Immediate release
Peter Ingalls, Director of Marketing
Music Center of South Central Michigan
269 963 1911 ext.2523
pingalls@musiccenterscmi.com
Elinor Marsh, Executive Director
269 963-1911, ext.2522
emarsh@musiccenterscmi.com
www.musiccenterscmi.com
Popular Choir Director Leaving Battle Creek For Graduate School
One of Battle Creek's leading choral directors is moving onward and upward. Following 11 successful years as music director of the Battle Creek Girls' Chorus, and ten at the helm of the Battle Creek Community Chorus, Brian Clissold will be moving to Indianapolis this fall to pursue a master's degree in choral conducting from Butler University.
Clissold will be conducting his final local concerts with the Community Chorus this Sunday, May 18, and with the Girls' Chorus on Friday, May 30. He will also accompany the Girls’ Chorus on their summer tours to Indianapolis and Los Angeles in June.
Clissold said that he decided to go to graduate school "to become a better, more well-rounded choral conductor.” “ I will be working with people who can bring me to the next level,” he said. Clissold will study under the renowned director of the Indianapolis Children's Choir, Henry Leck, and with the conductor of the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, Dr. Eric Stark.
Clissold has been awarded Butler University's highest graduate assistantship. During his degree program, he will assist teaching undergraduate conducting classes and serve as Assistant Director for the top choir, the Butler University Chorale.
Clissold holds a bachelor's degree in music from Western Michigan University.
During Clissold's tenure with the Girls' Chorus, the chorus grew from
35 singers in three ensembles to nearly 100 in five ensembles.
Performance highlights include two performance tours to England, an invitation to sing for the American Choral Director's Association, and numerous concerts throughout the Battle Creek area.
Clissold will be succeeded as director of the Girls' Chorus by Meredith Bowen of Lansing.
Under Clissold, the Battle Creek Community Chorus earned audience and critical acclaim for performances in a wide range of styles, from Christmas music to classical masterworks to Broadway hits. Chorus members said that Clissold’s enthusiasm and commitment to quality kept singers coming back year after year. Performance highlights include several opera and oratorio appearances with the Battle Creek Symphony.
A national search is now underway for the Clissold’s successor at the Community Chorus.
Cllissold said that the final concerts will be “bittersweet” for him. “I'm looking forward to the beautiful music that we will make, but will be sad when the final cutoffs come. The chorus members are my friends, even extended family.”
Executive Director Elinor Marsh said, “While we are all very excited for this next chapter in Brian's life, it is an understatement to say that the Music Center will miss him. In his decade with us, we have seen Brian grow in his abilities and build sustainable, high-quality programs." Marsh added, "The best honor we can give him is to continue to nurture the choirs he developed. His legacy will be felt in our community for years to come."
For information on the May 18 Community Chorus concert and the May 30 Girls’ Chorus concert, call Music Center Tickets at 269 565.2199 or visit www.MusicCenterscmi.com.
Peter Ingalls
Director of Marketing
Music Center of South Central Michigan
P. O. Box 1613
Battle Creek, MI 49016
269 963-1911, ext.2523
pingalls@musiccenterscmi.com
www.musiccenterscmi.com