Dr. D. Jason Bishop is Director of Choral Activities at Penn State Erie, the Behrend College, in Erie, PA, where he also serves as conductor of the Erie Philharmonic Chorus. In 2008, Dr. Bishop changed the choral landscape of northwestern Pennsylvania by founding the first comprehensive youth chorus program in the region, the Young People's Chorus of Erie, of which he serves as Artistic Director. As the first affiliate of the Young People's Chorus of New York City, the Young People's Chorus of Erie shares the YPC mission, providing opportunities for children ages 7 to 18 to participate in a comprehensive choral program that celebrates diversity, multiculturalism, and equal opportunities for children from a wide variety of backgrounds.

 

Dr. Bishop earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral conducting from the University of Oklahoma, where he studied with Dr. Dennis Shrock, and the Master of Music degree in choral conducting from Boston University, where he studied with Dr. Ann Howard Jones. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Music and Classical Languages from Rhodes College in Memphis, TN, where he studied conducting with the late Tony Lee Garner, graduated Phi Beta Kappa with distinction, was voted into the Rhodes College Hall of Fame, and received the Rhodes College Kinney Leadership Award for outstanding service to his community. In 1998, at just 21 years old, he was asked to serve as the first-ever student conductor of the Rhodes College Singers, leading the group on a two-week performance tour of Bernstein's Chichester Psalms throughout the southeastern United States.

 

Praised for both his passion and his efficiency on the podium, Dr. Bishop is in frequent demand as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator, with several performances of major choral-orchestral repertoire to his credit. He recently served as guest conductor of the 8th Annual NYC Honor Chorus, sponsored by the Young People's Chorus of New York City, and the Central Dauphin District High School Honor Chorus in Harrisburg, PA. Last summer, Dr. Bishop traveled as a guest conductor with the Young People's Chorus of New York City on its performance tour to Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic.