Gary B. Seighman
1217 Massachusetts avenue nw • washington, dc 20005
PHONE: 202.379.6714 • E-MAIL: seighman@UMD.EDU
EDUCATION
(Status of ABD - anticipated degree in May ’09)
Chorusmaster for the Opera Department - Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin (’08-’09)
Conductor of the 2008 UMD Summer Chorus and Orchestra (Beethoven Mass in C,
Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt, Vaughan Williams Five Mystical Songs)
Instructor for 400-level choral/instrumental conducting course (’07-‘08)
Chorusmaster for Shostakovich’s Symphony No.13 “Babi Yar” narrated by the poet, Yevgeny
Yevtushenko (10/’07)
Assistant Conductor of the University Chorale – conducted Charpentier’s oratorio Le Reniement
de Saint Pierre and prepared Haydn’s Creation (’07-’08)
Assistant Conductor and Manager of the Maryland Chorus - Symphonic ensemble comprised of
students, staff, and community members (’06-’07)
Guest Conductor for the New Choral Music Ensemble (Spring ’08)
Conductor for the UMD Afternoon Bach Cantata Series – BWV 48 and 99 (’06-’08)
Logistics Coordinator for the UMD High School Choral Invitational (’06-’07)
2004 – 2005 The University of Oklahoma Norman, OK
Assistant Conductor of the University Chorale (’04-’05)
Assistant to the Director of Graduate Choral Activities in administrative duties, maintenance of
the choral library, and editing various publications
1996 - 2000 Westminster Choir College Princeton, NJ
· Bachelor of Music, magna cum laude
· Major: Music Education
· GPA: 3.78
· Conducting Instructors: Joseph Flummerfelt, James Jordan, and Andrew Megill
· Vocal Instructor: Margaret Cusack
· Student Government: President of Freshman and Sophomore Classes (1996-1998)
7/2008 - present Choirmaster • Church of the Ascension and St. Agnes Washington, DC
· Choose repertoire, prepare and conduct the 17 member semi-professional choir and various instrumental ensembles
· Weekly repertoire includes polyphonic settings of the Mass, plainchant, motets and anthems
· Mozart’s Requiem, K.626 (11/’08)
· Served as Assistant Music director from 8/’05-7/’08. Duties included aiding the choirmaster in rehearsal and conducting duties, serving as cantor and soloist, managing the music library, helped in preparing bulletins, and produced/marketed a CD recording entitled “Lo, in the time appointed”
4/2006 – 6/2006 Music Instructor • Washington Episcopal School Bethesda, MD
· Served as long term substitute for teacher on maternity leave
· Taught vocal and general music for grades 2-8 and courses in music technology and public speaking
· Prepared students for various choral performances and served as accompanist for chapel services
9/2000 – 6/2004 Director of Vocal Music • Cranford High School Cranford, NJ
· Directed six choirs (2 mixed/ 2 treble/ 2 men’s choirs) comprising over 180 students
· Expanded recruitment measures within the choral department - doubled student membership during 4-year tenure (increased male singers from 15 to over 70)
· Mentored a student-teacher from Westminster Choir College (Fall 2003)
· 39 students within the choral program went on to major in music in colleges and conservatories throughout the country between 2001-2004
· Redesigned the choral music curriculum and developed a rubric which later became the model for all subsequent music curriculums in the school district
· Developed the curriculum for a music appreciation course that focused on the social, political, and cultural influences on music
· Initiated a cross-disciplinary art project with the women's chorus that integrated the language, visual, and musical arts
· Established collaborations with the Rutgers University Voorhees Choir, the Indiana State Concert Choir, the NJ Choral Arts Society, and Mid-America Productions
· Commissioned new choral works by composers throughout the northeast
· Organized and conducted an annual choral masterworks concert with the joint participation of the choral, band, and orchestral programs
· Served as music director for the annual spring musical productions
· Prepared students for state and honor choir auditions - Cranford High School achieved record numbers of students in Region and All-State Choruses
· Earned superior and top ratings at various music festivals along the East coast
· Performed at Carnegie Hall (three times), the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and in front of a delegation at the United Nations Headquarters.
· Implemented fundraising activities, planned annual choir tours, managed a budget, communicated effectively with parents/administration, and established the choral program as a positive and dynamic outlet that enhanced the quality of learning at Cranford High School.
