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Duncan Couch assumed the position of Professor of Music
and Director of Choral Activities at Stetson University
in August, 1989. Dr. Couch came to Stetson after nine
year as Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities
at the University of Missouri. He received his Ph.D.,
MME, and BME degrees from the University of Kansas.
His teaching experience prior to the University of Missouri
includes nine years as Dean of the School of Fine Arts
and Director of Choral Activities at Southwest Baptist
University, two years as conductor of the Concert Choir
and University Chorus at the University of Kansas, and
five years of high school teaching in Kansas.
Teaching responsibilities for Dr. Couch at Stetson
include conducting the Concert Choir (72 voices), the
Choral Union (270 voices, University/Community) and
beginning through advanced conducting. At the University
of Missouri, he was responsible for guiding the graduate
choral conducting programs, he conducted the University
Singers (65 voices), Chamber Singers (20 voices), and
the Choral Union (400 voices). He has conducted, or
prepared choruses for performances with the Florida
Symphony Orchestra (4 performances), New York Bach Aria
Group, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (7), the Kansas
City Symphony (3), the Florida Orchestra (2), the Sydney
Australia Symphony, the Russian State Orchestra, the
Orlando Philharmonic, and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
Dr. Couch is presently serving as President of the
Florida American Choral Directors Association. He is
a past-president of the seven-state Southwestern Division
of the American Choral Directors Association, and a
past-president of Missouri-ACDA. Dr. Couch was selected
by choral directors in Missouri to be the recipient
of the Luther T. Spayde Award for “Contributions
to the Choral Art”. His professional affiliations
include Phi Mu Alpha, Pi Kappa Lambda, MENC, FVA, ACDA,
IFCM, College Music Society, and the American Choral
Foundation.
Dr. Couch has conducted all-state choirs, honors choirs,
and festival or clinic choirs in twenty-eight states.
He was founding director of the 110-voice Kansas City
All-Metro Choir, sponsored by the Hallmark Corporation.
In 1998, he conducted a 200-voice choir, with orchestra,
in a concert of Mozart and Haydn music at New York City’s
Carnegie Hall. He served one year as interim chorus
master for the Tampa Bay Master Chorale.
Choirs under the direction of Dr. Couch have performed
at professional music conferences at the state, divisional,
and national levels, and in Europe. The MU University
Singers under Couch's direction performed at the National
Convention of the Music Educator's National Conference
and the National Convention of the American Choral Directors
Association. The Stetson University Concert Choir performed
for the Southern Division ACDA Convention, four times
for Florida ACDA conferences, and twice for FMEA conferences.
The Concert Choir performed for the Southern Division
ACDA Convention in Savannah, GA in 2003, and completed
its second, six-country European Concert Tour in May
2002.
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