Southern Tier Singers’ Collective
I founded STSC in October of 2018. The group is based in Binghamton, New York, and draws singers from as far as Elmira, Ithaca, Oneonta, Poughkeepsie, Rochester, and northeast Pennsylvania. STSC was formed in order to offer a wide variety of vocal ensemble music in multiple configurations, ranging from an intimate one-singer-per-part madrigal ensemble to a chamber choir of thirty-two accomplished singers. The organization’s debut concert on October 26, 2018 featured eighteen singers in a performance of Spanish Renaissance composer Tomás Luis de Victoria’s Missa O quam gloriosum. Subsequent performances have featured a program of Italian Renaissance madrigals, a program of music for Lent, a collaboration with Binghamton University and SUNY-Oneonta for Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem, and a program of music for All Souls featuring Dale Trumbore’s How to Go On.
You can hear more of STSC on our YouTube channel.
Binghamton University
I currently direct the 60-voice SATB Harpur Chorale, the 40-voice SSAA Treble Chorus, and the 16-voice SATB Chamber Singers at Binghamton University. In the October of 2018, the Harpur Chorale was the featured choir in the Binghamton Philharmonic’s Video Games Live concerts. In December of 2018, the Chamber Singers served as the demonstration choir for the choral conducting masterclass at the NYSSMA winter conference, and they have collaborated twice with Chicago’s acclaimed Fifth House Ensemble. Representative repertoire with the BU choral ensembles includes Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem (with STSC and the SUNY-Oneonta VOCI Chamber Singers) as well as works ranging from Palestrina, Schubert, Brahms, Rachmaninoff, and Poulenc to living composers such as Kathleen Allan, Eric Barnum, Jocelyn Chambers, Christine Donkin, Ola Gjeilo, Jocelyn Hagen, Adolphus Hailstork, Craig Hella Johnson, Stephen Hatfield, Jessie Montgomery, Zanaida Robles, Gwyneth Walker, Eric Whitacre, and Austin Wintory.
Collaborations with Living Composers
Bringing new music to life is always a thrill, and I am an eager collaborator in presenting works by living composers. I have worked particularly closely with composers Shireen Abu-Khader, David Arbury, Jessica Curry, Thomas Howe, Zanaida Robles, Dale Trumbore, Mari Valverde, and Austin Wintory. The choirs at Binghamton University frequently work with student composers to premiere new works.
Workshops, Festivals and Clinics
Exchanges of musical ideas are how all of us keep our music-making fresh and vibrant. I am available and enthusiastic about working with choirs of all levels as a guest conductor, adjudicator, and clinician, and have served in these capacities in Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Nevada, New York, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
Click here to discuss a collaboration.
Lecture Topics
I am also available to give talks, workshops, or conference presentations on any of the following topics:
- Choral Music in the Arab World
- Commissioning New Works
- Empowering Non-Binary and Transgender Singers in Choirs
- Gregorian Chant Performance
- Mentoring Young Conductors and Teachers
- Musicianship Pedagogy in the Choral Rehearsal
- Renaissance Choral Music
- Vocal Technique and Stylistic Diversity
If you’re interested in having me give a presentation on a topic you don’t see here, ask me about it!