Dr. Alison Allerton has won American Choral Directors Association’s Julius Herford Dissertation Prize this year for her 2017 dissertation “‘Leave All That You Have, That You May Take All’: What Hugo Distler’s Totentanz Reveals About His Life and Music.”
Allerton received her Doctor of Musical Arts in choral conducting from Louisiana State University where she worked under Dr. John H. Dickson. Since 2016 she has served as assistant professor of music (associate director of choral activities and choral music education) at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Prior to that, she was a choral music educator in the Greenwich (CT) Public Schools, where she also received the 2010 Greenwich Public Schools Distinguished Teacher Award. She earned a Master of Music in music education from the Eastman School of Music and a Bachelor of Music in music education from James Madison University.
The award committee noted that Allerton’s dissertation was “a model of outstanding research and presentation,” adding “All aspects of the paper were exemplary: writing style, research, thorough cover of the subject, creative approach to the topic, relevance to the choral art, and a worthy contribution to the field.”
The winner of the Herford Dissertation Prize is named by a committee from among nominations made for outstanding doctoral terminal research projects in choral music. The submitted projects are evaluated blindly. The winner receives a $1,000 prize and commemorative plaque, and is presented with both at the national conference.
In announcing the award, Dr. Magen Solomon, chair of the Julius Herford Prize Committee, commented, “We are ever grateful to Julius Herford, and to the many teachers and conductors who continue to prize excellence in research, analysis, and writing. Scholarship is a pillar of our art and a critical part of ACDA’s mission and legacy. With this award we celebrate the great value of intellectual achievement in the field of choral music.”
Craig Denison says
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