1999-2004 Assistant Music Director • St. James Catholic Church Jamesburg, NJ
· Helped plan music for the entire liturgical year including weddings and funerals
· Co-directed rehearsals with the adult choir/children’s choir and served as weekly cantor
WRITING AND RESEARCH
Published Works
“Some Thoughts on Accessibility and the Choral Art,” Bel Canto (Newsletter for the
Maryland/DC Choral Director’s Association - April 2007)
“Agostino Steffani’s Stabat Mater: A Hidden Pearl of Dramatic, Expressive, and Structural Brilliance,” Choral Journal (August 2006)
Non-Published Works
Increasing Accessibility and Meaning in the Choral Art: A New Perspective on Score Preparation Based Upon
Aspects of Reader-Response Criticism in Literary Studies
The Nineteenth-Century Revival of Palestrina and its Effects on the Ideals and Compositional Practices
of German Romanticism
;An Analytical Study on the Compositional Techniques Employed in Twentieth-Century Choral Chansons
and a Comparison with Sixteenth-Century Practices
Analyzing the Opening Two Movements of Dietrich Buxtehude’s BuxWV 78 and Determining the Role of
Registral Interplay through Schenkerian Analysis
· Neighborhood School of the Arts Spring Workshop (Richmond, VA) - “In Search for Meaning: Strategies for Improving Accessibility in the Music Classroom” (Clinician, April 2007 rescheduled)
· American Choral Directors Association National Convention (Miami, FL) – “Increasing Accessibility and Meaning in the Choral Art” (Poster session and presentation, March 2007)
· National Championship of High School A Cappella (Adjudicator, February 2007)
· Seneca Valley High School Choirs, MD (Clinician, February 2007)
· University of Maryland Student ACDA Chapter and Music Education Department - “Preparing for the Choral Job Interview” (Speaker, November 2006 and 2007)
· Presentation at the College Music Society Southwest Division Meeting - “The Nineteenth-Century Palestrina Revival” (Presenter, March 2005)
ADDITIONAL EDUCATION
ACDA Voices United Conference • George Mason University, Fairfax, VA (August, 2006)
· Conducted in master class with Dale Warland
Choralis Seminar • Falls Church, VA (October, 2005)
· Participated in a workshop on the performance practice of African-American Spirituals
Chesapeake Bay Choral Workshop • St. Michaels, MD (August, 2003)
· Conducting studies with Rodney Eichenberger
Long Island Choral Music Institute • Long Island, NY (July, 2003)
· Conducting studies with Brady Allred
Shenandoah University Church Music Summer Workshop • Winchester, VA (July, 2003)
· Conducting studies with John Yarrington
CERTIFICATION
4MAT System - Level I Certification
· Lesson planning and rehearsal strategies that meet the individual learning styles of students
Washington Bach Consort (2006-present) J. Reilly Lewis, director
§ Professional choral/instrumental ensemble specializing in the music of J.S. Bach
The Washington Master Chorale (2006) Donald McCullough, director
§ Professional singer and soloist
The Thomas Circle Singers (2006) James Kreger, director
§ Section leader and soloist
Collegium Musicum - University of Oklahoma (2004-2005) Eugene Enrico, director
Diaden (2000-2002) Dennis Boyle, director
§ Semi-Professional chamber choir based in Metuchen, NJ
§ Performances throughout the United States and CD recording
Westminster Symphonic Choir (1998-2000) Joseph Flummerfelt, director
§ Performances and recordings with the NY Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra,
and New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
Choral Scholars (1998-2000)
§ Founding member of the student-run ensemble at Westminster Choir College
American Boychoir (1999) James Litton, director
§ Paid adult singer with the boy choir for several concert series’
Fuma Sacra (1999) Andrew Megill, director
§ Professional early music ensemble in-residence at Westminster Choir College
§ Il Tabarro, Giacomo Puccini (1999 SpoletoUSA Festival)
§ American premiere of Die Bürgschaft, Kurt Weill (1999 SpoletoUSA Festival)
§ Il Barbiere Di Siviglia, Gioacchino Rossini (Berkshire Opera Company-1999)
SOLO SINGING EXPERIENCE
· Performance of various commissioned works at the Toronto Centre for the Performing Arts (2006)
· Solo in recording, “Lo in the Time Appointed” with the Church of the Ascension and Saint Agnes Choir (2006)
· Washington Bach Consort (2006)
· Frequent soloist with the choirs at the University of Maryland (2006)
· Washington Master Chorale (2006)
· Brightmusic Concert Series (2005)
· Oklahoma City Bach Society (2004-2005)
· University of Oklahoma Chorus and Chorale (2004-2005)
· Raritan Valley Choral Society (2001-2002)
· World premiere of John Burge’s The Lord is My Shepherd at New England Conservatory (2001)
· Soloist in SpoletoUSA production and American premiere of Kurt Weill's opera Die Bürgschaft (June 1999) [CD Recording: EMI Classics ©2000]
· Tenor soloist for the annual Westminster Choir College "Messiah Sing" (1999)
· Featured soloist for a vocal master class with Richard Miller (1997)
· Recent solo performances include Mozart’s Requiem, K.626; Missa Brevis in C, K.V. 258, Bach’s Magnificat, St. John Passion, cantatas BWV 22, 173, 196; and Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass
Jacob K. Goldhaber Travel Grant – University of Maryland
Rider University Presidential Scholarship
Alpha Lambda Delta - College Honor Society
Music Generativity Award - Westminster Music Education Department (1998 & 1999)
Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges (2000)
Pi Kappa Lambda - National Music Honor Society
Chorus America
College Music Society
American Choral Directors Association
- Editor of Bel Canto (MD/DC State Newsletter)
- Chair of Youth & Student Activities for the Maryland/DC Chapter