Dr. Katherine Rohwer

BIOGRAPHY

Katherine Rohwer is the newly appointed Director of Choral Activities at Arkansas Tech University, where she oversees the choral area, teaches coursework in music education and choral conducting, and directs ensembles — including the acclaimed ATU Choral Artists. Having recently completed her doctoral studies in Choral Conducting at the University of Michigan under the mentorship of Dr. Eugene Rogers, Katherine is a strong believer in the transformative power of music for students and audiences alike.

Prior to her appointment at Arkansas Tech, Katherine enjoyed the position of Associate Director of Choirs at Eastern Michigan University, where she led the treble ensembles, taught music education coursework, and assisted with the mentorship of graduate students. While concurrently completing her graduate studies at the University of Michigan, Katherine conducted the U-M Women’s Glee Club and Orpheus Singers; in addition, she served as Opera Chorus master, assistant conductor of the U-M Chamber Choir, and music director of the prison out-reach choir, Out of the Blue.

Beyond academia, she has worked as the assistant conductor of the University Musical Society’s Choral Union, helping prepare choruses for collaborations with renowned orchestras and conductors such as the Philadelphia Orchestra under Yannick Nezet-Seguin (Brahms Requiem), the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra under Dennis Russel Davies (Janacek Glagolitic Mass), and the Ann Arbor Symphony under Earl Lee (Mahler 2nd Symphony, Beethoven 9th Symphony) and UMS Choral Union artistic director Scott Hanoian (Handel Messiah). Katherine has also served as the cover conductor for the two-time GRAMMY® Award-Winning Ensemble —The Washington Chorus.

In addition to her work as a conductor, Katherine is a dedicated music educator, eager to nurture the next generation of choral artists, conductors, and teachers. In demand as a clinician, Katherine has served as a guest conductor and presenter at various conferences, workshops, and masterclasses, including recently conducting the Michigan SSAA State Honors Choir (January 2024). Prior to her work in higher education, Katherine taught choral music for ten years at Lakeshore High School in Stevensville, MI. Under her direction, the ensembles were honored with the invitation to perform at the American Choral Directors Association State Conference and the Michigan Youth Arts Festival. In recognition of her outstanding contributions, Katherine was selected as the R.J. Johnson Distinguished Educator in 2019 by Lakeshore Public Schools.

Katherine's commitment to the choral art is further underscored by her recent distinctions as a Fellow for the Chorus America Choral-Orchestral Conducting Academy and the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival under the tutelage of Simon Carrington. She has also received mentorship from David Hayes, Beth Willer, Robert Istad, Joe Miller, and Mark Gibson.

Driven by her belief in the power of music to elevate the human spirit, Katherine has led choirs and nurtured young singers across the globe. An alumna of the World Youth Choir Project, she has toured extensively throughout Europe and Asia, including a performance at the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Awards Ceremony. She is also a regular member of the alumni group, TIME Ensemble, which performs and presents workshops internationally. She has also performed with two-time GRAMMY® award-winning ensemble, The Washington Chorus.

Katherine earned a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Michigan (2021) and a Bachelor of Music degree in Choral Music Education and Vocal Performance from Western Michigan University (2009).

EDUCATION HISTORY

DMA University of Michigan
MM University of Michigan
BM Western Michigan University