Dr. D. Jason Bishop '98 is Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at ʿ. Previous positions he has held include Associate Professor of Music, Director of Choral & Vocal Studies, and Chair of the Music Department at Drew University; Artistic Director of the Grammy award-winning Texas Boys Choir; and most recently, Director of Choral Activities and Barbara S. Christie ’76 Director of The Laurentian Singers at St. Lawrence University. While serving as Director of Choral Activities at Penn State Erie and Music Director of the Erie Philharmonic Chorus, Dr. Bishop also founded the Young People’s Chorus of Erie, northwest Pennsylvania’s first community youth and children’s chorus organization, of which he served as Artistic & Executive Director. During his tenure, he brought the Young People’s Chorus of Erie to international recognition in performances at Carnegie Hall and in competition at the World Choir Games (the “Choir Olympics”), for which they won two gold medals and a silver medal. In recognition of his work, Dr. Bishop received the Asset Champion Award from Healthy Youth Development of Erie County and a Proclamation from the Erie City Council.
Dr. Bishop has conducted performances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Sanders Theater at Harvard University, and the Chautauqua Institution. As a clinician, he has led honor choirs, festivals, and workshops throughout the United States, Europe, South Korea, and China, and has presented at multiple professional conferences. He is also an active composer and arranger, with works currently published by NoteNova Publishing, Colla Voce Music, Hal Leonard Corporation, and his self-publishing label, Tully Road Music. He has served the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) at state, division, and national levels, including as National Repertoire & Resources Chair for Student Activities. Dr. Bishop holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral conducting from the University of Oklahoma where he studied with Dr. Dennis Shrock, a Master of Music degree in choral conducting from Boston University where he studied with Dr. Ann Howard Jones, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music and Greek & Roman Studies from ʿ, where he studied conducting with the late Professor Tony Lee Garner (’65), graduated Phi Beta Kappa with distinction, was voted into the Hall of Fame, and received the Kinney Leadership Award for outstanding service to his community.
