, studying with Kevin Fenton, Judy Bowers, and André Thomas. He received a Bachelor of Music degree with a theater minor from Indiana University. He has also studied with Anthony Maiello, Robert Fountain, Rodney Eichenberger, Jerry Blackstone, Eugene Rogers, and others.
Prior to his collegiate studies, Mr. Ehrlich was a saxophonist with the Air Force Band of the East.