Jeffri W. Bantz
Encyclopedia
Jeffri W. Bantz was an American
classical conductor and teacher
.
, Bantz moved with his family to Florida
in 1969 when his father, the Rev. Wayne Bantz started First Methodist Church of Coral Springs, Florida
. He attended Pompano Beach High School
and graduated from Deerfield Beach High School
, where he was concertmaster of the school orchestra.
and the University of Miami
, where he studied organ performance. Throughout his conducting career, he continued his studies with many great choral luminaries including Robert Shaw
, George Bragg
, Joseph Flummerfelt, Sir David Willcocks
, John Rutter
, Howard Swan, Gerre Hancock
and James Litton
.
. He served several churches, including First Methodist Church of Pompano Beach, Florida
and St. Stephens Episcopal in Coconut Grove, Florida
. In 1981, he became the organist and Associate Director of Music at the First Presbyterian Church of Pompano Beach (known as the Pink Church), where he had begun organ study with Dr. Arden Whitacre some eleven years prior. In 1998, he became Director of Music at the Pink Church where he remained until June 2006. Under his direction the Music Program at the Pink Church became widely respected throughout the country.
, and the 1998 Princeton Invitational Choir Competition. The Singing Sons performed the National Anthem at the very first Florida Marlins
baseball game in 1993. Under Bantz' direction, the boychoir was featured in performances with James Judd
, Maureen Forester, Chanticleer
, Audrey Hepburn
, Liza Minnelli
, Judy Collins
, the Bee Gees
(with whom they recorded a CD) and many others. They also were featured performers at national and regional conventions of the American Choral Directors Association
.
, Dean Peterson, Janice Chandler, Steven Rickards, Curtis Rayam and many others.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
classical conductor and teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
.
Early life
A native of Marion, IndianaMarion, Indiana
Marion is a city in Grant County, Indiana, United States. The population was 29,948 as of the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Grant County...
, Bantz moved with his family to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
in 1969 when his father, the Rev. Wayne Bantz started First Methodist Church of Coral Springs, Florida
Coral Springs, Florida
Coral Springs, officially chartered July 10, 1963, is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States, approximately northwest of Fort Lauderdale. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a population of 121,096...
. He attended Pompano Beach High School
Pompano Beach High School
Pompano Beach High School is a full magnet high school located in Pompano Beach, Florida, which instructs grades 9 through 12...
and graduated from Deerfield Beach High School
Deerfield Beach High School
Deerfield Beach High School is a public high school in Deerfield Beach, Florida. It is part of Broward School District and has an enrollment of approximately 2950....
, where he was concertmaster of the school orchestra.
Musical training
Bantz received his formal music education at Florida Atlantic UniversityFlorida Atlantic University
Florida Atlantic University, also referred to as FAU or Florida Atlantic, is a public, coeducational, research university located in , United States. The university has six satellite campuses located in the Florida cities of Dania Beach, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Jupiter, Port St. Lucie, and in Fort...
and the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
, where he studied organ performance. Throughout his conducting career, he continued his studies with many great choral luminaries including Robert Shaw
Robert Shaw (conductor)
Robert Shaw was an American conductor most famous for his work with his namesake Chorale, with the Cleveland Orchestra and Chorus, and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. Shaw received 14 Grammy awards, four ASCAP awards for service to contemporary music, the first Guggenheim Fellowship...
, George Bragg
George Bragg
George Washington Bragg was an American conductor and founder of the Texas Boys Choir. He was born on January 24, 1926 in Meridian, Mississippi to George W. Bragg, Sr. and Elizabeth Hairston Bragg. In 1934 he moved to Birmingham, Alabama where he joined the famous Apollo Boys' Choir. On February...
, Joseph Flummerfelt, Sir David Willcocks
Sir David Willcocks
Sir David Valentine Willcocks CBE MC is a British choral conductor, organist, and composer. His son, Jonathan Willcocks, is also a composer.- Biography :...
, John Rutter
John Rutter
John Milford Rutter CBE is a British composer, conductor, editor, arranger and record producer, mainly of choral music.-Biography:Born in London, Rutter was educated at Highgate School, where a fellow pupil was John Tavener. He read music at Clare College, Cambridge, where he was a member of the...
, Howard Swan, Gerre Hancock
Gerre Hancock
Gerre Edward Hancock is an American organist, improviser, and composer. Hancock is currently Professor of Organ and Sacred Music at the University of Texas, Austin.Dr...
and James Litton
James Litton
James Litton directed the American Boychoir from 1985 to 2001 and is widely recognized as one of the leading choral conductors of the day.-Overview:...
