C. THOMAS BROOKS

Conductor & Artistic Director

In 1971 he founded and conducted the Mercyhurst College Choir and Chamber Singers, and in 1972 was named conductor of the Symphonic Singers of Erie, Pennsylvania, posts he held until 1974. In 1974 he moved to the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, Connecticut, where he conducted the Hartt Chorale, the Collegiate Singers, the Hartt Touring Opera Theatre and the University Civic Chorus and Chamber Choir. While in Hartford, Professor Brooks also conducted the Arts in Unison Bel Canto Opera Company, Connecticut Light Opera on the Sound, the America’s Youth in Concert Program to Europe, and was co-founder and musical director of the New Lyric Theatre.

In 1984 he joined the faculty of Texas Tech University as conductor of the Collegiate Singers and Musical Theatre, and also served as associate conductor of the University Concert Choir and Chamber Singers and conductor of the summer musical theatre season. In 1987 he became director of choral activities and chair of vocal studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago, choral conductor at the Chicago Academy for the Arts and guest conductor with the Chicago Chamber Orchestra.  In 1988 he joined the faculty of Gordon College as Chair of Fine Arts and the Chair of the Department of Music, a position he held for 25 years.

Since 1999 he has been Director of Music for Traditional Services at the historic Park Street Church in Boston. From 1993 to 2000 he was conductor of the Montage Chamber Singers, and conductor of the chamber choir Cantillare from 2003-2005.  Since 2008 he has been conductor of the Boston area chamber choir Lyricora.  In that year he also became co-founder/co-director of the Salzburg Institute with its international symposia, lecture series and summer undergraduate study program in Vienna and Salzburg, Austria.  He has been guest conductor of the Portland Repertory Opera Theatre (ME) and conductor with Commonwealth Opera (MA) and the Northshore Light Opera Company (MA).

He has served as state president for the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association and has been conductor of the Massachusetts, Vermont and Rhode Island All-State Music Festivals.

His educational video series, Singing, Acting, Surviving, coauthored with stage director Ronald Luchsinger, was released by TRL Enterprises in conjunction with Schaffner Music Publishers, which also publishes the Thomas Brooks Choral Series. He is currently coauthoring a new text on training the high school singer with his wife, soprano, Susan Brooks.

DANIEL SCHMUNK

Assistant Conductor

A founding member and Assistant Conductor of Lyricora, Daniel Schmunk is an active music educator, choral conductor, and clinician. He has held teaching positions in New Hampshire, the North Shore and Metro-west areas of Boston, and taught all aspects of music at all levels in both public and private institutions. He has also been very involved in the schools’ musical theater productions holding different posts as director, musical director, and conductor; working on shows such as The Fantasticks, Godspell, and Into the Woods. Most recently, he has served as the Director of New England Conservatory’s School of Continuing Education, the adult extension division of the conservatory, where he administers and oversees all aspects of the program.

As a professional musician and conductor in the Boston area, Dan Schmunk has held church music positions at Tremont Temple Baptist Church in Boston, the first integrated church in America, and Boston’s historic Park Street Church, where he currently serves as the Director of Choral Music.

He continues to teach privately on the North Shore of Boston, where he lives with his wife, a soprano, and three boys, all promising optional percussionists.