Carthage hires Rick Bjella as distinguished conductor in residence
“We are tremendously excited to welcome Prof. Richard Bjella as our distinguished conductor in residence,” says Edward Kawakami, associate professor of music. “A world-renowned educator and performer, Prof. Bjella has won prestigious teaching awards at both Texas Tech and Lawrence, conducted internationally, and garnered the lifetime achievement award from the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association.”
In 2014, Prof. Bjella was appointed artistic director of the San Antonio Chamber Choir, the only professional choir in the San Antonio area. Previous to his appointment as full professor at Texas Tech University, Prof. Bjella served as the director of choral studies at the Lawrence Conservatory of Music for 25 years, leading the Concert Choir in an acclaimed performance at the 2009 National ACDA Convention. He has also conducted and presented at over 400 festivals and workshops in 32 states, including several appearances at Lincoln Center, Orchestra Hall, and Carnegie Hall.
Prof. Bjella has presented workshops at several ACDA national and regional conventions, has been artist in residence at Westminster Choir College, Iowa State University, Southwest Missouri State University, and the University of Delaware. He has conducted and presented masterclasses outside the United States in Medellín, Columbia; Leogane, Haiti; Seoul, Korea; Vilnius, Lithuania; Paris, France; Prague, Czech Republic; Lucerne, Switzerland; and London, England.
“Prof. Bjella is a sought-after clinician,” says Dimirti Shapovalov, associate professor of music. “We are thrilled to welcome him to steward the Carthage Choir — a position he is uniquely qualified for.”
Founded in 1927, the Carthage Choir originally performed a cappella choral music solely from the sacred repertory. Now, the choir now performs sacred and secular music from the full expanse of choral traditions. Since 1973, the choir has taken 16 European tours, the most recent of which took the Carthage Choir to Hungary, Slovenia, and Italy in Jan. 2018. The choir had its solo debut concert at Carnegie Hall in May 2011, and won the prestigious Spittal International Choir Competition in Spittal, Austria in both the folk song and classical categories in July 2019.
SPONSORING DEPARTMENT, OFFICE, OR ORGANIZATION:
Music Department