David Anderson       David Anderson is Director of Choral Activities at SPU, directing the Concert Choir and Chamber Singers. A State of Washington native, he did his undergraduate schooling at Grace Bible College (Grand Rapids, MI), Spokane Falls Community College (Spokane, WA), finishing at Whitworth College (Spokane, WA) and did his graduate work at the University of Oregon. His conducting studies include work under Helmuth Rilling, Eric Ericson and Avner Itai. He taught at Shaw Junior High School (Spokane, WA), Clarkston High School (Clarkston, WA) and West Albany High School (Albany, OR). Before coming to SPU, he was Choral Director at the University of North Alabama. He is an active member of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), the Music Educators National Conference (MENC) and the International Federation of Choral Music (IFCM) and the National Collegiate Choral Organization (NCCO). Choirs under his direction have been invited to perform at numerous state, regional and national MENC and ACDA conventions. He is active as adjudicator, clinician and guest conductor throughout the region. See his homepage!

Neil Lieurance       Neil Lieurance directs the SPU Women's Choir. He retired in 1993 from teaching choral music at Shorecrest High School. Under Neil's direction, Shorecrest's choirs performed at national conventions of both ACDA and MENC and received many awards, including First Place in the Best in the Northwest Festival. Selected as the 1991 "Teacher of the year" in the Shoreline School District and the 1988 Washington Music Educators Association "Outstanding Music Educator," Neil was also inducted to the WMEA "Hall of Fame" in 1998. In 1991, he received the Generations United "Hand in Hand" award for outstanding efforts to promote intergenerational relationships. He is an active adjudicator, clinician, and guest conductor in the Northwest. Mr. Lieurance has led student and church groups on European concert tours, including that of the 1988 Montana State Youth Choir. He has served as interim conductor of the Seattle Symphony Chorale and was Associate Conductor of the Choir of the Sound, a 110-voice adult choir associated with Shoreline Community College. Mr Lieurance has filled sabbatical teaching positions in choral music and conducting at the University of Puget Sound and Edmonds Community College. Also a church musician for over 25 years, Neil served as co-director of the Worship Choir for the Sixth Assembly of the World Council of Churches held in Vancouver, B.C. in 1993 and presented subsequent workshops in Toronto, Canada, and Manila, Philippines. He is currently Director of Music at Seattle First United Methodist Church in downtown Seattle. Neil attended Lower Columbia College and hold bachelor's and master's degrees from Western Washington University. He is a member of the Music Educators National Conference (MENC), the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), and the International Federation of Choral Music (AFCM), and has served on the state boards of both MENC and ACDA. In 2004, ACDA national office appointed Neil to a committee to develop and implement a new mentor program for young choral directors. Neil will soon begin training other choral directors to become mentors.

Stephen Michael Newby       Stephen Michael Newby directs the Gospel Choir and is a native of Detroit, MI. He received his BA in vocal music education and flute performance from Madonna College in Livonia, MI. His MM in jazz composition and arranging was earned from the University of Massachusetts. There his studies in composition were under the supervision of Robert Sutton, Frederick Tillis, Jeff Holmes and Robert Stern. He completed his DMA in composition at The University of Michigan. There he studied with William Albright, Michael Daugherty, George Wilson, Fred Lerdahl and Pulitzer Prize winners William Bolcom and Leslie Bassett. His compositions have earned him awards such as The National Endowment of the Arts Grant- Continental Harmony 2005 for Saint Paul, Minnesota; Continental Harmony 2000 for Newport, Rhode Island; the King County Arts Commission of Washington Grant, 1995-1996; the Distinguished Dissertation of the Year Award at the University of Michigan in 1995 for his "Symphony" Let Thy Mercy Be Upon Us, A Tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. as well as the Rackham School composition Award for A Significant Change for Orchestra (1993); the Rackham School fellowship for Ethnomusicological Research in Dakar, Senegal, West Africa 1988-1990; the John Wesley Work III National Composer's Competition in 1988 for his work Be Still and Know a gospel/jazz oratorio. He is an ASCAP composer/publisher of many different musical styles and traditions including West African, Western European, Jazz, and Gospel. His works have been performed by; The Cascade Youth Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Ann Arbor Symphony, Canton Symphony Orchestra, New Haven Symphony, Savannah Symphony and the New World Theater Orchestra. H. Robert Reynolds and The University of Michigan Bands commissioned him to compose two new works for Band and Choir, which premiered in 2000. He has worked with gospel choirs, vocal jazz ensembles and traditional choral groups for more than 30 years. He served as Assistant Professor of Composition and Computer Arts at the University of Michigan from 1990-94.
His conducting experiences include: The Savannah Symphony, The Antioch Symphony Orchestra in Kirkland, WA, The C.R.O.S.S., a gospel jazz ensemble in Kirkland, WA, The Cascade Youth Symphony Orchestra in Seattle, WA, The United Voices of Antioch Choir in Kirkland, WA, The University of Michigan Gospel Chorale, The Martin Luther King Symposium Orchestra and Chorus in Ann Arbor, MI, The Messiah Baptist Gospel Voices, The University of Massachusetts African American Music and Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Wesley United Methodist Church Chorale in Amherst, MA, YADI Jazz Ensemble in Boston, MA, The New World Theater Chamber Orchestra in Amherst, MA, Mount Holyoke College Voices of Praise Chorale in Holyoke, MA and The New Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church Chorale in Detroit, MI.
Other Professional Musical Activities include; Gospelfest Music for Reconciliation, Inc., Music Director/ Co-founder, Ann Arbor, MI, 1990-present, The Detroit Symphony Orchestra/UNISYS African American Composers Symposium Program Coordinator and featured composer in chamber music 1992-93, Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra guest conductor, January 1992 and December 1993, Toured and Conducted 100 voice Senegalese choir and drum orchestra, La Chorale Des Martyrs De L'Ouganda, Dakar, Senegal, West Africa, 1986-1990, Toured Israel with the United Voices of Antioch Choir in November 1998.
He is also Minister of Worship at SPU, Pastor of Worship Arts at Antioch Bible Church, Worship Leader/Recording Artist for Maranatha! Music, Integrity Music, Promise Keepers, and Family Life Ministries. Newby has completed a new recording project entitled "Songs of Deliverance" to be released March 2005 on R-Music label. He has released other recordings such "Delight to Do God's Will" on Maranatha, "Gospel Songs for Baritone and String Orchestra" on Albany Records and "I Still Do" with Integrity media.

Kenneth Pendergrass      

Ken Pendergrass has been a full-time music teacher for Seattle Public Schools since 2002 and has a master’s dergree from Western Washington University in choral conducting. He spent four years conducting The Northwest Girlchoir and continues to work with a variety of choral groups of all ages throughout the Puget Sound region as a conductor and clinician.

Copyright © 2001 Seattle Pacific University .
Contact David Anderson: (206) 281-2903
dand@spu.edu