CCU Names David McNeil Director of Choral Studies
David McNeil Jr., a well-rounded and highly experienced conductor and music educator, joined Colorado Christian University’s faculty as the director of Choral Studies. He began his new role in the College of Undergraduate Studies’ School of Music July 1.
McNeil brings extensive experience teaching and conducting at the primary, secondary, and collegiate levels. Most recently he served in assistant director and conductor roles for various glee clubs and ensembles at Yale’s School of Music and Institute of Sacred Music. McNeil directed or assisted with several ensembles at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music (2013-2015) while completing a master’s in choral conducting.
“We are excited at the CCU School of Music to have David McNeil join our faculty as Director of Choral Studies,” said Steve Taylor, dean of CCU’s School of Music. “We look forward to the excellence and vibrancy he will bring to our program and to our university as a whole.”
“I benefited from mentorship that included both academic performance and Christian faith,” McNeil said. “When I graduated and contemplated a career in higher education, I decided that I wanted to work in a place that would allow me to serve in the same way my mentors had. It is hard to imagine a better field in which to do so than choral singing.”
Prior to teaching at the university level, he spent five years as an elementary and secondary music teacher, working with vocal and instrumental ensembles as well as teaching drama. Before beginning graduate study, McNeil earned a B.A. at Trinity International University in Music Education. In 2015, he earned a Masters in Choral Conducting from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, studying with Betsy Burleigh, Dominick DiOrio, and Walter Huff.
McNeil is currently in his second year of coursework for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Conducting at the Yale School of Music and Institute of Sacred Music.
McNeil’s interests include Baroque music, opera, the role of choral music in the church, literature, fishing, and woodworking. He enjoys spending time with his wife, Chelsey, and their three sons, Conrad, Arthur, and Henry.
Learn more about CCU’s music programs at ccu.edu/music.