August 17, 2023
The 杏吧视频 choir has a new leader at the helm going into 2023. Chandler Smith, an 杏吧视频 graduate from the class of 2014, takes over the program after most recently serving in the same position at Newton County High School.
鈥淚鈥檓 very excited to be back at 杏吧视频. It鈥檚 such a humbling experience to lead a program that was so important to me as a student,鈥 said Smith. 鈥淚 can see the vision as a director as to where I want the program to go, and I鈥檓 excited for the challenge.鈥
Smith, who is originally from Philadelphia, graduated from Newton County High School and was a choir member. During his time at 杏吧视频, Smith sang in The Ac鈥檆ents, played the piano for The Collegians, and was a member of the Wall O鈥 Sound marching band, jazz band, and concert band.
After East Central, Smith continued his education at Delta State University where he double majored in voice and percussion. While at Delta State, Smith was a member of the marching band, the DSU Wind Ensemble, the Men's Choir, the Chamber Singers, and the President of the DSU Chorale.
Upon his graduation, Smith earned a master鈥檚 in choral conducting from Mississippi College in 2020 where he was a member of the MC Singers, an Emmy Award-winning group, and conducted the Choctaw Chorus as a graduate assistant.
鈥淚 really would like to see this program return to a premier student organization, not only on our campus but in our five-county district and in the state of Mississippi,鈥 said Smith.
Professionally, Smith is a member of the American Choral Directors Association, the National Association for Music Education, and a member of the Mississippi Music Educators Association and has sung in the Meridian Symphony Chorus and Mississippi Chorus.
After school, Smith taught at Richland High School as an assistant band and choral director, before growing the Newton County High School choir to over 130 members, which made it one of the largest high school choirs in the state. While at Newton County, Smith also took the choir to New York City where the group performed at the Lincoln Center with Grammy award-winning composer Eric Whitacre.
鈥淚 would like to say thank you to our college president, Dr. Brent Gregory, and the Board of Trustees for this opportunity at East Central, and I look forward to working with this program,鈥 said Smith.
