Our Directors
Jared Bloch - Gateway City Orchestra Conductor and Music Director
Jared Bloch is now entering his fifth season as music director for the Gateway City Orchestra, a post he has held since the ensemble’s inception in 2021. He is currently on the music faculty at Wachusett Regional High School in Holden, MA where he directs the Honors Wind Ensemble, the Green Concert Band, the Mountaineer Pep Band, and the Jazz Ensembles.
Prior to his position at Wachusett, Jared served as a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where he studied conducting with Dr. Matthew Westgate. At UMASS he conducted many of the university’s ensembles in performance including the Wind Ensemble, Symphony Band, Concert Band, Percussion Ensemble, and the Minuteman Marching Band.
Jared has been a guest conductor with the Anna Maria College Wind Ensemble, the Florence Community Band, the Amherst Community Band, the Quabbin Community Band, and the Valley Winds. In 2019 he was asked to conduct the John Philip Sousa Foundation’s New England Regional Junior High Honor band at Mechanics Hall in Worcester. He also works as a sectional coach and substitute conductor for the Worcester Youth Orchestras.
Jared is originally from Westborough, MA, and holds a Master of Music Degree in Conducting from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Syracuse University. He serves on the executive board for the Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Conductor's Association and was the manager for the 2025 Central District MMEA Senior Music Festival Band.
James Minnix - Gateway City Orchestra Assistant Conductor
James Minnix is Director of Bands and Professor of Music Education at Central Connecticut State University in New Britian, CT. He is a DMA Candidate in Instrumental Conducting at The Hartt School Conservatory within the University of Hartford. From 2020-2023, James taught at Hartt as an Adjunct Professor in the Departments of Music Education and Music Theory. He also held the position of Conductor of the Miss Porter’s School Orchestra from 2021-2023. He earned his Master’s Degree in Wind Conducting from The University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 2020, where he worked closely with both the Concert Band and Athletic Band programs.
Before attending graduate school, James was a Director of Bands, teaching both middle school and high school programs in Richmond, VA. James earned his bachelor’s degree in Music Education from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. He is grateful to his teachers and mentors from Carlisle and Chambersburg High Schools in Pennsylvania where he discovered his love for music. James lives in Simsbury, Connecticut with his wife Sara, and their two fur children Parker and Grace
Pamela Mindell - Worcester Children’s Chorus Conductor
Pamela Mindell has served as Artistic Director of WCC since 2014. She currently directs the middle and high school ensembles, Bel Canto and Cantare. In addition to her work with WCC, Pamela is also Music Director of the Cambridge Community Chorus, a group of 140 adults, performing choral orchestral masterworks. She has served on the faculties of Smith College, Clark University, and College of the Holy Cross.
Under her direction, choirs have traveled to Italy and Spain, as well as throughout the Eastern United States and Canada, singing in such venues as Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome and Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City.
Other performance highlights include a concert of Sacred Latin American music with renowned soprano Dawn Upshaw, and Osvaldo Golijov’s Pasion segun San Marco, as part of the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center. Pamela served as Artistic Director of the Hotchkiss Summer Portals Vocal Chamber Program (CT) for high school singers for ten years.
As a soprano, Pamela has performed in several recitals with mezzo-soprano Justina Golden. She has sung with CONCORA, Boston Secession and Emmanuel Music. Pamela received her doctorate in Choral Conducting from Yale University, where she studied with Marguerite Brooks and David Connell. She holds a master’s degree inMusic Education with Kodàly Certification from The Hartt School as well as a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Princeton University.
Jonathan Harvey - Fitchburg State University Chamber Choir
Jonathan Harvey is Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choirs at Fitchburg State University in Fitchburg, MA. He also serves as the Music Director of the Brattleboro Concert Choir and the Brattleboro Camerata, both in Brattleboro, VT.
Jonathan’s dedication to early music inspired his published scholarly work on music of Adrian Willaert, Orlando di Lasso, and C.P.E. Bach, and his frequent performances of Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque repertoire. His commissioning projects, composer collaborations, and frequent performances of new works are a testament to his commitment to ensuring that classical music is a living, breathing art form. His research on applications of Paul Hernandez’s “Pedagogy of Real Talk” in choral ensemble settings is a manifestation of his commitment to making choral music accessible and meaningful to singers of all backgrounds and experience levels.
Jonathan has previously held music director positions with universities, community music organizations, and churches in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Indiana, and is a sought-after clinician and adjudicator. He has participated in conducting fellowship programs at Oberlin Conservatory and Yale School of Music, and has conducted in masterclasses with Simon Carrington, Dale Warland, Monica Huggett, Charles Bruffy, and Vance George, among others. He is a member of the American Choral Directors Association, the National Collegiate Choral Organization, College Music Society, and Chorus America. In addition, he is on the Board of Directors for Choral Arts New England, and serves as the Grants Committee Chair for that organization.
He currently lives in central Massachusetts with his wife Jessica Adamick and their son Wally