Dr. Allison Thorp
Director of Choral Activities
Assistant Professor of Music
Education:
Ph.D. Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New York, 2016
M.A. Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia, 2008
B.M.E. West Virginia Wesleyan College, Buckhannon, West Virginia, 2005
Dr. Allison Thorp is the Director of Choral Activities and Assistant Professor of Music at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina, where she conducts the Concert Choir and University Chorus and teaches Conducting and Choral Methods courses. She earned a doctorate from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where she studied conducting with William Weinert, Brad Lubman, and Neil Varon. She also completed summer programs at the Oregon Bach Festival with Helmuth Rilling and at Westminster Choir College with James Jordan. In addition to choral conducting, her research interests include social justice in music education and community building through musical performance. She has presented at state NAfME conferences in Arizona and West Virginia as well as at international symposiums including the Giving Voice to Democracy in Music Symposium in Montclair, New Jersey, the New Directions in Music Education Symposium at Michigan State University, and the Suncoast Music Education Research Symposium in South Florida. Dr. Thorp has previously taught at the Eastman School of Music, Marshall University, and as a public school teacher in eastern Kentucky. She has also served as Director of Music at Louisa United Methodist Church in Louisa, Kentucky; as Director of Music at South Presbyterian Church in Rochester, New York; and as the Artistic Co-Founder and Director of the Mount Hope World Singers in Rochester, New York. She currently lives in Waynesville with her husband, Sean, and cat, Ella Fitzgerald.
Dr. Bruce Frazier
Professor of Music
Carol Grotnes Belk Endowed Chair
Education:
D.M.A. Choral Music, University of Southern California
M.Mus. Music Composition, East Carolina University
B.Mus. Music Theory and Composition, East Carolina University
Dr. Bruce H. Frazier joined the faculty of Western’s music department in 1998 as the first recipient of the Carol Grotnes Belk Distinguished Professorship in Commercial and Electronic Music. The Academy of Television Arts and Science has twice recognized him for his contributions to dramatic underscore and sound mixing for television programs. He also has been nominated for several Emmys for his role as music editor on the TV series “Quantum Leap,” and a Golden Reel nomination for his work on “JAG.” In addition to composing and editing, he also uses his talents in music technology, particularly in MIDI synthesis and the recording arts. Frazier holds the bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music, both from East Carolina University, and the doctorate in music from the University of Southern California, where he studied conducting with James Vail and Rodney Eichenberger. In addition to his professional work as conductor for television and film, Frazier was the orchestra director and arranger for country singer Loretta Lynn for more than a decade. He has conducted for other artists including Ronnie Milsap and Mac Davis. Frazier was the music coordinator for “Dolly,” the ABC TV series starring singer Dolly Parton. Dr. Frazier’s hobbies include the graphic arts–print making and painting, and going for hikes along the many trails in beautiful Western North Carolina.