The Marshall University School of Music will host a Chamber Choir Invitational on Saturday, April 13, in Smith Recital Hall on the Huntington campus. High school choral ensembles are encouraged to attend and will have an opportunity to perform for a panel of adjudicators who will provide comments on each selection performed.
Guest clinician Dr. Matthew Oltman will spend time working with each ensemble to encourage the implementation of adjudicator comments. Marshall faculty members will serve as adjudicators as well, including Dr. David Castleberry and Dr. Briana Nannen.
Oltman is music director emeritus of the Grammy award-winning male vocal ensemble Chanticleer and artistic director emeritus of the New York-based Empire City Men’s Chorus. He conducts the Conservatory Choir, teaches courses in choral conducting and literature, and helps lead the Shenandoah Conservatory’s dynamic choral department. He is also the associate director of CORO and leads the CORO/Simpson College summer master’s program in choral conducting.
As a singing member of Chanticleer, he sang for 12 albums and toured the globe. As director, he worked to expand the ensemble’s repertoire to attract a younger, tech-savvy audience over the course of 300 concerts worldwide. He also helped launch the Chanticleer Live in Concert recording label and edited the Chanticleer Choral Series, published by Hinshaw Music. He has facilitated commissions from composers as well.
Registration for this year’s Chamber Choir Invitational will be conducted online. To register an ensemble, visit tinyurl.com/MUCCInvitational. Please fill out the form completely, giving special attention to the category labeled “Performance Preferences.”
For more information, contact Nannen by e-mail at nannen@marshall.edu.