Bradley Almquist

Education

• DMA, Louisiana State University

• MM, University of North Dakota

• BS, University of North Dakota

Expertise

• Music Education

• Choral Education

• Choir

Biography

Dr. Bradley Almquist was appointed the Director of Choral Activities at Murray State University in 1992. He received a Bachelor and Master’s degree in music education from the University of North Dakota and was awarded the first Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Conducting by Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge.   

Choirs conducted by Dr. Almquist have performed for the Kentucky Choral Directors Association, the Kentucky Music Educators Association, Southern Division Conventions of MENC, ACDA and the 2002 MENC National Convention. In addition, they were honored to perform the Raymond Brock Memorial Commission at the 2006 Southern Division ACDA convention. His research has been published or presented during conferences of ACDA Southern Division, Kentucky Music Educators Association, Kentucky Choral Directors Association, North Carolina ACDA, Mississippi State University Choral Colloquium, Sewanee Church Music Conference, Utah Music Educators Association and the Minnesota Music Educators Association. Areas of research interest include the application of Brain Compatible Teaching Strategies to the Choral Rehearsal, the General Music Classroom and Special Needs Children; Teaching Singing in the Choral Rehearsal; and Baroque Composer, Isabella Leonarda.

Dr. Almquist is the recipient of the 2002 Murray State University Board of Regents Teaching Excellence award, the 2002 MSU College of Humanities and Fine Arts Award for Creative/Scholarly Activity and the 2005 and 2009 MSU College of Humanities and Fine Arts Award for Outstanding Service. He was awarded at the 2004 Summer KyACDA convention with the Robert K. Baar Award for choral excellence. In 2006, he received the first Charles and Marleen Johnson Outstanding Music Faculty Award at Murray State University. He was honored with the award again in 2011.

In addition to his university responsibilities Dr. Almquist conducts the Paducah Symphony Chorus and the Paducah Symphony Children’s Chorus. He is a member of NAfME, CMS, ACDA, is a past president of the Southern Division of the American Choral Directors Association and the Kentucky Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association.