Founding Director

Meet Our Founding Director, Matt Deller: I am the Founding Director of the Sounds of the Southwest Singers community choir (SSWS), established in 2010 and the Sounds of the Southwest Chorale (SSWC), established in 2015. The Singers perform various musical styles year-round. The Chorale performs annually September through May, singing a more traditional musical genre. The Sounds of the Southwest Singers, Inc. is a non-profit organization. In 2025 the Singers will celebrate 15 years together, and the Chorale will mark their 10th Anniversary.

I graduated in music performance from Central Washington University and believe it is my purpose to pursue a musical path in leading both of these choirs. I recognize there are many talented people who need avenues to musically express themselves.

I have worked with many universally known musicians and conductors, and have conducted both choral and orchestral groups while mentoring others along the way.  I made my international conducting debut by conducting in the American Cathedral in Berlin, Germany, in 2010. I had the privilege of conducting the Arizona Musicfest orchestra in 2012, and in 2013, I had the honor of conducting on board the USS Missouri, at Pearl Harbor, HI. During our 2014 Rome Concert tour I was humbled to conduct the Continuo Arts Festival Chorus during High Mass at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. I also directed the SSWS in a solo performance at the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Assisi, Italy.   
      
While touring England and France during the summer of 2016 it was my pleasure to conduct both the SSWS and SSWC in combination with other choirs.  I conducted during both performances in England. One of my most emotionally moving conducting moments so far has been conducting the Battle Hymn of the Republic on July 4th at the American Cemetery in Normandy, France. The SSWS have travelled and performed in Germany and Austria, Disneyland/California Adventures, Lincoln Center, Hawaii, Chula Vista, CA, Rome, Italy, and Carnegie Hall. In 2015 my choir performed with Barry Manilow in his One Last Time Tour. Both choirs have toured together in England, France, Washington D.C., Alaska and Seattle. In 2023 the group recorded a professional recording in Nashville working with my friend and mentor, composer/director Joseph Martin. We toured Italy in the Fall of 2024 where I shared the podium with composer/director Pepper Choplin. We performed in Venice, Florence and Rome. In June, 2025 we are headed back to Nashville to record a Christmas Album, and May 2026, brings us to Washington DC in celebration of our nations 250th birthday. I have conducted these groups multiple times at professional sports arenas and other larger venues within Arizona.

In my spare time, I participate in mentoring conducting workshop programs from around the country. I also play piano and have played percussion, primarily timpani with various orchestras. I also currently direct a local church choir.  

You can reach Maestro Deller, by sending an email to:   [email protected] 
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The Choir

The Sounds of the Southwest Singers community choir is an all-volunteer multigenerational 501(c)(3) non-profit organization open to anyone who loves to sing. The SSWS was founded in March 2010 by founding director Matt Deller, and our accompanist is Hyunmi Lee. We are self-supporting, depending on both individual and corporate contributions. We are celebrating 15 years in song, 2010-2025.

We have had many wonderful performance opportunities on local, national and international levels. The Sounds of the Southwest Singers enjoy working with distinguished musicians and conductors while visiting various locations of note. We have performed on the stages of New York’s Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. We have twice performed in Disneyland and were honored to perform in Hawaii at Pearl Harbor and aboard the USS Missouri. We have performed in Rome at the Vatican, and in Assisi, Italy. We have also sung in the great cathedrals of Germany, Austria, and England, and at the American Cemetery in Normandy, France. We performed in Washington D.C. at the JFK Center for the Performing Arts, and cruised to Alaska via Seattle. We travelled to Nashville, recording our first professional recording with composer/conductor Joseph Martin. We toured Italy with composer Pepper Choplin, performing in Venice, Florence, and Rome. We are headed back to Nashville in June to record a Christmas album in the famous RCA Studios. In 2026 we are scheduled to celebrate our nations 250th Birthday in Washington DC during the Memorial Day weekend.

Locally we have performed in Glendale Glitters, the Arizona State Fair, as the Grand Finale in Glendale's Hometown Christmas Parade, and annually for the Glendale Military Induction Ceremony. We have sung our National Anthem for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Coyotes, Arizona Rattlers, Phoenix Suns, Harlem Globetrotters, and for Spring Training. We performed with Barry Manilow on his tour. We are scheduled to perform a mini concert and the National Anthem during the NASCAR Xfinity finals on November 1.
 
We perform concerts year-round in venues throughout the Phoenix metro area. We perform secular, sacred, classical, patriotic, Broadway, pop, 60s & 70s themed musical genres.

Our goal is to continue making a difference musically in the communities where we sing and wherever our talents may take us. We also find many other ways  beyond song to give back to the many communities we serve. We generously give to other non-profit programs and community projects by donating our time, talents, funding, and contributing goods as a means of financial and emotional support.
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National Anthem/Diamondbacks (video)
​Click here to view Copacabana video.
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[email protected]

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Sounds of the Southwest Chorale