GWU Presents Dr. Timothy Renner in Distinguished Artist Concert and Masterclass

Baritone Performs on March 21 and Works with Students on March 22

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—The Gardner-Webb Department of Music presents baritone, Dr. Timothy Renner, for the next program in the Distinguished Artist series. Renner, a performer and teacher, will be in concert on March 21 at 7 p.m. in Dover Chapel and will lead masterclasses on March 22.

Dr. Aaron M. Rice, chair of the Department of Music, is thrilled to host Timothy Renner as a Distinguished Artist at Gardner-Webb.

“He is heralded as a leading baritone in the region and his artistry is inspiring to audiences across the globe,” Rice affirmed. “As a teacher, Dr. Renner is fabulous at building rapport with students, allowing him to help them engage both the emotion and technical aspects of singing. His students have consistently placed in competitions and earn graduate assistantships in leading graduate programs.”

Renner will perform selected melodies from Henri Duparc and songs from Richard Strauss. He will also present music from the American Folk Set by Steven Mark Kohn.

An active international performing artist, Renner is a graduate of the prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA) in Philadelphia, Pa., where he has been invited to perform as a guest artist in the annual gala this summer. His recent operatic engagements include Moralès in Carmen with Palm Beach Opera, Escamillo in Carmen at the New National Theatre Tokyo, Zurga, in Les pêcheurs de perles with Opera Tampa, and Marcello in La Bohème with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City. As a resident artist at AVA, Renner performed the title roles in Rigoletto and Rubinstein’s The Demon, as well as di Luna in Il trovatore, Germont in La traviata, Alberich in Das Rheingold, the Music Master in Ariadne auf Naxos, and Alphonse XI in La favorite, as well as a variety of song literature and sacred works.

His concert repertoire includes Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Helena Symphony, Carmina Burana and Fauré’s Requiem with the Eastern Symphony Orchestra, Ein Deutches Requiem and Messiah with the New Jersey Master Chorale, and St. Matthew Passion with Sinfonia da Camera. Renner has earned awards from several competitions, such as the Gerda Lissner Foundation International Vocal Competition, the Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition, and others.

A native of Virginia, Renner has a Doctor of Musical Arts in voice performance and literature from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), where he studied with Jerold Siena. His cognate was in accompanying, studying under Dennis Helmrich and Julie Gunn. While studying at UIUC, he was also on faculty at Eastern Illinois University, where he served as Director of Opera and Musical Theatre. Renner also holds a Bachelor of Science in music education (piano primary) and Master of Music in church music from Bob Jones University in Greenville, S.C. He has studied voice with Jean Greer, Stan Eby, and most recently, Bill Schuman.

Renner serves as Chair of the Department of Theatre and Musical Theatre, Director of Opera Theatre, and Associate Professor of Voice in the Edith Lester Harbin Department of Music at Shorter University. He is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. He also serves as Director of Classic Music Ministry at First Presbyterian in Rome, Ga.

Auxiliary aids will be made available to persons with disabilities upon request 10 working days prior to the event.  Please call 704-406-4270 or email [email protected] with your request.

Gardner-Webb University is North Carolina’s recognized leader in private, Christian higher education. A Carnegie-Classified Doctoral/Professional University, GWU is home to nine colleges and schools, more than 80 undergraduate and graduate majors, and a world-class faculty. Located on a beautiful 225-acre campus in Boiling Springs, N.C., Gardner-Webb prepares graduates to impact their chosen professions, equips them with the skills to advance the frontiers of knowledge, and inspires them to make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of others. Ignite your future at Gardner-Webb.edu.