Richard Harrison Smith
Encyclopedia
Richard Harrison Smith is a noted choral conductor, arranger and composer. For nearly 30 years, he was the conductor of the Jamestown College
Concert Choir, in its day one of the most noted small-college choirs in the United States.
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He received his Bachelor's Degree from Allegheny College in Pennsylvania. He got his MS degree in Biochemistry at North Dakota State as well as a MS degree in Music Education at Bemidji State in Minnesota. He went on to receive his PhD in Music at the Union Institute in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Concert Choir. Through a combination of strict discipline and intense musical training, Smith turned the choir - unusual among top-flight concert choirs in that less than 25% its members were music majors - into a highly well-regarded choir.
In 1972, on the choir's first tour of Europe, it became the first American choir of any kind to sing at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris - an honor they repeated on several subsequent tours.
In 1984 Smith was appointed Dean, a position he held for over a decade. He also filled in occasionally during those years as a biochemistry teacher, exercising his old master's degree.
On October 13, 1994, Smith conducted a 25th anniversary reunion concert at the Jamestown
Civic Center; everyone who had ever sung in the choir was invited; 400 singers - over 40% of the choir's entire alumni body - participated.
Jamestown College
Jamestown College is a private liberal arts college founded by the Presbyterian Church located in Jamestown, North Dakota. It has about 1,000 students enrolled today and has been co-educational from its founding....
Concert Choir, in its day one of the most noted small-college choirs in the United States.
Background
Smith was born in 1937 in Erie, PennsylvaniaErie, Pennsylvania
Erie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...
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He received his Bachelor's Degree from Allegheny College in Pennsylvania. He got his MS degree in Biochemistry at North Dakota State as well as a MS degree in Music Education at Bemidji State in Minnesota. He went on to receive his PhD in Music at the Union Institute in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Jamestown College Concert Choir
In 1969, Smith took over as director of the Jamestown CollegeJamestown College
Jamestown College is a private liberal arts college founded by the Presbyterian Church located in Jamestown, North Dakota. It has about 1,000 students enrolled today and has been co-educational from its founding....
Concert Choir. Through a combination of strict discipline and intense musical training, Smith turned the choir - unusual among top-flight concert choirs in that less than 25% its members were music majors - into a highly well-regarded choir.
In 1972, on the choir's first tour of Europe, it became the first American choir of any kind to sing at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris - an honor they repeated on several subsequent tours.
In 1984 Smith was appointed Dean, a position he held for over a decade. He also filled in occasionally during those years as a biochemistry teacher, exercising his old master's degree.
On October 13, 1994, Smith conducted a 25th anniversary reunion concert at the Jamestown
Jamestown, North Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 15,527 people, 6,505 households, and 3,798 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,246.7 per square mile . There were 6,970 housing units at an average density of 559.6 per square mile...
Civic Center; everyone who had ever sung in the choir was invited; 400 singers - over 40% of the choir's entire alumni body - participated.