Guy Jansen
A recipient of a Winston Churchill Traveling Fellowship, Arts Council, Fulbright and other awards, Guy Jansen was the first New Zealander to study at the prestigious School of Music at the University of Southern California. He worked with choral music and philosophy professors Rodney Eichenberger, Morten Lauridsen, James Vail, and Dallas Willard for a DMA in Choral Music. At the Victoria University of Wellington he had earned an MA, BMus, and Dip Ed. He also holds FTCL, LRSM, and Dip Tchg qualifications. From 1975 – 89 he was the National Officer for Music in the Department of Education. The formation of the world’s first national youth choir, the National Youth Choir of New Zealand (ages 18 to 25), was an initiative of Guy’s during that
time. Later, Dr. Jansen became Senior Lecturer at the University of Queensland where he established a Masters’ degree in Choral and Church Music, as well as forming the University Chamber Singers, which were invited to the 4th World Symposium on Choral Music. Guy was subsequently invited to be choral conductor-in-residence at Wheaton Conservatory of Music in Illinois. This past July Dr. Jansen guest conducted in Chicago and Singapore, and continues to conduct the Choir of St John’s-in-the-City, Wellington. In August 2010 he became Chair of the New Zealand Choral Federation. E-mail: gjjansen2003@yahoo.com.au