Lawrence Kaptein

Lawrence Kaptein is an American choral conductor and music educator. From 1985-2011 he was a member of the Faculty of the College of Music at the University of Colorado at Boulder. During his tenure at CU he held the post of Associate Director of Choral Activities (1985-1992), Director of Choral Activities (1992-2008), and Director of Choral Studies (2008-2011). Dr. Kaptein retired from the CU and the College of Music in the spring of 2011.

During his twenty-six year tenure at the University of Colorado, Kaptein conducted the University Choir (primarily undergraduate music majors) and the University Singers (graduate students), taught undergraduate and graduate choral conducting, and served as administrator for the undergraduate and graduate choral ensembles and for CU's nationally recognized graduate choral conducting program. Kaptein served as Chair of the Conducting Faculty from 1995-1998.

In 2009, Kaptein founded the Colorado Conductors' Chorus - a thirty-voice, mixed choir composed entirely of choral conductors and music educators working in the Denver metropolitan area. The primary mission of the CCC was to provide choral music professionals with a high-level, post-baccalaureate degree choral experience as a means of elevating choral singing in Colorado's public and private schools. Additionally, Kaptein arranged for inservice credit to be offered to CCC participants through CU's Division of Continuing Education. The ensemble has performed to critical acclaim since its founding.

Dr. Kaptein received two student-based teaching awards during his career at CU: the 2007 Marius Smith Award (CU Parents Association) and the 1998 Residential Life Teaching Award (Office of Campus Residential Life). Under his leadership, CU choirs distinguished themselves through juried performances at both national and divisional conventions of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), made four concert tours to Europe - being awarded third prize at the Tolosa International Choral Festival in 1992, appeared at numerous conventions of the Colorado Music Educators Convention, and made many in-state tours with University ensembles.

The performance of the University Choir at the 1991 National ACDA Convention in Phoenix, AZ has frequently been cited as the genesis of the multi-cultural choral movement in the United States. That convention appearance, which included several African folksongs (incorporating movement and use of authentic percussion instruments,) was a programming approach that had previously never been tried at a national choral convention. Kaptein remains a champion of ethnic choral literature, contemporary American works, and the much-overlooked secular choral repertoire. He has published articles (primarily dealing with rehearsal pedagogy and American choral history) in the "Choral Journal," "American Choral Review" and was a contributor to "An Annotated Listing of Distinctive High School Choral Repertoire" published by the American Choral Directors Association. His "List of Ethnically-Inspired Choral Repertoire" has appeared in numerous state and regional choral publications over the years.

During his seventeen-year tenure as Artistic Director of the CU's annual 'Holiday Festival' (formerly the 'Festival of Christmas'), weekend audience size grew to well over 8,000 patrons. The content of the program also began to broaden in scope emphasizing the inclusion of various holiday traditions and diverse seasonal repertoire. This event has now become a major financial resource (primarily funding music scholarships) for the College of Music.

Dr. Kaptein received degrees from Willamette University (College of Music), Portland State University, and earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral music and conducting from the University of Southern California. Prior to joining the faculty at CU's College of Music, he was Director of Choirs at Glendale College (CA) and the Conductor and Music Director of the Burbank Civic Chorale. Kaptein also taught choral music for many years in Oregon and California. He has conducted All-State and Honor Choirs throughout the United States and lectures and gives workshops on conducting, programming, and repertoire. In 1998 and again in 2008, Kaptein presented concerts with the acclaimed Ansan City Professional Choir in Korea. While in Korea, he presented a series of conducting masterclasses at Ehwa Women's University (Seoul) and for the Korean Choral Conductors Association. He is the editor of the Lawrence Kaptein Choral Series published by Alliance Music Publications (Houston).