"KEEP THE WHOLE WORLD SINGING"
Meet
Our Director -Todd Lamson
The Manchester Silk City Chorus has shown great improvement and achieved
measured success over the last four years having won three straight Yankee
Division Chorus Championships (over choruses from Connecticut and Poughkeepsie,
NY). In addition, the chorus has followed up two 4th Place finishes
in the Northeastern District Chorus Contest in 2004 and 2005 with two
3rd Place finishes in 2006 and again in 2007 in Lowell, MA.
Not coincidentally, this is the fourth year of Todd Lamson’s tenure
as chorus director. The chorus’ improvement is due in large
part to Todd’s ability to teach, communicate, coach and coax energizing
us to continually strive for better singing techniques, better interpretation
of each song, improving the complete performance of each song, and doing
it all with artistry and feeling.
Todd is a long-time member of the chapter having joined in 1986 at the
age of 11. He was very active in the Manchester High School music
program, playing saxophone in the various bands and ensembles, singing
in the choruses including the select Roundtable Singers, singing in a
barbershop quartet of his own formation while also performing in many
theatrical performances at the high school including “Barnum”. He
subsequently earned a BS in Music Education from Plymouth (NH) State
University and a Masters in Music Education from the University of Illinois.
Returning to the chapter after college in 1998, Todd got involved in
the Young Men in Harmony (now Youth in Harmony) program serving as the
chapter as a YMIH advisor and then as the District Vice-president – YMIH
for the Northeastern District from 2002 through 2005. He has also
been the chapter’s Program Vice-president (1998) and was Lead Section
Leader and Associate Chorus Director from 2001 through 2003. In
addition, Todd has sung lead in two Northeastern District Very Large
Quartet Champions (Six Pack in 2003 and Manchester United in 2004) and
was the lead in Board of Directors which competed in the 2006 Northeastern
District Quartet Championship.
Todd continues to improve his knowledge and craft while also sharing
his knowledge and experience across the entire Barbershop Harmony Society. He
has twice attended the Society’s Director College in Missouri where
he took the highest level courses the Society offers its top directors. He
is a certified instructor for a Society-wide program, “Directors
of the Future” and has nearly completed the training requirements
to be certified as an instructor in the Society’s “Chorus
Director Workshop Intensive” program. Todd’s talents
are recognized by all who have experienced the joy of singing under his
direction and are attested to by the growth in chapter membership over
the last two years.
We trust you will enjoy the fruits of his musical skills during this
year’s annual show. |
