Artistic Director and Conductor John LaForge is the seventh musical leader in the history of The Lanier Chamber Singers, having been appointed to the position in 2017. He is also Director of Worship Arts at Gainesville First United Methodist Church, where he has served since 2012. Under Mr. LaForge’s leadership, LCS has expanded its season from two concerts annually to four, and the artistic focus has shifted from primarily a cappella works to a variety of musical styles and genres, including major works for chorus and orchestra.

In addition to being a conductor, Mr. LaForge has enjoyed a prolific career as an opera singer, having performed with opera companies throughout the United States, including The Atlanta Opera, Washington National Opera, Dallas Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Central City Opera, and Chautauqua Opera, among others. Mr. LaForge also has an extensive background performing oratorio and art song repertoire. For many years, he appeared frequently as a soloist in and around metro Atlanta, including performances with the Atlanta Ballet, Capitol City Opera, Georgia Philharmonic, and The Michael O’Neal Singers. Most recently, he was the bass soloist in Mozart’s Requiem at Carnegie Hall in New York. 

From 1997 to 2012, Mr. LaForge worked in K-12 education, foremost as Coordinator of Music Education for Fulton County Schools. He has supported music initiatives with numerous arts organizations in the Atlanta area and nationally, including The Metropolitan Opera National Council, the National Partnership for Music Education, the Atlanta Opera Education Committee, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Community Engagement Council, and the Spivey Hall Education Committee. Between 2008 and 2017, he was associate conductor for The Michael O’Neal Singers, a large symphonic chorus in Roswell, Georgia.