WILLIAM CHAPMAN NYAHO (PIANO MASTERCLASS)

William Chapman Nyaho, a Ghanaian American and resident of Seattle,studied at St. Peter's College, Oxford University (UK), where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree at the Honour School of Music. He continued his piano studies at the Conservatoire de Musique de Geneve, Switzerland, the Eastman School of Music where he graduated with his Master of Music degree, and at the University of Texas at Austin, where he received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree. Chapman Nyaho is the recipient of prizes from international piano competitions. As a regular guest clinician, Chapman Nyaho gives lecture-recitals and workshops advocating music by composers of the African heritage. He has compiled and edited a five-volume graded anthology Piano Music of Africa and the African Diaspora, published by Oxford University Press. A first of its kind, this is intended to expand the performing repertoire of students and concert pianists, and also to supplement college keyboard literature courses. More information is available on Dr. Nyaho is available on his website, www.nyaho.com.

CLIFF JACKSON (THE ART OF ACCOMPANYING)

Cliff Jackson, native of Gary, Indiana, received his Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin Conservatory of Music and pursued graduate studies at the Manhattan School of Music. Cited for his sensitive accompaniments and insightful musicianship, Mr. Jackson has been the pianist for many internationally renowned artists including Kathleen Battle, Renato Scotto, Simon Estes, Edda Moser, Felicia Weathers, and Gwendolyn Bradley. His skill as a collaborative artist has justly earned him a place on the stages of Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Wierner Musikverein, the Teatro Colon, and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Having studied with such highly esteemed pianists as Leon Bates, Frances Walker, Martin Katz, and Warren George Wilson, Mr. Jackson has been recognized as a leading pianist from among the pool of his peers. He has gained a wide reputation as an outstanding coach of vocal repertoire ranging in scope from Baroque through Twentieth-Century opera, in addition to a breadth of song literature encompassing the vastly divergent stylistic periods. In 1992, Mr. Jackson joined the faculty of University of Kentucky’s School of Music, where he is currently an Associate Professor serving as Vocal Coach for the University of Kentucky Opera Theatre and Voice Curriculum.

JULIUS P. WILLIAMS (WORLD PREMIER OF HIS
“CHAMBER OPERA” & COMPOSERS SESSION)

Is an award-winning conductor, composer, recording artist, educator, author and artistic director. His career has taken him from his native Queens, New York to musical venues around the globe, and has involved virtually every musical genre. Maestro Williams conducted the inaugural concerts of Symphony Saint Paulia at New York’s Carnegie Hall. He has conducted American orchestras in Dallas, New Haven, Savannah, Hartford, Sacramento, Tulsa, Knoxville, Oklahoma, The Vermont Symphony, The Norwalk Symphony, The Vermont Philharmonic,and Paducah Symphony in Kentucky, The Akron Symphony Orchestra, The Wooster Symphony of Ohio, the Armor Artist Chamber Orchestra, the Connecticut Opera Association and the Washington Symphony Orchestra of Washington, DC. A prolific composer, Maestro Williams has created dozens of works for virtually every genre of contemporary classical performance, including opera, ballet, orchestra, chamber ensemble, chorus and solo voice, dance, musical theatre and film. More information is available on Mr. Williams is available on his website, www.juliuspwilliams.com.

ROBERT SIMS (SPIRITUALS WORKSHOP)

Robert Sims, Gold Medal winner of the American Traditions Competition, has been hailed by critics for his rich tone, energetic performances, and convincing stage presence. Mr. Sims has been highly praised for his moving interpretations of African American spirituals, and has given numerous recitals of them throughout the United States, Europe, Africa and Asia. He has appeared with many orchestras in the U.S., and toured Japan with the Pacific Music Festival Orchestra where he was featured in a nationally televised performance of Bernstein's Opening Prayer. In 2005, Sims made his recital debut at Carnegie Hall and was invited by Jessye Norman to participate in Honor! A Celebration of the African American Cultural Legacy at Carnegie Hall in March of 2009. He has performed in concert at New York’s Lincoln Center, the Smithsonian Institution, the Ravinia, Chautauqua, Savannah, Grant Park, and Big Arts summer music festivals, the Latour de France International Music Festival, and the celebrated American Church in Paris. Under the auspices of Canti Classics, Community Concerts, and Live On Stage Series, Sims has performed more than 150 recitals throughout the United States. More information is available on Mr. Sims is available on his website, www.robertsims.com.

