Paul Rardin, Conductor 2001-2005

From 2001 through 2005, Paul Rardin served as conductor of the New Music Ensemble at Towson University in Baltimore, Maryland as well as the director of choral activities TU where he directed the University Chorale, Chamber Singers and Choral Society.  Rardin's choruses have won local and regional acclaim, and have performed in such venues as Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, The Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Washington National Cathedral, Duke University Chapel, Riverside Church (New York, NY), the Cathedral of St. Phillip (Atlanta, GA), and Immaculate Conception (San Diego, CA).

Rardin received the D.M.A. in Conducting and the M.M. in Composition from the University of Michigan, where he studied conducting with Theodore Morrison, Jerry Blackstone and Gustav Meier, and composition with Leslie Bassett and George Wilson. He has also studied conducting with Helmuth Rilling. Since joining the Towson faculty in 1993, Rardin has served as guest conductor and adjudicator for all-county high school choral festivals throughout Maryland and Pennsylvania.

Rardin has regularly conducted music by living composers. His performances with the 20th Century Music Festivals at TU have included Peter Maxwell Davies Miss Donnithorne's Maggot, Anton Webern Concerto, Berio Folk Songs, Kleinsasser Concerto for saxophone, chamber orchestra and computer and Double Concerto for viola, cello, chamber orchestra and computer. His choirs have performed works by William Bolcom, Harold Owen, David Conte, Adolphus Hailstork, Ron Jeffers, Morten Lauridsen, Ron Nelson, Ron Perera, and Andrew Rudin. Under his baton the Towson University Chamber Singers won praise from composer Libby Larsen following their world premiere performance of Laura Kolker's The Armenian Mother in March, 1996.

In 2005 Paul Rardin left Towson to join the faculty at the University of Michigan.