Russell Thorngate is the Director of the Adult Choir at Immanuel Lutheran Church and the River Valley Harmonizers barbershop chorus, both in Wausau, Wisconsin. He is a veteran choir director and music educator, having taught public school music in Wisconsin for 22 years. He has directed community choirs, junior high, high school, and college choirs, high school and college vocal jazz ensembles, and church choirs. He was recently chosen to be one of the honors choir conductors for the Wisconsin Choral Director’s Association’s “Singing in Wisconsin.” In addition, he has directed seventeen musical theatre productions for both schools and community theatre groups. Immediately before coming to Wausau, he was director of the Ball State University Choral Union in Muncie, Indiana, where he also taught conducting and aural skills. Dr. Thorngate received his Doctor of Arts degree in Choral Conducting and Music Education from Ball State University in May 2011. While at Ball State, he studied conducting with Jeffrey Pappas, Richard Mathey, and Robert Nance, and studied voice with Craig Priebe. In 2006, he received his Master's degree in Choral Conducting from Butler University, where he studied choral conducting with Eric Stark and Henry Leck, and orchestral conducting with Richard Auldon Clark. In addition he directed the Butler University Women’s Glee Club, and he was the Assistant Director of the vocal jazz ensemble, Jordan Jazz. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, from San Jose State University, where he studied conducting with Charlene Archibeque.