Christopher Haygood serves as Associate Director of Choral and Vocal Studies at Oklahoma State University. Under Christopher’s direction, the University Singers performed at Carnegie Hall and for the OMEA Winter Conference and the Concert Chorale was recently invited to perform as a part of the 2022 Vox anima concert series in London, England commencing the Platinum Jubilee celebration for Queen Elizabeth II. Christopher was honored the 2018 recipient of the Distinguished Professor of Music Award presented by First Lady Ann Hargis. 

 

Christopher has conducted choirs and appeared as a clinician across Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. Highlights of his appearances as guest conductor include the National Choir of Taiwan in the National Concert Hall of Taipei, the Bacau Philharmonic, and the Vidin State Philharmonic Orchestra in Bulgaria. He has prepared choruses for collaborations with Helmuth Rilling, Andrea Bocelli, Jennifer Hudson, and The Tonight Show. 

 

Diverse research interests led Christopher to Prague, for exploration into the choral music of Holocaust survivor Petr Eben, and New Zealand, for research of choral music based on texts of the Māori. He has published articles on music research and conducting pedagogy in the International Bulletin of Choral Music, numerous conducting resource guides in Teaching Music through Performance in Choir, Volumes 4 and 5, and articles in The Choral Conductor’s Companion. He appeared as guest collegiate lecturer at the Oklahoma Music Educators Conference, guest resident lecturer for the Noble Series at the University of Southern California, guest lecturer and conducting clinician at the University of Miami, keynote speaker for the secondary music educators of the Dallas Unified School District, and lecturer for the Oklahoma Choral Directors Association conference. Christopher’s current research focus is the completion of a new resource that addresses the diversifying demands of the choral pedagogue in the 21st century. 

 

Christopher received the Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Music from the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California with additional fields in Vocal Arts, Sacred Music, and Instrumental Conducting. He earned the Master of Music in Choral Conducting from the University of Mississippi, the Bachelor of Music Education and Bachelor of Arts in English with honors from Samford University, and completed international honors study in English and Music at the University of Cambridge.