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Tge American conductor and music teacher, Deborah Simpkin King, obtained her Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance; secondary, choral conducting Summa Cum Laude top in graduating class from Texas Christian University (1972-1976); her Master of Music degree in Music Education; secondary, choral conducting from North Texas State University (1979-1981; Master’s thesis: Caro Carapetyan: His Choral Beliefs and Practices. 1981); and her PhD degree in Musicology; secondary, choral conducting from University of North Texas (1981-1990; PhD dissertation: The Full Anthems and Services of John Blow, and the Question of an English Stile Antico). She was winner of the University of North Texas Graduate Dean’s Dissertation Award for Scholarly Communication, 1991).
Deborah Simpkin King has beebn Choral Conductor Specialist since 1995, including Guest conducting (interim, sabbatical and special projects), Festival Chorus conducting, choral clinics. Studio conducting lessons; studio voice pedagogy, coaching, conservatory preparation—high school age and above. She is a conductor, new music advocate, and master teacher whose work bridges artistry, innovation, and mentorship. A dynamic presence in the vibrant Manhattan choral scene, she also serves the national and international music community through her guest conducting, thought leadership, and extensive body of published work.
Deborah Simpkin King serves as Director of Choirs at the Manhattan School of Music in New York (since August 2023), Founding Artistic Director of Ember Choral Arts and its semi-professional ensemble Ember in New York City (since August 1995), and Director of Music and Arts at the historic Trinity Episcopal Church in Asbury Park, New Jersey (since January 2022). She is a founding conductor with the 1,000-voice projects of Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival, working closely with Simon Halsey. She recently assembled and trained the premiere choral forces for Jeanine Tesori’s opera Blue at Lincoln Center. Other conducting engagements have included the Tlaxcala Music Festival in Mexico, state honor choirs, and international choral travel programs where she has served as resident clinician.
As the founder of PROJECT : ENCORE™, the international advocacy initiative of Ember Choral Arts, Deborah Simpkin King is recognized as a trailblazer in championing the life of new music beyond the premiere. PROJECT : ENCORE and the Ember Ablaze Composer Lab exemplify her forward-thinking leadership—creating meaningful partnerships between composers, performers, and audiences, and ensuring that important new works continue to be heard.
Her deep commitment to arts education and the next generation of artists is evident in Ember Choral Arts’ community and youth initiatives, her long-standing leadership of the NJ-ACDA High School Choral Festival, and her work as Chair of the New York Choral Consortium (NYCC) (since July 2012), where she has expanded the organization’s mission to include the Big Sing Jr., celebrating the voices of young singers across the region.
Also a respected communicator, Deborah Simpkin King serves as a monthly columnist for ACDA’s The Choral Journal and as host of the public radio program Sounds Choral (syndicated through WWFM). Her frequent presentations at professional conferences on choral consortia and new music further amplify her impact across the global choral landscape. |
