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The American tenor, choral conductor and music teacher, Cody Parrott, obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Music with concentrations in Vocal Music and Music Education from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas (May 2009); his Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami (August 2009-May 2011); and his Doctor of Music Arts degree in Choral Conducting with a special emphasis in Vocal Pedagogy from the Sarah & Ernest Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin (July 2021-May 2024), where he studied with Drs. JD Burnett and Suzanne Pence. There he was the conductor of the University Treble Chorus who was named the Third Place Winner for the 2023 American Prize in Choral Performance. His doctoral research is focused on modern voice science and how contemporary vocal pedagogy can be applied to the choral music classroom.
Cody Parrott has enjoyed a diverse career as a professional musician and educator for the past two decades. He seved as a Conducting Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin (July 2021-May 2024), where, under his direction, the University Treble Chorus was named the Third Place Winner for the 2023 American Prize in Choral Performance; as well as Associate Director of Choral Activities at Mississippi State University (August 2023-May 2024), where he conducted two choirs and taught private voice. Currently, he serves as Director of Choral Activities and Visiting Assistant Professor of Voice on the Voice faculty of the School of Music at Illinois Wesleyan University (since August 2024).
Cody Parrott entered university academia following a distinguished career as a high school choral music educator within the Texas public school system. He was Director of Choirs at Killeen High School in Killeen, Texas (August 2012-June 2017); Director of Choirs at James Bowie High School Austin in Austin, Texas (August 2017-June 2019); Director of Choirs at Andy Dekaney High School in Hin Austin, Texas (July 2021-August 2023). During his secondary teaching career, choirs under his direction garnered notable achievements, exemplified by consistent superior commendations at the Texas UIL Choir Evaluations and the prestigious Performance of Distinction recognition at the Madrigal and Chamber Choir Competition in San Antonio. Notably, his choirs have also earned finalist status in various choral festivals and competitions, showcasing their artistic excellence in invited performances across diverse venues in Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, Honolulu, Austin, Houston, and Washington, D.C..
Cody Parrott continues to maintain a passion for the pedagogy of classical singing and performing opera, oratorio, and in recital. His singing career has traversed the stages of opera companies, concert venues, and sacred spaces in New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Florida, Georgia, California, Washington, D.C., Texas, Italy, France, Austria, and the UK. Renowned for his "sweet-toned lyric tenor," his vocal prowess has garnered accolades and critical acclaim. For instance, the South Florida Classical Review lauds his performances as "touching and vocally thrilling." His various stage credits include the roles of Arturo in Donizetti's masterpiece Lucia di Lamermoor, Ferrando in W.A. Mozart's Cosi fan tutte, Captain Macheath in Benjamin Britten's The Beggar's Opera, Joe Brennan in the Florida premiere performance of Richard Wargo's Ballymore, Tamino in W.A. Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, and Belmonte in W.A. Mozart's Die Enführung aus dem Serail and the title roles in Massenet's Werther and Charles Gounod's Romeo and Juliet.
In addition to solo performance, Cody Parrott enjoys time spent singing with some of the USA's most prominent professional choral ensembles. He has performed with the Grammy Award Winning Houston Chamber Choir, conducted by Robert Simpson on their record "Ravishingly Russian", described as "top of the line" singing by the American Record Guide, and an "...enjoyable, and enduring listening experience" by Musica Russica. He can also be found regularly performing with the Austin-based Ars Longa Ensemble conducted by Dr. Steven Brennfleck, with Chorus Austin, and as a soloist with the Bell Civic Chorus.
Cody Parrott is an active participant, clinician, and adjudicator in the Texas UIL, TMEA, and TAPPS contests, and holds professional memberships with TMEA, TMAA, ACDA, the American Guild of Organists, and the National Association of Teachers of Singing. He currently lives in Bloomington, Illinois, USA. |
