Rob Dietz is a leading voice in contemporary vocal music, known for his award-winning work as an arranger, composer, conductor, and educator. Over the past two decades, Dietz has directed renowned vocal ensembles, developed cutting-edge music education programs, and championed a modern approach to choral music that merges traditional technique with pop sensibility. He is an avid composer, with choral works published by Hal Leonard, Alfred, Walton Music, and Heritage Music Press. His piece “The Gift” received a jury commendation in the King’s Singers New Music Prize (2021), and his compositions are performed by choirs worldwide.
Dietz is a co-founder of the international summer vocal intensive, A Cappella Academy, along with Ben Bram and Avi Kaplan (Pentatonix). As a founding director he conducts the all-Academy Choir, teaches across a broad range of musicianship topics, and leads “Grad School,” a pioneering professional development program for contemporary music educators. In 2016, he founded Legacy, an elite youth ensemble that placed first in the International Championship of High School A Cappella at Lincoln Center (2018) and was twice featured in performances at Carnegie Hall. In 2023, the group was expanded to become Academy Choir: Los Angeles, a contemporary a cappella fusion choir that continues to foster talent and create community for young singers in LA.
As an internationally recognized vocal percussionist and arranger, Dietz’s work has been featured on The Sing-Off (NBC), America’s Got Talent (NBC), Glee (FOX), To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You (Netflix), and Pitch Perfect 3 (Universal). His arrangements have been performed by top-tier vocal acts, including Grammy-winning groups Pentatonix and The Swingles, as well as VoicePlay, Kings Return, and artists such as Smokey Robinson, Sara Bareilles, Pat Benatar, and Flo Rida. He has also performed on The Late Late Show with James Corden (CBS), and is a longtime member of the L.A. Choral Lab, with whom he has appeared as both a featured soloist and conductor.
A highly sought-after clinician, lecturer, and guest conductor, Dietz has led honor choirs and workshops nationwide, including for ACDA Eastern, Southwest ACDA, Wisconsin ACDA, CCDA, NYSSMA, and PMEA. He has also been a lecturer and featured educator at events including the ACDA National Convention, the National A Cappella Convention (NAAC), Boston Sings, SingStrong, LAAF, and the Betsy A Cappella Festival in Miami. Dietz is the author of A Cappella 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Contemporary A Cappella Singing (Hal Leonard), a popular classroom resource for choral educators. He currently serves as the National Repertoire & Resources Chair for Contemporary A Cappella for the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), where he contributes to national initiatives and organizational advancement.
A native of Ithaca, New York, Dietz earned his Bachelor of Music degree with an Outside Field in Business from Ithaca College, with graduate studies in music composition and production at the Australian Institute of Music in Sydney. His career reflects a commitment to bridging traditional choral foundations with contemporary vocal artistry, championing new music, and empowering the next generation of singers and educators alike.
