Music, MM Concentration
Choral Conducting
Lead with passion, shape voices, and bring communities together through choral artistry.
Program Overview
The MM in Choral Conducting is designed for musicians who are passionate about leading vocal ensembles and refining their skills as conductors, collaborators, and educators. Through intensive study, rehearsal experience, and podium time, students develop advanced techniques in gesture, score study, rehearsal planning, and leadership.
The program emphasizes both artistic and academic growth, preparing students for careers in professional or academic settings or for further doctoral study. Whether you’re interested in conducting choirs at the high school, collegiate, or professional level, this program helps you elevate your craft and expand your impact.
Choral Ensemble Experience
Graduate students in choral conducting benefit from direct, hands-on experience with UT’s vibrant community of choral ensembles. Led by a team of five dedicated faculty conductors, our choirs explore a broad range of repertoire, from Renaissance motets and Romantic masterworks to gospel, world music, and contemporary compositions.
You’ll have the opportunity to observe, rehearse, and conduct ensembles such as Chamber Singers, Concert Choir, Men’s Chorale, Women’s Chorale, Gospel Choir, and UT Singers. These experiences provide a real-world laboratory for refining your conducting technique, rehearsal strategies, and artistic vision while collaborating with passionate student musicians.
Why study Choral Conducting?
Our choral conducting students benefit from being part of a collaborative, supportive environment while also developing a distinctive artistic voice of their own.
- Regular podium experience with university choirs and opportunities to assist with large ensemble rehearsals and performances
- Close mentorship from faculty who are nationally recognized conductors, scholars, and educators
- Coursework in rehearsal techniques, score analysis, diction, and conducting literature
- Opportunities to work across genres—from chamber choirs to large choral-orchestral works
- A vibrant campus arts culture with frequent concerts, masterclasses, and guest artists
What can you do with a Choral Conducting concentration after graduation?
The skills gained (research, analysis, communication, and cultural understanding) from this concentration translate across many professions. Graduates with this concentration pursue a variety of paths, including:
- Director of Choral Activities at the high school or collegiate level
- Professional or community choir conductor
- Preparation for DMA in Conducting
- Arts leadership roles within vocal organizations or festivals
Featured Courses
Specific courses are dependent on the student’s MM concentration. Visit our Graduate Degree Requirements for more information.
MUSC 510 Critical Studies in Research Methods and Music Scholarship
Reinforces key research and writing skills for graduate students in music. Engages critically with how knowledge about music is constructed. Introduces research methods, reviews the formatting requirements of the APA and CMOS style manuals, and explores issues of representation that emerge from scholarly discourse and musical practice.
MUVC 590 Advanced Choral Conducting
Expansion and continued refinement of conducting technique. Score reading and preparation, rehearsal techniques, and interpretation of styles and performance practices.
Meet the Faculty
The members of the University of Tennessee conducting faculty are in frequent demand as guest conductors both nationally and internationally, clinicians for masterclasses and residencies, and as adjudicators for competitions.
Angela Batey
Associate Dean for Access and Engagement; Director of Graduate Studies; Director of Choral Activities
Andrea Markowitz Gantte
Lecturer of Music, Co-director of UT Singers
Laura Leigh Spillane
Associate Director of Choral Activities, Assistant Professor of Choral Music Education
Admissions and Aid
Choosing the right university to pursue an advanced music degree is an important decision and a significant investment. We want to make sure that you have the information you need to both apply and make attending UT affordable.
There is a Choral Conducting Graduate Teaching Assistantship open for 2026-2027. Click the link to learn more.
