Dr. Jason Paulk

E-mail: Jason.Paulk@enmu.edu

Jason D. Paulk, a native of Cartersville, Georgia, serves as the Director of Choral Activities at Eastern New Mexico University. Prior to arriving in Portales, he completed his educational training at Stetson University (Bachelor of Music Education, cum laude), Westminster Choir College (Master of Music in Conducting, summa cum laude; Master of Music in Music Education, summa cum laude), and the University of Oklahoma (Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting).

Dr. Paulk’s professional experience includes numerous performances, both as tenor soloist and conductor. As a public school educator and Director of Choirs at Deltona High School in Deltona, Florida (1997—2001), the choirs received numerous honors: they received superior festival ratings at all district and state adjudication festivals; they were honored as a feature choir at the State Music Educators Convention in 2000; they were the featured honor choir during a Florida/California Youth Chorale performance in Carnegie Hall. In addition, Mr. Paulk was award the “New Teacher of the Year” award in 1997.

While at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, Dr. Paulk performed frequently with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the New Jersey Symphony. Conductors with whom Dr. Paulk has sung include maestros Kurt Masur, Wolfgang Swallisch, Zdenek Macal, Robert Shaw, Joseph Flummerfelt, Allen Crowell, Dennis Shrock, and Duncan Couch. Recordings with which Mr. Paulk was involved with Westminster Choir College include American Choral Classics and the first recording of Kurt Weill’s Die Burgschaft.

At the University of Oklahoma, Dr. Paulk was a three-year University Fellowship recipient. His teaching responsibilities included conducting the University Chorus, University Chorale, and serving as assistant to the Director of Graduate Choral Studies. Recently, Dr. Paulk's dissertation, "Preparing Choral Voices for Historically Guided Vocalism in the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Contemorary Styles," was nominated for the University of Oklahoma Provost's Ph.D Dissertation Prize for excellence in research. In addition, Dr. Paulk will have an article entitled "Unifying Characteristics in the Masses of Josquin Des Prez" published in the American Choral Directors Association Choral Journal in February, 2006. Also during the years 2002-2004, Dr. Paulk was a member and soloist with the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, one of the most respected professional ensembles in America. He can be heard on their recording of Journeys of the Spirit.

Choral ensembles from ENMU have been heard and praised throughout the region in concert tours and in collaborations with orchestras such as the Roswell Symphony, Symphony of the Southwest, and the Santa Fe Symphony. Nine singers from the university choirs recently returned from a tour to Beijing, China, where they performed in several performance venues and sang a concert on the Great Wall of China. Dr. Paulk presented a lecture to the first annual meeting of the All China Choral Directors Association at Tianjin University, which dealt with effective and efficient choral warm-ups. Upcoming choral events include a world premiere of a large-scale composition by Rene Clause for Wind Symphony and Choirs and travel to Santa Fe for performances of Orff's Carmina Burana with the Santa Fe Symphony.

Professional organizations to which Dr. Paulk belongs include: American Choral Directors Association, The Conductors Guild, Music Educators National Convention, New Mexico Music Educators Association, Omicron Delta Kappa, and Phi Eta Sigma.

Dr. Paulk remains active as writer, lecturer, and clinician throughout the country.