Dr. Laura Moore is the Director of Choral Activities at the University of South Alabama. In this position, she directs the Concert Choir and Chorale, and teaches instrumental and choral conducting. She recently received her doctorate in Choral Conducting from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Other earned degrees include the BA from Davidson College, a Master’s degree in Piano Performance from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, and a Master’s degree in Choral Conducting from UNC Greensboro.

While completing her doctoral degree at UNC Greensboro, Dr. Moore served as the Instructor in Choral Conducting at UNC Greensboro, where she conducted the University Chorale, and taught courses in choral literature and advanced conducting. She received the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award at the UNCG School of Music in 2006, recognizing her work with the Women’s Glee Club and classes in diction and beginning conducting. Dr. Moore served four years as Associate Conductor with the Choral Society of Greensboro. She has directed elementary and high school choral clinics at the county and state level in North Carolina. She is active in church music and musical theater, and enjoys accompanying and coaching singers.

This season Dr. Moore is serving as the rehearsal accompanist for the Mobile Opera Chorus.

AUDITIONS FOR CHOIRS

Auditions for the select University Chorale, USA Opera Theatre and other vocal ensembles are held during the week before fall semester classes begin. Interested vocalists should contact Dr. Laura Moore at (251) 460-6361 or Dr. Thomas Rowell at (251) 460-6238 to schedule audition times. Voice majors, minors and all scholarship recipients are required to audition. 

If you have any questions, please e-mail lauramoore@usouthal.edu.

Dr. Thomas L. Rowell, tenor, earned a Bachelor of Music Degree in Music Education from Union University in Jackson, TN; a Master of Music Degree in Vocal Performance from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN; and a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Vocal Performance from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, TX. His vocal and choral teachers include George C. Martin, Joseph Blass, Sharon C. Mabry, David Robinson, George Mabry, and C. David Keith. Vocal coaches/artists and conductors Dr. Rowell has worked with include Amy Johnson, Vernon Hartman, Mark Thomsen, James Taylor, William Cotten (New England Conservatory), Jim Caraher (Indianapolis Opera), Hugh Keelan (Erie Philharmonic, Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic), Jerome Shannon (Mobile Opera, Pensacola Opera) , Kamal Khan (Metropolitan Opera, Mannes School of Music), Michael Borowitz (Nevada Opera) and Danielle Orlando (Curtis Institute).

Currently, Dr. Rowell is the area coordinator of vocal studies, directs USA’s Opera and Musical Theatre, and teaches studio voice, vocal pedagogy and song literature. He maintains a very active performing schedule as a recitalist, soloist and roles with regional opera companies. He has appeared as tenor soloist with both Nashville Symphony and Fort Worth Symphony. He has performed numerous comprimario roles with Mobile and Pensacola Opera, including Judge Danforth in The Crucible, Parpignol in La Boheme, Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor, St. Brioche in The Merry Widow, Don Basilio in Le Nozze di Figaro, Ruiz in Il Trovatore, Gastone in La Traviata, Monostatos in Die Zauberflöte, and Incredible in Andrea Chenier. Dr. Rowell appeared as Tinca in Puccini’s Il Tabarro and Spinelloccio/Il Notario in Gianni Schicchi this past summer at Teatro Bramante in Urbania, Italy as part of The Professional Advantage operatic program.

Recent appearances include Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor and as tenor soloist in Handel’s Messiah with Mobile Opera and Bluffton University in Bluffton, Ohio.  He also appeared with Mobile Symphony as soloist for the Young People’s Concerts. Upcoming engagements include Elder Hayes in Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah with Mobile Opera, Nick the Bartender in Puccini’s La Fanciulla del West at the Kansas City Puccini Festival, Edmondo in Manon Lescaut, Pirelli in Sweeney Todd, and The Steersman in Der fliegende Holländer with Mobile Opera.

Dr. Rowell has been very involved in the Mobile arts community as a performer and director. In March 2009 he will serve as guest conductor for Mobile County Honor Choir, and in June 2009 he will be choral conductor for the Alabama Ambassadors of Music European Tour. He has served as musical director and played leading roles with Joe Jefferson Players, Alabama’s oldest community theatre company, sung with Musica Sacra, the Mobile Pops Band, Baldwin Pops Band and currently serves as chorus master for Mobile Opera.