Sergey Tkachenko is a Ukrainian-American conductor, bass-baritone, and collaborative pianist. He is driven to bring musicians together in the performance of choral-instrumental works and is excited to join the May Festival as the Conducting Fellow for the 2023-24 season.
In 2023, Tkachenko completed his master’s degree in choral conducting at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he was an Associate Instructor for the Choral Department. He directed the All-Campus Chorus, Conductors Chorus, and was the assistant director of the renowned show choir, the Singing Hoosiers, with whom he toured and appeared as a clinician. Tkachenko was also the assistant chorus master for two opera productions with IU Opera Theater. In addition to teaching a musicianship and vocal skills course, Tkachenko performed with early music ensembles, premiered new compositions, and played chamber music. To support his studies at IU, he received the Margaret E. Hillis Memorial Scholarship.
Before pursuing graduate studies, Tkachenko was the choral director at Moorestown High School, where he led three choral ensembles, vocal-directed musicals, taught music theory, and accompanied choral concerts. During his tenure, his ensembles earned high marks at the NJ ACDA and NAFME choral festivals. He was an active member of the SJCDA, assisting in preparing festival choruses. In 2019, he accompanied the Elementary Honor Choir Festival, premiering a new commission by Jim Papoulis. Tkachenko maintains an active performance schedule as a professional choral singer and church musician. He joined the Philadelphia Symphonic Choir in 2016, singing choral masterworks under the direction of Joe Miller and Yannick Nézet-Séguin. He also sings with The Union, Cincinnati, with Trevor Kroeger, director. Recently, Tkachenko appeared in the choir for the upcoming Leonard Bernstein biopic, Maestro, with Bradley Cooper. In 2023, he served as assistant music director at the First United Methodist Church in Bloomington.
Tkachenko’s musical leadership includes both orchestral and choral conducting. He was assistant conductor for the Westminster Community Orchestra in Princeton, NJ from 2017-2020. During that time, he studied with Kenneth Kiesler, Donald Schleicher, and Victor Yampolsky in orchestral masterclasses and workshops.
Tkachenko is passionate about programming and performing the music of his Slavic heritage, and he coaches vocalists and ensembles in Russian and Ukrainian diction. Tkachenko earned his undergraduate degree in Music Education from Westminster Choir College in 2014 and will begin his doctorate in choral conducting at CCM in the fall of 2023.