Hugh Thomas (choral conductor)

Joseph Hugh Thomas was an American choral conductor, pianist and educator, perhaps best remembered for his role as conductor of the renowned Concert Choir of Birmingham-Southern College (BSC), a highly respected liberal arts college located in Birmingham, Alabama. He served for many years as chairman of the Department of Music at BSC. His work has been honored numerous times by professional organizations such as the American Choral Directors Association.

A Tradition of Excellence

As stated on the website of Birmingham-Southern Department of Music, "The Concert Choir’s history began with late BSC music professors Raymond Anderson and Hugh Thomas. Each brought his musicianship and dedication to the Concert Choir and established the foundation of quality the college strives to continue today." (See http://www.bsc.edu/academics/music/choir.htm) That tradition of excellence is carried on today by Dr. Lester Siegel, the current conductor of the Concert Choir, who holds the Joseph Hugh Thomas endowed professorship at Birmingham-Southern.

The Birmingham Concert Chorale

In 1966, the Birmingham Concert Chorale was founded as the Birmingham Civic Chorus, under the direction of Bruce Tolbert of the University of Montevallo. The name of the ensemble was changed in 1977 to the Birmingham Concert Chorale. The list of past conductors of the 38+ year old group include notable directors such as Hugh Thomas, Thomas Gibbs, Timothy Banks, and David Smith. The Chorale has long been associated with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, and is formally designated as “The official chorus of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra.” The Chorale’s mission includes the continuance of its rich choral tradition.

Notable Students

A list of notable students of Hugh Thomas includes (among many others): Dr. Angela Batey, Associate Director of Choral Activities at the University of Tennessee; Dr. Donald Oglesby, Director of the University of Miami Collegium Musicum and the Chamber Singers; Mark Ridings, director of the Birmingham Concert Chorale; and Ray Reach, former instructor of music technology at UAB and director of the [http://www.bhamwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=UAB_Jazz_Ensemble UAB Jazz Ensemble] , currently Director of Student Jazz Programs at the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame.

External links

* [http://www.bsc.edu/academics/music/choir.htm BSC Concert Choir] at Birmingham-Southern College website
* [http://www.music.utk.edu/choral/directors.html Choral Activities page] at the University of Tennessee website
* [http://www.music.miami.edu/faculty/mvp/oglesby/oglesby.html Bio of Donald Oglesby] at the Univ. of Miami website
* [http://www.concertchorale.org/index.html Birmingham Concert Chorale] website