Biographies
Ian Loeppky
Originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Ian Loeppky has been the Assistant Professor and Director of Choral Activities at the University of North Alabama since the fall of 2003. His studies began at the University of Manitoba, continued at the University of Minnesota, and finished at the College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati. He has also studied with Dale Warland, Frieder Bernius, Martin Isepp, Charles Bruffy, and Bobby McFerrin. He is a member of the American Choral Directors Association, the Music Educators National Convention, the National Collegiate Choral Organization, the Alabama Vocal Association, the International Federation for Choral Music, Phi Mu Alpha, and Pi Kappa Lambda. He is currently the Repertoire and Standards Chair for Multicultural Choral Music for the Alabama chapter of ACDA. He has worked as a singer, scholar, conductor, clinician, adjudicator, and arranger in Canada, the United States, and Portugal. He directs all four choral ensembles at UNA and teaches undergraduate and graduate choral conducting, choral techniques, and graduate choral literature. In addition, he directs the choir at Trinity Episcopal Church, is founder and artistic director of Florence Camerata, and is in demand as a clinician and adjudicator throughout the region and internationally. He is a frequent contributor to the Choral Journal and the Alabama Reprise.
Christopher-Joel Carter, IV
Christopher-Joel Carter, IV hails originally from the city of Albertville, Alabama. As a child, Christopher was exposed to the music of his area (Sand Mountain), and to the music that his parents and family played nonstop (everything from Southern Gospel to Funk). He is known for his mastery and easy adaptations of myriad genres of music, this which he attributes to his musically broad childhood, and classical training.
At the age of four, Christopher began his piano training, yet it wasn’t until he was fourteen years old did he receive truly formal training. Prior to classical training, Christopher was schooled in southern gospel, jazz, and Liberace styles. At fourteen, he auditioned with Dr. Margery McDuffie Whatley at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and became her student for over nine years. During his high school years, Christopher was the principal accompanist for his high school’s choral program. Since he “does not sing”- he was invited to be part of the chorus/s and would receive his final grade on dependence of his piano accompanying. This event is what “set the ball rolling” in his technique evolution and his deftness at sight-reading almost any score without fault- an “A” was always the grade.
Christopher was nominated three consecutive times as the Alabama All-State Pianist, and landed his first “real job” as an accompanist to the former Gerhart Children’s Chamber Chorus in which he composed his “Sanctus” for children’s chorus and string quartet. At college, he also became an organ performance major and has been also a professional organist for over nine years.
After studies began with Dr. Whatley in 1996 Christopher performed in master classes with Olga Kern (Van Cliburn Gold Medallist), Cameron Carpenter (Organ Virtuoso), Yakov Kasman (Van Cliburn Silver Medallist), Martin Katz, Frederica von Stade, as well as many others.
As a composer, Mr. Carter has had music premiered at the Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth, Texas and Carnegie Hall in New York, and the British Islands. Most recently he collaborated with a new high school production of “Cinderella” and composed the complete score. The score featured innovative techniques in the musical ensemble such as extended piano technique (playing music on the strings, and inside parts of the piano) and musical patterns based in color-timbre relations.
An advocate of current and new classical music, Christopher regularly performs premieres of new music. In March, 2008, Christopher performed the new compositions of Georgia composer and music theorist, Tracey Phillips.
Christopher’s style and taste in music is reflective of most everything he hears. He is an avid fan of the “cocktail-piano” style that was so huge in the 40’s through the 60’s- a style that blends style and grace and virtuosity altogether. To add to the mix, he is also a fan of southern rock music, and techno music. “Each thing that I hear, that has soul, I become a fan of and explore what makes that music special, and I learn from that, and add it to my styles.”
A fan of Liberace since a very young age (five or so), Christopher has focused on being a pianist of Liberace’s calibre. In September, 2008, he won first place in the Liberace Piano Competition, showmanship division in Las Vegas, Nevada. Since winning the competition, he has been the featured pianist at the brand-new billion dollar casino, The M Resort from April until July. He is a popular favorite among tourists, and locals, and celebrities alike. He has shared the Billboard with Natalie Cole, ABC, Wang Chung, Cutting Crew, Alan Jackson, and Tim McGraw.