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Christine C. Bass

Choral conductor and Clinician

Christine Bass is a distinguished choral director, guest conductor, and clinician. A teacher for almost three decades, she has presented workshops on vocal technique, recruiting male singers, and differentiated instruction for NJEA, NJMEA and ACDA (American Choral Director’s Association) high schools and universities. She was named New Jersey MENC Master Music Teacher and received the Governor’s Award in Arts Education. She conducted All South Jersey Chorus, New Jersey All State Chorus and in 2009 Christine was honored to conduct the ACDA All National High School Honors Choir in Oklahoma City, and in 2010 South Carolina All-State Women’s Chorus. She has served on the NJACDA Board as the Repertoire & Standards Chair for Male Choirs. Christine has been selected for Who’s Who of American Teachers and Who’s Who of American Women. She was featured in the September 2007 edition of “Choral Director” magazine. Christine currently has a vocal technique DVD, Vocal Transformation, published by Hal Leonard. Her latest DVD, Where The Boys Are, was released October 15th 2012.

Christine’s life long love of choral music began at the age of four when she joined the Cherub Choir at First Presbyterian Church in Flint, Michigan under the direction of William T. Rennecker. She attended vocal camps at Interlochen Center for the Arts and Westminster Choir College, and went on to earn her bachelors and masters degrees from Westminster Choir College, where she studied conducting under Robert Simpson, Elaine Brown, Andrew Megill and Joseph Flummerfelt, and was a member of the Westminster Choir. She has since received the distinguished Alumni Merit Award and the Alumni Ambassador Award from Westminster.

When Christine arrived at Cherry Hill High School West in 1989, there were 60 singers in the choral program. At the time of her retirement, over 320 students were members of the seven choirs. Her men’s a cappella group, Men of Note, won three consecutive National Championships for Best of High School A Cappella. Men of Note and West’s Chamber Singers both performed at the 2010 ACDA All Eastern Convention in Philadelphia. Her top choir, West Singers, performed at the 1999, 2003 and 2005 ACDA National Conventions, and the 2001 MENC and 2004 ACDA All Eastern Conventions. They have sung under the baton of New York Philharmonic conductor Alan Gilbert, Julius Rudel, Rossen Milanov, and with Philadelphia’s Singing City Chorus and the Newark Boys Choir.