Contact Information

• ctaft1@unca.edu

Contact Information

chuck.taft@gmail.com
828.768.6275
www.ChuckTaft.com

Bio

Chuck Taft is a music director, conductor, and performer living, working, and learning in Western North Carolina. He received a Bachelor of Music - Vocal Performance degree from Western Carolina University and a Master of Music - Music and Worship degree from Lee University. His wide-ranging work includes music directing for theater and opera, orchestral and choral conducting, vocal and piano performance, and music ministry. In his academic work, he focuses on exploring the social, emotional, cognitive, and physical impacts of choral participation on an aging population, with the aim of using scholarship to improve practice and, ultimately, the lives of his singers. Guiding his work across all these disciplines is Chuck's core belief in "People over Process," a commitment to valuing the needs of the individual above those of organizations. Led by this belief, Chuck moves daily between classrooms, sanctuaries, and rehearsal halls, cheerfully helping the people around him find joy and express their truth through music.

Chuck has spent the past 20 years studying, developing, and practicing his craft in various settings as a Music Director and Conductor for sacred and secular ensembles, including: the Asheville Choral Society, Reuter Center Singers, Blue Ridge Orchestra, Asheville Lyric Opera, St. Matthias Asheville Chamber Players, many WNC theaters, and musical ensembles at Biltmore United Methodist Church, Kenilworth Presbyterian Church, St. Matthais Episcopal Church, and St. Eugene Catholic Church. He spent eight years as Director of Choral Activities for UNC Asheville, and is pleased to have joined the faculty again in 2016.

Education

• Bachelor of Music - Vocal Performance from Western Carolina University
• Master of Music - Music and Worship from Lee University

Classes Taught at UNC Asheville

• MUSC113: University Chorale
• MUSC 114: Asheville Singers