Honors.
Wynkoop’s work as conductor of the Choral
Society, the Duke
University Chorale and Duke Chapel Choir, and the Vocal
Arts Ensemble of Durham (an elite chamber choir that he founded
in 1996) has earned him critical acclaim for artistic excellence
and innovative programming. He has been honored for his artistic
contributions by Triangle-area newspapers, including the Independent
Weekly, the News & Observer, and Spectator Magazine,
and many concerts he has conducted have appeared on the Spectator’s
annual list of ten best Triangle-area classical performances.
He has led both the Choral Society and the Vocal Arts Ensemble
in invited appearances at the convention of the Southern Division
of the
American Choral Directors Association (ACDA)
and Vocal Arts Ensemble at the ACDA national convention in February
2005, in Los Angeles. In 2000, he was honored by the Durham Arts
Council with the James L. Nicholson award for his contributions
in promoting the careers of local singers and composers. In 2002,
he received the Lara Hoggard Award for Distinguished Service in
Choral Music in North Carolina, presented by the North Carolina
ACDA.
Workshops
and Tours. In addition to teaching choral
conducting at Duke, Wynkoop has directed conducting workshops
across the state, including the Summer Organ Institute in Winston-Salem.
Abroad, he served as resident guest conductor of a professional
civic chorus in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, twice toured Russia with
the Triangle Russian Choral Exchange, and made several tours with
the Duke Chorale and Duke Chapel Choir, performing in Vienna,
Eastern Europe, Italy, Spain, Great Britain, and China.
Premieres
and Recordings. Wynkoop has conducted
the world premieres of many choral works, including those of Mendelssohn
and Ives, and he prepared the Choral Society for the world premiere
of John Rutter’s Cantus. Choral groups under his direction
have released numerous recordings, including a live-performance
CD of Orff’s Carmina
Burana by the Choral Society of Durham and two CD recordings
of Handel’s Messiah by the Duke Chapel Choir. Most
recently, the Vocal Arts Ensemble has released a CD recording
on the Arsis label, entitled My
Spirit Sang All Day, featuring works by
Finzi, Barber, Rutter, Locklair, McCullough, Kodály, and
other 20th-century composers.
Education.
Wynkoop holds a bachelor’s degree in music from Yale University
and master’s degrees in choral conducting from Yale and the
University of Wisconsin. A student of Robert Fountain at Yale
and Wisconsin, he received his doctorate from the Yale School
of Music.
Previous
Positions. Before coming to Duke in 1984, Wynkoop was Director
of Choral Music at the University of Chicago, where he conducted
the University Chorus and was Director of Music at Rockefeller
Chapel. He previously held conducting positions at the Yale School
of Music/Institute of Sacred Music and Mt. Holyoke College.
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