Choir Conductors
Dr. Gary R. Schwartzhoff is Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire where he conducts Concert Choir, Chamber Choir, The Singing Statesmen and teaches conducting. Schwartzhoff received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Central College in Pella, Iowa and a Master of Music Degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa. A recipient of the Helen Kemper Doctoral Fellowship Award, he received a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Conducting at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, Missouri, where he studied conducting with Dr. Eph Ehly.
Schwartzhoff has been active throughout his professional career in the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) where he served as President of the North Central Division from 1992-94. In 2010, the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association (WCDA) bestowed the Morris Hayes Award to Schwartzhoff for lifetime achievement in the choral art. In 2007, the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association named Schwartzhoff the Outstanding Church Musician in the state of Wisconsin. Schwartzhoff has presented choirs on twenty-four conventions before the state, divisional and national levels of ACDA and MENC. In February 2009, he conducted the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Choral Festival at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. In 2009, Schwartzhoff was inducted into Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Eta Sigma in recognition of scholarship, service, and commitment to student success. In 2011, Schwartzhoff will conduct the Minnesota Men's All State Choir.
Schwartzhoff is the artistic director and conductor for The Master Singers, a community chamber ensemble with membership from throughout the Greater Chippewa Valley. He serves as Director of Music at the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Eau Claire, where he conducts the Chancel Choir. Schwartzhoff has served as guest conductor and adjudicator for numerous choral festivals throughout the United States and Canada. Gary is married to Nancy Schwartzhoff and they have two daughters, Jenifer Morgan (Jerry), and Rebecca Johnson (Andy), and grandsons, Brady and Alex.
Dr. Alan J. Rieck, Assistant Professor of Music, joined the UW-Eau Claire faculty in the fall of 2001 where he conducts the Women’s Concert Chorale, Symphonic Choir, Women’s Chorus, and teaches courses in music education. Prior to his current appointment, Dr. Rieck served as Assistant Director of Choral Studies and professor of music education at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona where he taught courses in conducting, current issues in music education, and music education teaching methods; and conducted the Men’s Chorale and Women’s Chorale. While in Flagstaff he also served as assistant director of the Master Chorale of Flagstaff, was the founding director of the Children’s Chorale of Flagstaff, and during the 2000-2001 school year served as the NAU Director of Choral Studies.
Prior to moving to Arizona, Dr. Rieck taught and conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, conducted the top performing groups of the Madison Children’s Choir, and served as chorus master for the Madison Symphony Orchestra Chorus. Dr. Rieck taught for six years in the public schools in West Allis, Wisconsin and is an active member of the American Choral Directors Association and Music Educators National Conference. He holds a B.M. degree in Music Education, M.M. degree in Music Education, and Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, all from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
