Matthew Oltman, Music Director, joined Chanticleer in 1999 singing tenor with the ensemble. In 2004 he was appointed Assistant Music Director under Joseph Jennings and in 2009 took over artistic leadership of the company following Mr. Jenning's retirement. During his decade with the ensemble, Mr. Oltman appeared on twelve critically acclaimed recordings, toured extensively throughout North America, Europe and Asia, and led numerous workshops and masterclasses with choristers world-wide.

In March of 2010 he conducted over 450 high school choral and orchestral students from across the country in Chanticleer's first National Youth Choral Festival, The Singing Life, on the stage of Davies Symphony Hall. He is the editor of the Chanticleer choral series, published by Hinshaw Music and was deeply involved in the publication of Chanticleer's Silver Jubilee Anthology of Music and A Chanticleer Christmas Anthology.

Originally from Des Moines, Iowa, Mr. Oltman earned a B.M. in Performance from Simpson College and an M.A. in Performance from the University of York in England with the aid of a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship. Before joining Chanticleer, Mr. Oltman sang with the Santa Fe Desert Chorale for four seasons and was on the faculty of Simpson College where he taught harmony, French diction, choral techniques and voice.

More recently, he served as guest conductor and clinician for ensembles such as the UC Berkeley Chamber Chorus, the Utah Symphony Chorus, the Pacific Youth Choir (Portland, OR), the Iowa Youth Chorus, Coro (Houston, TX), and the Sonoma County Choral Society's Midsummer Night Sings.