GEORGE I. SHIRLEY (VOICE MASTERCLASS)

George Shirley is in demand nationally and internationally as performer, teacher and lecturer. He has won international acclaim for his performances in the world's great opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera (New York), Royal Opera (Covent Garden, London), Deutsche Opera (Berlin), Téatro Colón (Buenos Aires), Netherlands Opera (Amsterdam), L'Opéra de Monte Carlo, New York City Opera, Scottish Opera (Glasgow), Chicago Lyric Opera, San Francisco Opera, Washington Opera (Kennedy Center), Michigan Opera Theater, Glyndebourne Festival, and Santa Fe Opera. He has recorded for RCA, Columbia, Decca, Angel, Vanguard, CRI, and Philips and received a Grammy Award in 1968 for his role (Ferrando) in the RCA recording of Mozart's Così fan tutte. In addition to oratorio and concert literature, Mr. Shirley has, in a career that spans 49 years, performed more than 80 operatic roles in major opera houses around the globe with many of the world's most renowned conductors (Solti, Klemperer, Stravinsky, Ormandy, von Karajan, Colin Davis, Boehm, Ozawa, Haitink, Boult, Leinsdorf, Boulez, DePriest, Krips, Cleva, Dorati, Pritchard, Bernstein, Maazel and others). More information on Mr. Shirley is available at www.music.umich.edu/facultystaff/bio.php?u=&lname=shirley&fname=george.

HORACE J. MAXILE, JR. (RESEARCH SESSION - “THE BLACK EXPERIENCE”)

Horace Maxile holds a Ph.D. in musicology, with a music theory emphasis, from Louisiana State University. His research interests include musical semiotics, jazz analysis, and concert music by African-American composers. Among his publications are articles in Perspectives of New Music and The American Music Research Center Journal. He has presented papers at a number of conferences and symposia including the Society for Music Theory, Society for American Music, Society for Ethnomusicology, and The International Symposium on Composition in Africa and the Diaspora. Dr. Maxile also serves as Assistant Professor of Education at Wiley College in Marshall, TX. More information is available on Dr. Maxile is available on his website, www.colum.edu/cbmr/Staff.php.

MARIAN HARRISON (COMPOSERS SESSION)

Marian L. Harrison is a native of Atlanta, Georgia. She is a composer, arranger, music copyist, teacher, playwright and photographer. In August of 2007, she became the first African-American to receive the Doctorate of Music degree in Music Composition from Indiana University’s prestigious Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana. While attending Indiana University, she studied composition with David Baker, Sven-David Sandstrom, David Dzubay, Don Freund and P.Q. Phan. Harrison’s other previous institutions of study include the University of Georgia in Athens, GA, where she received the Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education (1997) and Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA, where she received the Master of Music degree in Music Composition (2001). In addition, Harrison studied music composition at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm, Sweden and received the Certificate of Visiting Student during the 2004-2005 academic year. Currently, she is Lecturer of Music Theory and Composition at North Carolina Central University in Durham, NC. From August 2007 to May 2008, she was Artist-in-Residence at the Flanner House Elementary Charter School in Indianapolis, IN. During her tenure, she became the founding artistic director of the Flanner House Chorale. This traveling performance ensemble, composed of 22 auditioned students in grades 2nd through 6th, performed all original compositions and arrangements by Harrison. More information about Dr. Marian Harrison can be found on her website at www.marianharrison.com.

ROBERT HARRIS (CONVENTION CHORUS DIRECTOR)

Robert A. Harris is a member of the faculty of the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University and holds the position of Professor of Conducting and Director of Choral Organizations. Prior to joining the faculty at Northwestern in 1977, Harris taught at Wayne State University in Detroit, and at Michigan State University in East Lansing where he served as Director of Choral Activities from 1970 to 1977. He has also held visiting professorships at Wayne State University, The University of Texas (Austin) and the University of South Africa in Pretoria.  Harris is active as a conductor, choral clinician and adjudicator, having appeared in these capacities throughout the United States; the Republic of China, where he served as one of two guest conductors/clinicians for the Taipei Philharmonic Choral and Conducting Workshop; in South Korea, where he was the guest conductor for Korea's premier professional choir, the Inchon City Chorale; in Hong Kong as a guest conductor of a Choral Festival Youth Chorale; in South Africa where he presented conducting master classes, workshops and lectures throughout the country; and in Argentina where he presented lectures and master classes on African American spirituals. Harris received his Ph.D. degree in composition and theory from Michigan State University and has undertaken graduate and post-doctoral studies in composition and conducting at the Eastman School of Music and the Aspen Music School in Aspen, Colorado.

JUDITY BAITY (COMPOSERS SESSION)

In her career as a musician and composer, Judith has demonstrated her versatility and range in a number of musical genres and styles. As a musician, she has accompanied numerous choral organizations and instructed in piano for many years. As a composer and arranger with a core foundation in classical as well as traditional and contemporary sacred music, Judith adds a unique musical voice to solo instrumental and orchestral compositions, choral works, jazz pieces and contemporary gospel music. Judith has composed a number of published works that include two solo piano pieces, “Toccatina” and “Q and A”, which were winners at the National Conference of Piano Pedagogy in 1992. Her work, the “Mary McLeod Bethune Suite” for solo voice, chorus and orchestra was premiered in October, 2003 on the campus of Bethune-Cookman College in celebration of the opening of their performing arts center. Other previously published choral works include: “Understanding Love”, “Give God the Glory”, “Make a Joyful Noise” and “See My Babe”. More information regarding Ms. Baity can be found on her website at www.celestial-melodies.com.