1. Dr William John Dehning was an American conductor, teacher, and author who spent almost his entire career in the collegiate realm.
14 Facts About William Dehning
1. 2.
William Dehning was known primarily for his work as conductor of the University of Southern California Thornton Chamber Choir and as author of the book, Chorus Confidential: Decoding the Secrets of the Choral Art, published in 2003.
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William Dehning was one of four founding members of the National Collegiate Choral Organization, which held its first national conference in San Antonio in 2006.
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William Dehning was first admitted to UCLA's engineering school, but eventually graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music.
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At UCLA, William Dehning sang with Roger Wagner and Paul Salamunovich.
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Immediately following, William Dehning enrolled at the University of Southern California, where he attained master's and doctoral degrees in church and choral music with highest honors.
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William Dehning taught conducting and founded a chorus as an assistant in the department.
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William Dehning began his work as a full-time music professor in Marquette, Michigan, having been hired as Director of Choral Activities at Northern Michigan University in 1970.
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In 1980, William Dehning took his first sabbatical in England, where he observed and sang with John Alldis and the London Symphony Chorus and observed the John Alldis Choir.
10.
In 1988, William Dehning took his second sabbatical in Germany where he lectured at Munich's Hochschule fur Musik and spent time observing university and professional choruses in Munich and Stuttgart, including the Bavarian Radio Chorus and Helmuth Rilling's Gachinger Kantorei.
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William Dehning accepted the position and went there in 1992.
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William Dehning retired as Chair of the Choral Music department at the University of Southern California in 2007 after fifteen years there.
13.
William Dehning recruited colleagues such as Dr Magen Solomon and Dr Nicolas Strimple to aid in the instruction of the students.
14.
William Dehning is currently the Director of Choirs at Northern Michigan University.