NATCHITOCHES – Dr. Shane Thomas has been named director of Choral Activities and an assistant professor of music at Northwestern State University. Thomas will conduct the Chamber Choir, Cane River Singers and will facilitate the Northwestern Choral Artists. He will teach courses in vocal music education, choral methods and literature, mentor graduate students in choral conducting and administer the choral activities within the School for Creative and Performing Arts.
Thomas spent two years as the director of Choral Activities and coordinator for Vocal Music Education at McNeese State University where he was responsible for significant program growth and acclaimed for innovative storytelling through choral performance. He created the McNeese Choral Festival and Summer Vocal Camp which brought over 450 middle and high-school students to campus. While in southwest Louisiana, Thomas founded the Louisiana Vocal Arts Ensemble, a new professional chorus committed to sophisticated, relevant choral performance connecting and serving all peoples.
“I plan on building on the storied legacy of choral excellence that Northwestern State is known for through continuing performance excellence across all choirs, building recruitment events for secondary choral students across the state of Louisiana to attend and sing, and providing NSU students with professional opportunities to prepare them for a 21st century performance career,” said Thomas. “Starting this year, the NSU Choirs will be doing many more at-home performances on campus and throughout our community to engage our audiences and continue to grow our singers.”
Thomas said the choral program will offer a vocal component to the NSU All-State Day in August and will be starting a Choral Festival in addition to the annual Voice Day in the spring. In the summertime, a week-long Summer Vocal Camp will be offered to Louisiana students to get them onto the NSU campus, grow their musicianship and build their voices.
NSU All-State Day will be held Saturday, Aug. 31. Northwestern State music faculty will hold clinics in band and orchestra, choir and piano to help students prepare for All-State competition. More information is available at nsuallstate.com.
Thomas plans to create a new choir called the Northwestern Choral Artists. This ensemble will perform in salon-style performances throughout the year and join the voices of Prísma and the Louisiana Vocal Arts Ensemble during their regularly scheduled concerts.
“I wanted to offer a unique opportunity for our students to learn how to perform with a professional choral ensemble and gain the skills necessary for them to audition and participate in these types of ensembles after graduation from NSU,” said Thomas. “This opportunity is what will set Northwestern State apart from other colleges in our state and region – and we’re so excited for it.”
Before moving into higher education, Thomas served as director of Choral Activities at Martin County High School in Stuart, Florida, for five years. Choirs under his direction were repeatedly named “Choir of Distinction” by the Florida Vocal Association and were accepted to perform at state and regional ACDA conferences. He served as the FLACDA Secretary for five years and in Florida Vocal Association District Leadership for three years. Thomas taught private voice to students who have gone on to win professional awards and entry into undergraduate and graduate music programs across the United States.
Thomas maintains an active career as a clinician, tenor chorister and professional soloist. He can be found on the rosters of professional choral ensembles such as the Spoleto Festival USA Vocal Fellows, Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble, The Union of Cincinnati, Coro Volante, BWV: Cleveland’s Bach Choir and the Bach Ensemble of St. Thomas. He was most recently seen as Parpignol in Puccini’s La Boheme at the 2022 Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina.
Thomas received a Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Master of Music in Choral Conducting with distinction from Westminster Choir College, and a Bachelor of Music Education from Stetson University. He holds professional memberships in ACDA, NCCO, NAfME, Chorus America, Pi Kappa Lambda, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. Thomas serves as the founder and artistic director of the Louisiana Vocal Arts Ensemble. He also serves as the Louisiana American Choral Directors Association College and Universities R&R Chair.
To learn more about Northwestern State’s choral program, go to nsula.edu/music/choirs.
