WSMA Middle Level State Honors Project: Conductors
| 2010 Middle Level State Honors Conductors |
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Rollo A. Dilworth is associate professor of music and director of choral activities and music education at the North Park University School of Music in Chicago, Illinois. He received his doctor of music degree in conducting performance at Northwestern University where he studied conducting and composition with Robert A. Harris. Additional composition teachers include Robert Ray, Pauline Oliveros and Marta Ptaszynska. Dilworth’s choral compositions are a part of the Henry Leck Creating Artistry Choral Series with Hal Leonard Corporation and Colla Voce Music Company. He has recently published pieces with the Santa Barbara Music Publishing Company as part of the Mary Alice Stollak Choral Series.
Dilworth is a contributing author for the Essential Elements for Choir and the Experiencing Choral Music textbook series, both published by the Hal Leonard Corporation/Glencoe/McGraw-Hill Publications, and for Music Express! teachers’ magazine. An active conductor, composer, educator and clinician, Dilworth has taught choral music at the elementary, secondary and university levels. His performing endeavors have taken him to Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. In addition to composing music in the choral genre, his research interests are in the areas of African-American music and music education curriculum and instruction.
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James Kjelland is associate professor of music education at Northwestern University where he teaches instrumental music education and string pedagogy. He earned B.M. and M.M. degrees from the UW-Madison and a Ph.D. in music education at the University of Texas at Austin. His teaching career began in the public schools of Middleton, Wisconsin, where he taught instrumental music grades 4-12. Prior to coming to Northwestern, he held positions at the University of Southern California and University of North Texas.
In addition to his teaching, Kjelland is a frequent guest conductor of state and regional honor orchestras and is active throughout the U.S. giving clinics and workshops in string and orchestra pedagogy.
Kjelland's publications include orchestral bowing: style and function and co-authorship of Strictly Strings, a Comprehensive String Class Method, Strictly Strings: Orchestra Companion (Highland/Etling), Teaching Stringed Instruments: A Course of Study (MENC) and Teaching Music Through Performance in Orchestra, Vol. 1 & 2 (G.I.A. Publications). In addition, his articles have appeared in professional journals such as the American String Teacher, The Instrumentalist and Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education.
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Scott Wright currently holds the position of associate professor of clarinet at the University of Kentucky. Prior to his appointment at UK in 2002, he served as the professor of clarinet and assistant director of bands at the UW-Green Bay, and he taught music for the public schools of Longview, Washington from 1987-97.
Wright received music education degrees from the University of Michigan and Arizona State University, and he received a doctor of musical arts degree in clarinet performance from Arizona State University. Former teachers include Robert Spring, James Pyne, John Mohler, Stan Stanford and the late Evelyn Angerman.
Wright has performed with numerous ensembles including the Arizona Opera Orchestra, Ensemble 21 (Phoenix), Southwest Washington Symphony (Longview, WA), Bloch International Music Festival Orchestra (Newport, OR), Yaquina Chamber Orchestra (Newport, OR), Northwest Wind Symphony (Olympia, WA), Green Bay Symphony Orchestra (WI) and Lexington Philharmonic (KY). He is active as a soloist, clinician, adjudicator and conductor throughout the United States with recent performances in Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Washington, Oregon, Florida, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, North Carolina and Texas. He has been a frequent featured performer at the annual conference of the International Clarinet Association. As a member of Duo Pegasus, Wright performs frequently with pianist Linda Halloin. Since the formation, Duo Pegasus has performed throughout the United States and abroad in many recitals, concerts and educational settings.