Life

Carolina Concert Choir names new director

By Bill Moss, Published: July 8, 2013

The Carolina Concert Choir has hired a longtime college choir director as conductor and artistic director.

The 35-year-old local singing ensemble announced that Lawrence Doebler had accepted the position leading the local choir.

Prof. Doebler brings a history of conducting and choral excellence that spans over 45 years.

Doebler served as director of choral activities at the Ithaca College School of Music. In his 35 years at Ithaca College, he led the Ithaca College Choir on tour in the United Sates and Ireland, founded the Ithaca College Choral Composition Contest and Festival (1979) that has generated 33 commissioned works published by Theodore Presser and Roger Dean Publishing, appeared at major MENC and ACDA conventions with the choir, and conducted the Ithaca College Choral Union and Symphony Orchestra at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and other major venues.

Orff's Carmina Burana and Verdi's Requiem were two of the most recent works he conducted at Lincoln Center. On April 19 Professor Doebler conducted the Ithaca College Choir and Symphony Orchestra at Lincoln Center performing Poulenc's Gloria with Jessica Julin, alumna soprano soloist. The Ithaca College Choir and faculty-student orchestra under Prof. Doebler's direction performed Bach's B Minor Mass in the Strathmore Music Center in Bethesda, Maryland, Holy Trinity Church in Philadelphia, and at the Ithaca College School of Music in 2010.
Professor Doebler is an active guest conductor and clinician, offering workshops in movement, editing Renaissance music, and conducting. Doebler's early training in keyboard, strings, voice, and brass led to degrees in conducting from Oberlin Conservatory and Washington University in St. Louis.

He began his professional career in 1960 at Smith College. From 1971 through 1978 he taught and conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has received awards for research and teaching excellence form the University of Wisconsin and Ithaca College, and he helped establish the master of music degree in conducting at Ithaca. The Lorenz Company in the Roger Dean Catalogue has published his editions of Renaissance music. In addition to his academic appointments, he has served a music director of the Cayuga Vocal Ensemble and has been director of music at churches in Cleveland, St. Louis, Madison and Ithaca.
Professor Doebler and his wife, Patty, have been married for 46 years. They moved to Hendersonville this year.

The Carolina Concert Choir will be performing in its new home, the Thomas Auditorium at BRCC, on Saturday, Dec. 14.

Auditions for the Carolina Concert Choir will be on Mondays, Aug. 12, Aug. 19 and Sept. 9 at Trinity Presbyterian Church,   900 Blythe Street. Contact Dr. Lynn Moore at (828) 891-8416 to schedule an audition and for additional information.