.
Church career
His first church job in Florida was at the First Baptist Church in Deerfield Beach, FloridaDeerfield Beach, Florida
Deerfield Beach is a city in Broward County, Florida, USA. The city is named for the numerous deer that once roamed the area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 75,018...
. He served several churches, including First Methodist Church of Pompano Beach, Florida
Pompano Beach, Florida
Pompano Beach ) is a city in Broward County, Florida, along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean just to the north of Fort Lauderdale. The nearby Hillsboro Inlet forms part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 99,845...
and St. Stephens Episcopal in Coconut Grove, Florida
Coconut Grove, Florida
Coconut Grove is the oldest continuously inhabited neighborhood of Miami, Florida in Miami-Dade County, United States. The neighborhood is roughly bound by North Prospect Drive to the south, LeJeune Road to the west, South Dixie Highway and Rickenbacker Causeway to the north, and Biscayne Bay to...
. In 1981, he became the organist and Associate Director of Music at the First Presbyterian Church of Pompano Beach (known as the Pink Church), where he had begun organ study with Dr. Arden Whitacre some eleven years prior. In 1998, he became Director of Music at the Pink Church where he remained until June 2006. Under his direction the Music Program at the Pink Church became widely respected throughout the country.
Florida Philharmonic and Master Chorale of South Florida
In 2000, Bantz joined the Florida Philharmonic Chorus as assistant director. When the orchestra folded three years later, he and Dr. Jo-Michael Scheibe led the chorus in its new form as the Master Chorale of South Florida, whose performances have received high critical acclaim.Florida's Singing Sons Boychoir
Bantz was associated with the Florida's Singing Sons Boychoir for 20 years. During his 17-year tenure as Music Director, he molded the choir into a world class performing group which won numerous awards including four international First Prizes during their many concert tours around the world. They included the 1996 Kathaumixw International Choral Festival and Competition in British Columbia, the 1997 Prague International Choir Festival in the Czech RepublicCzech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, and the 1998 Princeton Invitational Choir Competition. The Singing Sons performed the National Anthem at the very first Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
baseball game in 1993. Under Bantz' direction, the boychoir was featured in performances with James Judd
James Judd
James Judd is a British conductor. He is considered one of the pre-eminent interpreters of English orchestral music and the music of Gustav Mahler....
, Maureen Forester, Chanticleer
Chanticleer (ensemble)
Based in San Francisco, California, Chanticleer is a full-time classical vocal ensemble in the United States. Over the last three decades, it has developed a major reputation for its interpretations of Renaissance music, but it also performs a wide repertoire of jazz, gospel, and other venturesome...
, Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn was a British actress and humanitarian. Although modest about her acting ability, Hepburn remains one of the world's most famous actresses of all time, remembered as a film and fashion icon of the twentieth century...
, Liza Minnelli
Liza Minnelli
Liza May Minnelli is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli....
, Judy Collins
Judy Collins
Judith Marjorie "Judy" Collins is an American singer and songwriter, known for her eclectic tastes in the material she records ; and for her social activism. She is an alumna of the University of Colorado.-Musical career:Collins was born and raised in Seattle, Washington...
, the Bee Gees
Bee Gees
The Bee Gees are a musical group that originally comprised three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was successful for most of their 40-plus years of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a pop act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as a...
(with whom they recorded a CD) and many others. They also were featured performers at national and regional conventions of the American Choral Directors Association
American Choral Directors Association
The American Choral Directors Association , headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a non-profit organization with the stated purpose of promoting excellence in the field of choral music...
.
Other musical accomplishments
Equally in demand as a solo performer or accompanist, Bantz performed in South Florida with the University of Miami Symphony, the Palm Beach Opera, the Miami Beach Symphony, the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra, the Ft. Lauderdale Symphony Chorus, the Gold Coast Opera, the Ft. Lauderdale Christian Chorale and the Nova Singers. He also served as conductor or accompanist for numerous international artists such as Marvis MartinMarvis Martin
Marvis Martin is an American operatic soprano, best known for her concert performances and recitals, including her renditions of Joseph Canteloube's Songs from the Auvergne, and of Bess in Bobby McFerrin's touring concert version of Porgy and Bess....
, Dean Peterson, Janice Chandler, Steven Rickards, Curtis Rayam and many others.