Southern California native, Dr. Rayvon T.J. Moore, is a conductor, music educator and baritone, who has been lauded for his energetic, yet sensitive conducting. He serves as Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Choral Studies at Friends University. At Friends, Moore oversees the choral program and conducts the internationally renowned Singing Quakers, as well as courses in conducting, choral methods, and applied voice. In addition to his duties at Friends, Moore is the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Wichita Chamber Chorale and the Director of Music Ministries at Chapel Hill United Methodist Church.
In 2015 Moore received the Graduate Equity Fellowship at California State University, Fullerton and in 2016 he was the recipient of the Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation’s, Foncannon Choral Conducting Grant, for his academic and conducting excellence. In April of 2017, he was awarded the Elliot and Kathleen Alexander Memorial Scholarship from Pacific Chorale for excellence in choral conducting. He has participated as a conducting fellow in several workshops including Chorus America’s Conducting Academy, the National Collegiate Choral Organization’s Conducting Fellowship program, the University of Michigan’s Choral Conducting Symposium, and others.
Being a versatile performer, he has sung back up for The Rolling Stones, Barry Manilow, Patti Austin, Andrea Bocelli, Kathleen Battle and Deborah Voigt. Moore can be heard on the album “John Williams & Steven Spielberg: The Ultimate Collection” recorded with Sony Classical. He has sung under the baton of Helmuth Rilling, John Williams, Jeffery Kahane, Carl St. Clair, James Conlon, Grant Gershon, Marvin Hamlisch, and others. As a conductor/soloist, he has premiered works by composers such as Christopher Tin, Stacey V. Gibbs, Seth Houston and many more.
His conducting mentors include William Weinert, Robert Istad, Donald Brinegar, Brad Lubman, Joel Pressman, Jo-Michael Scheibe, Cristian Grases, Mark Scatterday, and Neil Varon. As a conducting fellow at several programs, Moore has worked with Ann Howard-Jones, John Alexander, Jerry Blackstone, David Hayes, and Daniel Bara.
Moore specializes in topics on conducting gesture, programming, and interpreting music of the Baroque and spirituals. He is an active member of the American Choral Directors Association, Chorus America, National Collegiate Choral Organization, the National Association for Music Education, and is sought after as a guest conductor, clinician, speaker, and adjudicator. www.rayvontjmoore.com
Education:
B.A. Choral Music, University of Southern California; M. M. Choral Conducting, California State University, Fullerton; D.M.A. Conducting, Eastman School of Music