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- Larry Wyatt
Faculty and Staff
Larry Wyatt
Title: | Distinguished Professor Emeritus |
School of Music | |
Email: | lwyatt@mozart.sc.edu |
Resources: |
Bio
In the fall of 1964 Larry Wyatt signed his first teaching contract and has been engaged
in teaching since. That first position was as elementary band director and eventually
high school chorus director. Working with the high school chorus was a life changing
experience. Following his master’s degree in Choral Music Education, he accepted a
position as choral director, voice teacher and assorted brass instruments at then
CFJC in Ocala, Florida (1966-69.) The U.S. Army decided it needed him to defend the
country against bad band music and made him a rehearsal band director at the Armed
Forces School of Music (1969-71.) He then enrolled in the doctoral program at Florida
State and shared a part-time elementary teaching job with his wife, Susan, who supervised
his teaching.
After a year in an interim choral directing position at the University of Houston,
he joined the faculty at Loyola University in New Orleans. While there he founded
the New Orleans Symphony Chorus and an annual Collegiate Choral Festival. Active
in the American Choral Directors’ Association, he served in a number of offices including
President of the Southern Division. His Loyola Choir performed on two Division and
one National Convention and toured internationally four times.
In 1987 he was appointed Director of Choral Studies at USC. Under his direction, the
Concert Choir was a headliner on two division conventions, and he co-directed the
Ecumenical Service at a national convention. The Palmetto Mastersingers were also
selected to perform on one convention. He is one of the most published active choral
director authors in professional journals and was interviewed and published in “In
Quest of Answers, Interviews with American Choral Directors “ by Carole Glenn, published
by Hinshaw Publishers. He edits a series for American Voices for Alliance Music Publishers.
At USC he was in charge of the DMA and MM degree programs in choral conducting.
Active as a community and church musician, he has held church music director positions
for 35 years and almost as many years as a community chorus director.
He and his wife Susan have one son Benjamin who is a professional cellist/teacher.
They have two grandsons, Charlie and Henry.