Meet the Director:
Dr. James Brown is the new chorus teacher at Union Pines High School. He directs Chamber Singers, Valkyrie, and Vocal Vikings. In addition to teaching the chorus classes, Dr. Brown is the music director and pit conductor for the Spring musical and one of the faculty advisers for the Tri-M Music Honors Society. Additionally, Dr. Brown is the Assistant Coach for the Women’s Varsity soccer team. Outside of teaching, Dr. Brown sings with the Moore County Choral Society and is the Director of the Worship Choir at Pinehurst United Methodist Church. Dr. Brown holds a PhD in Music Education and Choral Conducting from The Florida State University, a Master of Music in Choral Conducting and a Bachelor of Music Education from The University of Akron.
Prior to attending Florida State, Dr. Brown spent three years teaching in Ohio and six years in North Carolina. He was the recipient of the Jackson Parkhurst Award for Special Achievement from the North Carolina Symphony and Moore County Schools Outstanding Arts Educator. His choirs have performed at state conventions and traveled across the country. Ensembles under Dr. Brown’s direction consistently receive superior ratings at choral competitions and state festival contests in all graded levels of music. His choirs have competed across the country in cities such as Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Charleston, and have had the distinguished honor to perform at NCMEA (North Carolina Music Educators Association) and AMEA (Alabama Music Educators Association) conventions, respectively. Dr. Brown’s students have been consistent all-state chorus participants, and have attended the North Carolina Governor’s School for music. A champion of new music, Dr. Brown has conducted over twenty premiere performances including Anthony Bernarducci’s Acquainted with the Night from his extended work Evening Gale (2019); M. Joseph Willette’s Garden Hymn (2018); Matt Hazzard’s Dream Song (2017); Kevin Bobo’s Corner of Disappearing Names (2017); Anthony Bernarducci’s Misericordias Domini; Rob Redei’s Every Baby Boy from how little time we have tweets from the ICU (2016); Anthony Bernarducci’s Veni Creator Spiritus (2016); and Josh Rist’s Sky Flier (2014). Internationally, Dr. Brown has conducted in the Beijing International Choral Festival for Music Celebrations International. He has also conducted in England, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. He is active as a clinician, conductor, and adjudicator throughout the Southeast. Additionally, Dr. Brown has presented at Southern Division and national ACDA conferences as a presenter and conductor. His primary creative and research interest areas are creating collaborative performance with multimedia and developing effective rehearsal techniques and critical listening skills in the choral rehearsal.
Dr. Brown is a member of the American Choral Directors Association, National Collegiate Choral Organization, and the National Association for Music Education. In 2009, Dr. Brown was a music education ambassador for the United States, serving as a music representative for the first music education delegation to China. Other honors include being a conducting fellow for Transient Glory Symposium with Young People’s Chorus with Francico Nuñez, Janet Galván, and Bright Sheng, as well as a conducting fellow for Voices of Ascension with Dennis Keene.
Prior to returning to North Carolina, Dr. Brown taught at Troy University in Troy, Alabama for six years following his doctoral studies at FSU. In his spare time, Dr. Brown enjoys hiking (specifically on the AT [Appalachian Trail]), cooking (all kinds of food), gardening, playing pickleball and tennis, reading and working out. He resides in North Raleigh with his wife, Julie, his children, Jonah and Juliana, and two dogs, Cullen and Bandit.
Email: [email protected]