Dr. Martha Shaw holds the Lester Harbin Chair of Conducting at Shorter University in Rome, Georgia

Rome, Georgia

Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Rome is the largest city and the county seat of Floyd County, Georgia, United States. It is the principal city of the Rome, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Floyd County...

. She is Professor of Music, Director of Choral Activities, Conductor

Conducting

Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...

 of the Shorter College Chorale, as well as the Artistic Director of the Spivey Hall

Spivey Hall

Spivey Hall was built in 1991 on the campus of Clayton State University in Morrow, Georgia, not far from Atlanta, Georgia. Its seating capacity is 392 . It presents jazz and classical music to the metro Atlanta area....

 Children's Choir & Tour Choir in Atlanta.

Shorter College Chorale

Shaw directs the Shorter Chorale. Founded in 1968, the Chorale is considered one of the finest collegiate choral ensembles in the southeastern United States and has performed at Carnegie Hall

Carnegie Hall

Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....

. It is often featured on National Public Radio's "Performance Today" and "From the Top." The Shorter College Chorale recorded the nationally-released CD, A Savior from on High, in 2008.

The 2007-2008 Chorale season included a tour of Italy, with performances at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.

In 2009, The Shorter Chorale recorded a second CD, "Beautiful River", a collection of hymns and anthems. The following January, The Chorale was invited to sing at the 2010 Georgia Music Educators Association Convention in Savannah, Georgia.

The Shorter Chorale's 2010-11 program includes the music of Spain and traditional spirituals in preparation for their international tour of Spain in May, 2011.

Spivey Hall Children's Choir

Dr. Shaw is also the founding director of the Spivey Hall Children's Choir & Tour Choir Program in Atlanta and serves as its Artistic Director and Conductor. Under her direction, the Choir often sings on NPR
and has recorded three CD's, Homeland, Christmas with Spivey Hall and I'll Be Seeing You.

Education

Shaw studied with Larry Wyatt at the University of South Carolina earning her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in conducting. She also served on the faculty of USC. She earned her Master of Science degree in music education from the University of Tennessee where she studied with Donald Neuen

Donald Neuen

Donald Neuen is an American choral conductor, composer, arranger, editor, and educator who currently serves as Distinguished Professor of Conducting and Director of Choral Activities at the University of California, Los Angeles...

. She received her undergraduate degree in music education from Shorter College.