The New South Festival Singers has announced the appointment of Thomas Dixon of Stone Mountain, GA, as Music Director Elect of the Atlanta-based semi-professional ensemble that specializes in short-form sacred a cappella classics, new works and spirituals. Dixon will begin his tenure on June 1, 2025 in preparation for the choir’s 2025-2026, 41st concert season. He will succeed present Music Director & Conductor Lynn Swanson upon her retirement following the Festival Singers’ final concert of the current season.
Thomas Dixon holds the Bachelor of Music Education (Voice) from Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, the Master of Music in Choral Conducting at Georgia State University where he was a student of Dr. Deanna Joseph and Dr. Patrick Freer, among others. Currently, Thom is a doctoral student in Choral Conducting at the University of Georgia, where he is a student of Dr. Daniel Bara and Dr. Sarah Frook Gallo, among others. His anticipated graduation is May 2026. Thom is a recipient of the Robert Shaw Choral Scholar Award in 2022, a 2023 Conducting Scholar through Chorus America Choral-Orchestral Academy in Fullerton, California, and a Grant Recipient from the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation in 2019. In July 2023 Thom was invited to participate in the conducting track at the Northwestern Bach Academy in Evanston, Illinois.
In 1985 William O. Baker founded the ensemble then called “Gwinnett Festival Singers” in suburban Atlanta. The name was changed to “William Baker Festival Singers Atlanta” in 1998, and and again to “New South Festival Singers” in 2017. The storied choir has performed across the Southeast and produced numerous nationally released recordings, including albums lauded in The American Record Guide. The Festival Singers has been heard on a number of national radio programs, including The Sounds of Majesty and National Public Radio’s Performance Today. The Festival Singers has delighted capacity audiences at Charleston’s Piccolo Spoleto Festival each year since 1989. For additional information, call the Choral Foundation at 913-488-7524; email ; or visit www.NewSouthFestivalSingers.org
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