Bob Demaree Demaree joined the UW-Platteville faculty in 1992. Dr. Demaree conducts the Chamber Choir, the Coro D'Angeli women's choir, and the Singing Pioneers men's choir, and teaches choral conducting, choral literature, and music history. Annual choral area events include the High School Choral Festival, three tours, and performances of major choral/orchestral works. Since 1992, the choral area has sponsored performances and workshops by The Dale Warland Singers, the Severacek Children's Choir, Angelica, Chanticleer (twice), the Moscow State Conservatory Choir, the Jubilate Children's Choir, the Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers, the Spirit Chorale of Los Angeles, and John Wustman. UWP choristers have also traveled abroad to Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, England, and Ireland since 2000. The choral program will be performing at Lincoln Center with orchestra in a performance of Haydn’s Heiligmesse in June of 2010.
Since 1995, UWP choirs have been invited to perform five times for the Wisconsin School Music Conference, five times for the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association convention, once for the MENC North Central Division convention, and once for the ACDA North Central Division convention. In addition, UWP choirs have performed the Mozart Requiem, Stravinsky Symphony of Psalms, Brahms Requiem, Beethoven Missa Solemnis, Verdi Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Beethoven’s Symphony #9, and Haydn's Paukenmesse and Schopfungsmesse with orchestra in the last decade. In the fall of 1998, UWP choirs were invited to perform Scriabin's Prometheus in Chicago's Orchestra Hall with the Kirov Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre under the direction of Valery Gergiev. Dr. Demaree organized the commissioning of two works in 2002, a sacred work by John Ferguson and Her Sacred Spirit Soars, a secular work by Eric Whitacre.
Demaree completed his doctorate in choral conducting at the University of Illinois. While finishing his coursework, he conducted the Illini Women and was assistant conductor of the Concert Choir. During his tenure at Washington State University, he conducted the Crimson Company, the university’s highly acclaimed show choir. Demaree received a master of music degree in choral conducting at the University of Iowa where he was the director of the Old Gold Singers. He completed a bachelor’s degree with voice concentration at Indiana University. Professor Demaree has studied conducting under Don V. Moses, Ann Howard Jones, Fred Stoltzfus, and Robert Stoll.
Demaree is active as a clinician, church musician, and adjudicator. In 2009, he will conduct the WMEA High School Mixed Honors Choir. In 2008, he presented interest sessions at the WCDA state convention, the NCACDA regional convention in Fargo, and at WCDA’s Singspiel. In 2006-07, he conducted the North Dakota All-State women’s choir and provided workshops or clinics in Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota. He also is a founder, director, and singer in the Heartland Singers, a private, professional chorus of 32 musicians from Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota.
In 2000, Demaree was awarded UWP's Outstanding Advisor to a Student Organization Award, and in the fall of 2001, he was named a recipient of the Alliant Energy/Underkofler Award for Teaching Excellence. This prestigious award was one of four given in 2001 to faculty from the Wisconsin System. He currently serves as WCDA Past-President and was the chair for their 2004 and 2005 state conventions.
In addition to his work for the university, Demaree served for nine years as Music Director at First English Lutheran Church. He conducted the Pioneer Summer Music Camp choir for six years. Demaree has been a frequent soloist and festival choral singer. He was baritone soloist for Bach’s Magnificat under the baton of Margaret Hillis in 1983 at the ACDA Central Division Convention. In January of 1992, he performed Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis under the direction of Robert Shaw at the Robert Shaw Choral Workshop at Carnegie Hall. Demaree has also performed as a soloist and chorus member of the Classical Music Seminar in Eisenstadt, Austria, the Oregon Bach Festival, and the American Master Chorale.
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