Musical Direction

DR. Michael Mitchell

Director

Michael A. Mitchell is Visiting Professor of Music at the University of Michigan and Interim Conductor of the world renowned University of Michigan Men’s Glee Club. He is also Professor of Music at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan where he serves as Director of Choral Activities while conducting the Oakland Chorale, the University Chorus, and the Symphony Chorus. In addition, Mitchell supervises the graduate program in choral conducting and teaches choral literature and conducting as well as a popular summer course on the history of rock music.

In 2019, Dr. Mitchell was appointed the third Artistic Director of the Detroit Concert Choir, a group that has won Choir of the World at the Langollen International Eisteddfod. From 2005 to 2019, Dr. Mitchell was associated with the Academic Choir Ivan Goran Kovacic in Zagreb, Croatia as Resident Guest Conductor. He has lectured at Zagreb University, The University of Novi Sad in Serbia, and was the first American to lecture at the Slovak University of Music and Art in Bratislava, Slovakia.

He has led multiple choirs on state, regional, national, and international concert tours, and in performance at numerous ACDA and TMEA conferences.

Dr. Mitchell has conducted masses and full concerts at many of Europe’s leading choral music venues, including St. Mark’s Basilica and Chiesa San Salvador in Venice, St. Nicholas Church in Prague, Peterskirche in Vienna, St. Matthias Church and St. Stephen’s Basilica in Budapest, the Real Circulo de la Amistad in Cordoba, Iglesia de San Martin in Segovia, the Church of the Holy Redeemer in Bratislava, the Church of St. Jacob in Ljubljana, and St. Catherine’s Church in Zagreb.

In the popular music world, Dr. Mitchell has prepared and conducted choruses for the Rolling Stones and Sarah Brightman.

Because of his reputation as a dynamic, energetic conductor and teacher, Dr. Mitchell has conducted honor choirs and led choral festivals across the US and has been invited to perform hundreds guest clinics with individual choirs over the course of his career.

As a composer, Dr. Mitchell’s music has been performed throughout the United States, including at several conferences of the American Choral Directors Association.

Before coming to Michigan, he taught at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and was a choral director and music supervisor in the public schools in Texas.

Dr. Mitchell studied conducting, music education, and voice at the University of Texas at Austin and received his doctorate in conducting from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory, where he served as assistant to the legendary conductor Eph Ehly. His other teachers include Andre Thomas, Jerry McCoy, Patrick Gardner, Mary Breden, Morris Beachy, and John Silantien. As a doctoral student he was the winner of the UMKC Chancellor’s Award for Academic Merit and was a finalist in the American Choral Directors Association national conducting competition.

Dr. Mitchell is a member of The American Choral Directors Association is a Past President for the state of Michigan. He is also a member of New Music USA, The College Music Society, The Michigan School Vocal Music Association, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.

Benjamin Gaughran

Assistant Conductor

For over two decades, British-Caribbean conductor Benjamin Gaughran (pronounced [gɔk-rən]) has demonstrated his versatility as a conductor, pianist, singer, and educator. His career spans diverse settings, including leadership of children, youth, community, church, semi-professional, and professional choirs, as well as musical theatre companies and orchestras.

At the University of Michigan (U-M), Benjamin holds many conducting roles in the choral area. He is the Associate Conductor of The Orpheus Singers and Assistant Conductor for both The Chamber Choir and The U-M Men’s Glee Club. He has also served as Opera Chorus Master for the Department of Voice & Opera, and conductor of The Arts Chorale and The U-M Women’s Glee Club. Later this season, he will assume the role of Conductor for the University Choir at U-M.

Outside academia, Benjamin is deeply involved in the Ann Arbor music community. He is the Music Director of the Women’s Chamber Chorus, Director of Music at The First Congregational Church, and Chorus Director for the Lima Symphony Orchestra Chorus. His work with a prison outreach choir and youth chamber ensembles highlights his commitment to making music accessible to all.

An accomplished educator, Benjamin regularly serves as a guest clinician in Michigan schools and as an adjudicator at Choral Festivals. He holds degrees from Royal Holloway, University of London, The University of Nottingham, Canterbury Christchurch University, The Royal Schools of Music and U-M, where he is in the final year of his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral conducting under Dr. Eugene Rogers.

For more information or to contact Benjamin, visit: http://www.benjamingaughran.com