Central State University has hired Carlos Brown as its new choir director. Brown comes to Central from Wylie College in Marshall, Texas.
“I absolutely love coming to work every day,” Brown said. “It’s not work for me. It’s something I’m passionate about.”
Brown discovered his love of music early. He played the saxophone in third grade. He discovered his singing talent a bit later in his junior year of high school. He attended Benedict College, a historically black college in South Carolina. “We should embrace and be proud of the HBCU legacy,” Brown said
Brown moved to Cincinnati in 2016 to pursue a doctorate in choral conducting and sacred music at the University of Cincinnati College of Conservatory Music. He is just short of earning his doctorate and is working on his PhD thesis.
Brown is an assistant professor of music at Central State, a full-time faculty member who teaches classes such as applied voice. He plans to teach a course on advanced conducting in the spring. “I love pouring knowledge into students and creating memories,” Brown said.
Brown would like to establish several smaller choirs on campus. He plans on aggressively recruiting students to rebuild membership in the university’s main chorus. Membership has declined from 65-80 members ten years ago to about 30 members today. Brown said that it will take some time to grow the choir. “Tomorrow is the bigger picture,” he said. “Don’t just live in the moment.”