The Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh has announced that Music Director Matthew Mehaffey is set to end his tenure after seven years.

Per an official statement, he will step down from his position at the end of the 2022-23 season to take over as Director of Choral Activities at the University of Minnesota.

Per an official press statement, since taking over as Music Director of the Choir in 2016, Mehaffey “has engaged singers and audiences in dramatic choral storytelling, such as the re-telling of the story of Anne Frank in ‘Annelies’ and the Underground Railroad in ‘Let My People Go.’ He has also challenged the organization to explore new forms of relevancy by working with composers such as Steven Hackman and Stewart Copeland to bring their visions to life on the stages of rock venues.”

“My work with the Mendelssohn Choir has been one of the great joys of my personal and professional life,” said Mehaffey in an official press statement. “As a Pittsburgh native, I’m delighted to have had the chance to come back to my hometown and create music here. It’s been a dream come true. The singers, the members of our board, our partners at the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra—they are the best of the best. It’s been an honor to collaborate with them.”

His final performance with the ensemble will be “The Notebooks of DaVinci” on May 20, 2023 at the Greater Pittsburgh Masonic Center.

The ensemble will launch a search for Mehaffey’s successor in May 2023.