“It is with great enthusiasm we welcome Dr. Amanda Quist to the Frost faculty, stated Dean Shelton G. Berg. “Her rich background and high level of achievement is so impressive and personifies the artistic excellence we hold in such esteem for our school. I anticipate a fantastic period for Choral Studies.”
In commenting Dr. Quist stated: "I am thrilled to join the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami as Director of Choral Activities. This is an exciting post for many reasons, most notably the opportunity to become a part of this renowned program with high standards of artistic excellence alongside great colleagues. Connecting with the students, faculty, and staff in the Frost School of Music, and continuing to foster the program’s already formidable reputation throughout the United States and the world is a thrilling prospect for me, and I look forward to making incredible music together with this new artistic community."
Dr. Quist is the recipient of Westminster Choir College of Rider University’s 2014 Distinguished Teaching Award, the 2018 Mazzotti Award for Women’s Leadership, and she is the Carol F. Spinelli Conducting Fellow. Dr. Quist was recently invited to be a conductor for the ACDA International Exchange Program, clinician for the 2019 ASPIRE International Youth Music Festival in Australia, juror for the Penabur International Choir Festival in Indonesia, and clinician for Interkultur International Choral Festival. Westminster Kantorei, an award-winning early music ensemble, has performed at the American Choral Directors Association’s (ACDA) Eastern Division Conference, Boston Early Music Festival, the American Handel Festival, and Interkultur. The choir recently released its first commercial recording, Lumina, distributed by Naxos, which was hailed by infodad.com as a recording “sung with great beauty of sound and excellent articulation ... a CD to cherish” and by National Medal of Arts recipient Morten Lauridsen as “superb, a splendid recording, highly recommended.” During her work with the Westminster Symphonic Choir, Dr. Quist collaborated with the New York Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Dresden Staatskapelle, and composers Ola Gjeilo and Tarik O’Regan. She also serves as Chorus Master for the Philadelphia Orchestra Chorus. Dr. Quist’s role as Chorus Master for the premiere of Toshio Hosokawa’s opera Matsukaze at the Spoleto Festival USA and the Lincoln Center Festival garnered praise from The New York Times and Charleston City Paper, who described the chorus’ performance as “beautifully prepared, gripping,” a “gossamer web of voices” and “bridging the vocal and instrumental textures with perfect intonation.”
Her other honors include the James Mulholland National Choral Award and the Audrey Davidson Early Music Award. Her research focus is voice science and pedagogy in choral singing, and she has presented lectures on this and other topics across the country. An active guest conductor and clinician, her recent and upcoming appearances include the NAfME All-National Honor Choir, All-State Honor Choirs of Texas, California, Washington, Vermont, Missouri, Delaware, Colorado, All-Collegiate Honor Choirs in California, Massachusetts, and Georgia, and serving as the headliner for music conferences across the United States. Dr. Quist is the National ACDA Repertoire & Resources Coordinator for Collegiate Activities, and her choral series is published through Walton Music.
Dr. Quist has a new baby with her husband and Frost Alum, Dr. Tim Brent.
