Biography

Elliot Jones is the conductor of Sacramento’s Capital Chorale and Orchestra, and Music Director at the historic Pioneer Congregational U.C.C. He has led the Arizona Repertory Singers, the Tucson Messiah Sing-In, the Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus, and was the founding artistic director of the Rainbow Chorale of Delaware, the state’s first GALA choir. Prolific as a conductor of works for chorus and orchestra, he has led performances of Bach’s Magnificat, Handel’s Israel in Egypt, Mozart’s Requiem, Haydn’s “Lord Nelson” Mass, Fauré’s Requiem, Honegger’s King David, Finzi’s In Terra Pax and Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors. He has twice conducted performances at the National Cathedral in Washington, most recently of Gregorio Allegri’s iconic work, Miserere. A passionate advocate for new music, he conducted the East-Coast premiere of Jake Heggie's Anna Madrigal Remembers (text by Armistead Maupin) in addition to premieres of works by Karen Siegel and Ricky Ian Gordon. The Arizona Daily Star and Tucson Weekly have described his ensembles’ performances as “powerful,” “sublime,” “outstanding,” and “chill-inducing.”    

Dr. Jones has served on the music faculty at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, Wesley College, Culver-Stockton College, The Music School of Delaware, and Saint Andrew’s School. He holds degrees from New York University, Indiana University, and the Doctor of Musical Arts in choral conducting from the University of Arizona. His teachers and mentors include Jan Harrington, Bruce Chamberlain, Sir David Willcocks and Donald Nally, director of the multi-Grammy award winning Crossing Choir.

Trained first as a singer, he has performed as baritone soloist and professional chorister with Opera Delaware, at Exeter and Truro Cathedrals in the U.K., and at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin and Grace Church in New York City. At the beginning of his teaching career he was selected for the prestigious National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Intern Program at Ohio State University. He has enjoyed an unusually rich education in the vocal arts, having been exposed to the teaching of such vocal pedagogy luminaries as Margaret Harshaw, Giorgio Tozzi, Virginia Zeani, Camilla Williams, Walter Cassel and Shirlee Emmons. His students regularly win prestigious vocal competitions, have been accepted to All-State and All-Eastern Choruses, and have appeared with such performing arts organizations as the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players, the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, and Opera Delaware.

Elliot is in frequent demand as an adjudicator, including the University of Arizona’s Larry Day and Marguerite Ough vocal competitions, and the University of Delaware’s concerto competition. Academic and professional theater credits, with Arizona Theatre Company and others, include productions of Kiss Me Kate, Merrily We Roll Along, Assassins, Sweeney Todd, Les Miserables, Closer than Ever and Master Class. He is the founding host/pianist of Downtown Tucson’s Piano Bar, and his work with singers there was recently featured on National Public Radio/Arizona Public Media.