8 PSU FOUNDATION PHILANTHROPIC CULTIVATION AWARD Ethan Sperry, DMA ETHAN SPERRY, DMA, is in his eleventh year as director of choral activities at Portland State University, where he conducts the world-renowned Chamber Choir and leads undergraduate and graduate programs in conducting. He earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Harvard College and a masters and doctoral degree in choral conducting from the University of Southern California. Before moving to Oregon, Sperry served for 10 years on the faculty of Miami University in Ohio and has also served as artistic administrator of the Arad Philharmonic Chorus in Romania and Conductor of the Coeur Regional de Guadeloupe, the only Symphonic Chorus in the French West Indies. Currently, he is the artistic director and Conductor of the Oregon Repertory Singers, one of America's most distinguished adult choruses. Under his direction in 2013, the Portland State Chamber Choir became the first American Choir ever to win the Grand Prix at the Seghizzi International Choral Contest in Italy, and in 2017 they became the first American choir to win the Grand Prix at the Bali International Choral Festival, the largest choral gathering in Asia. A prolific arranger of world music for choirs, Sperry is the editor of the Global Rhythms series for Earthsongs Music, one of the bestselling choral series in the world, and is also published by Hal Leonard. He serves as a consultant for the KM Music Conservatory in Chennai, the first classical music school in India, which opened in 2009. Sperry has been deeply involved in all aspects of the cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of support for the choral program and voice students. Sperry has been a close partner to the PSU Foundation in building a case around priorities for the choirs and voice student support and has raised more than $400,000 for voice student scholarships since 2017 and an additional $3 million for choir and voice area programs, projects and initiatives, and other voice student scholarships. The Portland State University Foundation Philanthropic Cultivation Award is given annually to a PSU faculty or staff member in recognition of their role as a partner in cultivating philanthropic support for a priority program within their unit.
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