School of Music

Education

Bachelor of Arts in Music with concentrations in Vocal Music and Music Education, University of St. Thomas, Houston

Master of Music in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy, Frost School of Music at the University of Miami

Doctor of Music Arts in Conducting, Sarah & Ernest Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin

Biography

Conductor, and Singer, Cody Parrott, has enjoyed a diverse career as a professional musician and educator for the past two decades. He joins the faculty of the School of Music at Illinois Wesleyan University where he will serve as Director of Choral Activities. Prior to this appointment Dr. Parrott served on the faculty at Mississippi State University as the Associate Director of Choral Activities. During his doctoral studies at the University of Texas at Austin, he served the Butler School of Music Choral Area as Assistant Conductor of the Texas Concert Chorale and Conductor of the University Treble Chorus which, under his direction, was named the Third Place Winner for the 2023 American Prize in Choral Performance. His doctoral research focused on modern voice science and how contemporary vocal pedagogy can be applied to the choral music classroom.

Dr. Parrott's appointment at Illinois Wesleyan University follows a distinguished twelve-year tenure as a high school music educator within the Texas public school system. During his secondary teaching career, choirs under his direction earned consistent superior commendations at the Texas UIL Choir Evaluations and the prestigious Performance of Distinction recognition at the Madrigal and Chamber Choir Competition in San Antonio. His choirs have also been awarded finalist status in various choral festivals and competitions, showcasing their artistic excellence in invited performances across diverse locales, such as Chicago, Honolulu, the Texas Capitol, and the Washington National Cathedral.

He continues to maintain a passion for the pedagogy of classical singing and performing opera, oratorio, and in recital. His singing career has traversed the stages of opera companies, concert venues, and sacred spaces throughout the United States, Italy, France, Austria, and the United Kingdom. Renowned for his "sweet-toned lyric tenor," Parrott’s vocal prowess has garnered accolades and critical acclaim. For instance, the South Florida Classical Review lauds his performances as "touching and vocally thrilling." His various stage credits include the roles of Arturo in Donizetti's masterpiece Lucia di Lamermoor, Ferrando in Mozart's Cosi fan tutte, Captain Macheath in Britten's The Beggar's Opera, Joe Brennan in the Florida premiere performance of Richard Wargo's Ballymore, Tamino in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, and Belmonte in Mozart's Die Enführung aus dem Serail and the title roles in Massenet's Werther and Gounod's Romeo and Juliet.

In addition to solo performance, Mr. Parrott enjoys time spent singing with some of the United States' most prominent professional choral ensembles. He has performed with the Grammy Award Winning Houston Chamber Choir, conducted by Robert Simpson on their record Ravishingly Russian, described as "top of the line" singing by the American Record Guide, and an "...enjoyable, and enduring listening experience" by Musica Russica. Cody can also be found regularly performing with the Austin-based Ars Longa Ensemble conducted by Dr. Steven Brennfleck, with Chorus Austin, and as a soloist with the Bell Civic Chorus.

He holds the Doctor of Music Arts in Conducting from the Sarah & Ernest Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin where he studied with Dr. J.D. Burnett, the Master of Music in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, and a Bachelor of Arts in Music with concentrations in Vocal Music and Music Education from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, TX. Cody is an active participant, clinician, and adjudicator in the Texas UIL, TMEA, and TAPPS contests, and has been a featured presenter at the conferences of TCDA, Mississippi ACDA, and Mid-South Music Institute. He maintains memberships in TMEA, ACDA, AGO, and the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and looks forward to diving into the flourishing choral and vocal music scene in Illinois!