Donald Neuen is an American choral

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Biology and medicine * Bone conduction, the conduction of sound to the inner ear * Conduction aphasia, a language disorder Mathematics * Conductor (ring theory) * Conductor of an abelian variety * Cond ...

, composer, arranger, editor, and educator who was formerly the Distinguished Professor of Conducting and Director of Choral Activities at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

.UCLA Music Department, ''Donald Neuen'', He conducted the UCLA Chorale while teaching courses in conducting and directing one of the most respected graduate programs in choral conducting in the United States. He was 80 years old when he retired.

Early life and education

Raised in what Neuen described as "the small, enormously musical, Swiss-Mennonite community of Berne, Indiana,", Neuen studied under and was heavily influenced by Robert Shaw (the former Music Director of the

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) is an American orchestra based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The ASO's main concert venue is Atlanta Symphony Hall in the Woodruff Arts Center. History Though earlier organizations bearing the sam ...

, founder of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus in Georgia, and famous for his Robert Shaw Chorale).

Career

Neuen served as the Assistant Conductor and the Director of Choral Activities for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Neuen led the Los Angeles-based Angeles Chorale as Artistic Director for 13 years, from 1996 to 2009. He was the former director of the Cathedral Choir at the

Crystal Cathedral Christ Cathedral (Latin: ''Cathedralis Christi''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Catedral de Cristo''; Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: ''Nhà Thờ Chính Tòa Chúa Kitô''), formerly the Crystal Cathedral, is an American church building in Ga ...

in Garden Grove, California. Before his tenure at UCLA, Neuen was a member of the faculty of the

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. Established in 1921 by celebrated industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman, it was the ...

in Rochester, New York. Neuen has also served on the faculties of the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...

Ball State University Ball State University (Ball State or BSU) is a public research university in Muncie, Indiana, United States. The university has three off-campus centers in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and Fishers, Indiana. The university is composed of seven aca ...

, and

Georgia State University Georgia State University (Georgia State, State, or GSU) is a Public university, public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1913, it is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities. It is al ...

. His students have gone on to lead major choruses and orchestras throughout the world. He has released videos in the Choral Excellence Series as well as a collegiate choral conducting textbook, Choral Concepts. Neuen is a National Patron of

Delta Omicron Delta Omicron () is a co-ed international professional music honors fraternity whose mission is to promote and support excellence in music and musicianship. History Delta Omicron International Music Fraternity was founded on September 6, 1909 a ...

, an international professional music fraternity.Delta Omicron

References

* http://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/a-grand-finale-for-conductor-extraordinaire-donald-neuen * http://www.performingartslive.com/Events/Royce-Hall-at-UCLA-The-Faith-of-Beethoven-672014 UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music faculty Eastman School of Music faculty University of Tennessee faculty Ball State University faculty American choral conductors American male conductors (music) Year of birth missing (living people) Living people People from Berne, Indiana Choral composers Classical musicians from California 21st-century American conductors (music) 21st-century American male musicians {{US-conductor-stub