John William Trotter is a rapidly rising conductor on today's concert music stage. His work from the podium has been recognized internationally through numerous prizes, grants, and guest conducting invitations, leading to opportunities to conduct over a dozen professional choirs and orchestras in North America and Europe. On May 1, 2009, Mr. Trotter conducted his debut with Canada's outstanding professional choir, the Vancouver Chamber Choir, following which he was appointed Assistant Conductor of the ensemble through the 2010-2011 concert season. In this role, he conducts the Choir in several concerts per season and and also serves as Music Director of the Pacifica Singers, a newly-formed small ensemble which provides experienced and motivated choral singers with direct exposure to the world of professional music making.
Mr. Trotter earned his Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees in Conducting the University of Michigan, the number one ranked conducting training program in the United States. During his residence at U-M, he served as Music Director of numerous ensembles and helped teach undergraduate conductors. While still a Masters student, Mr. Trotter was selected as one of 10 emerging conductors (and the only Canadian) to conduct the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir, Ars Nova Copenhagen, and the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra as part of the Eric Ericson International Master Class on Choral and Orchestral conducting. In 2007, while completing work on the same degree, he was awarded second prize overall in the Graduate Division of the American Choral Directors Association Student Conducting Competition, which involved Masters and Doctoral-level conductors from several countries.
In 2008, Mr. Trotter was awarded the highest value individual grant from the Canada Council for the Arts, and during the summer season was selected to conduct in concerts with Canada's National Arts Centre Orchestra and the Oregon Bach Festival Chorus and Orchestra. Alongside his full-time studies in 2008-2009, Mr. Trotter directed the 80- voice U-M Arts Chorale, served as Interim Music Director of the Windsor Classic Chorale, and was Guest Chorusmaster for the Windsor Symphony Orchestra. During the 2009 summer season, he led the Michigan Sinfonietta in a featured performance of two organ concerti at an American Guild of Organists convention.
During his undergraduate work at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, Mr. Trotter studied piano, voice, jazz, composition, and conducting. A versatile artist, Trotter's work now ranges from traditional choral/orchestral repertoire and new music and film score recording to various forms of outreach and advocacy as a consultant/ clinician, adjudicator, conducting teacher, writer, and speaker. He is well known for his ability to connect with audiences, and is very interested in linking young musicians with the world of professional music making. He has written articles for several music publications, and is a contributing author for the upcoming book Teaching Music Through Performance in Choir – Volume 3, to be released this summer by well-known music publisher GIA.
For more information about Mr. Trotter's work with choirs and orchestras, institutions and individuals, visit www.johnwilliamtrotter.com.