Lauren Saeger, director of UNM’s newest choral ensemble, the Jazz Choir, is a jazz soloist and educator with a diverse background.  She earned a Bachelor of Music degree in commercial music from Millikin University, where she was a member of the Downbeat award-winning vocal jazz ensemble, One Voice.  Her Master of Music in vocal jazz studies is from Georgia State University in Atlanta. She also holds a Master of Library Science from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana.

Ms. Saeger is a former member of The United States Field Band Soldiers' Chorus.  As a member of the Chorus, Lauren performed all over the country, including at the Chautauqua Institution and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.  She was a frequent soloist with the Field Band, singing varied musical styles from musical theatre to jazz standards.  During Lauren’s enlistment, the Chorus was conducted by various luminaries of the musical world including Erich Kunzel, Paul Salamunovich, Doc Severinsen, and Keith Lockhart, and performed with talents like Rita Moreno, Aaron Neville, and Rosemary Clooney.

Subsequent to her time in the Army, Lauren taught for four years at Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois.  She directed Encore!, the auditioned vocal jazz ensemble in the School of Music, as well as the Women’s Choir, a 100-voice choir open to all women.  In addition, Lauren taught music theory and musicianship, applied voice, and created the vocal jazz pedagogy class for choral music education majors.

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