James A. John Appointed Artistic Director of Cerddorion Vocal Ensemble

 

The Board and members of the Cerddorion Vocal Ensemble are pleased to welcome James A. John, D.M.A., as the ensemble’s new artistic director. Dr. John is Director of Choral Activities and Associate Professor of Music at Queens College’s Aaron Copland School of Music.

 

“Cerddorion is an exceptional ensemble, not only in terms of musicianship, but also in regard to the warmth, passion and enthusiasm they bring to all aspects of music making,” Dr. John commented. “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with them, and am excited to explore a wide range of choral music, including commissioning new works.” Cerddorion’s initial performances with Dr. John will occur on November 7 in Brooklyn and on November 14 at St. Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church, 552 West End Avenue, on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

 

As Director of Choral Activities at the Aaron Copland School of Music, Dr. John conducts the Queens College Choir, Vocal Ensemble and Choral Society, teaches choral conducting, and serves as advisor to the graduate program in vocal performance. Under his leadership the choral program has become recognized as one of the finest collegiate choral programs in the region. Past performances include an award-winning production of Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, “A Night at the Opera” with Queens College alumna Erika Sunnegårdh of the Metropolitan Opera, Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem, and world premieres of works by Sidney Boquiren, Leo Kraft, Meg Collins Stoop, and others.The Vocal Ensemble recently released its first CD, featuring premiere recordings of partsongs by Scottish composer Hamish MacCunn, and the Queens College Choir was selected to perform at the 2010 New York State School of Music Association convention.

 

Dr. John's guest conducting appearances have included Avery Fisher Hall’s annual MessiahSing-In, the Virginia Chorale (Virginia’s only professional choral ensemble), chorus master for the Queens Symphony, regional honor choirs throughout New York State, and a forthcoming recording with jazz trumpeter Michael Mossman. He has given presentations at both divisional and national conventions of the American Choral Directors Association and has published articles in a variety of scholarly publications. His dissertation on Brahms’s Nänie, Op. 82, won the Julius Herford Prize from the American Choral Directors Association and will be published soon in revised form as a book by The Edwin Mellen Press. Dr. John has served as Guest Lecturer in conducting at the Hochschule für Musik in Freiburg, Germany, and has presented seminars on American choral music in Basel and Stockholm. He is currently a member of the American Choral Directors Association National Research and Publications Committee, as well as a member of the Editorial Board for The American Choral Review. He received his Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting from the Eastman School of Music.

 

For more information about Cerddorion, about Dr. John, and about our upcoming season, please visit www.cerddorion.net.