Profile: Duane Cottrell

Duane Cottrell, DMA
Interim Director of Choral Activities
Phone: 503.725.3184
Email: dco@pdx.edu

Duane Cottrell is the Interim Director of Choral Activities at Portland State University where he conducts the PSU Chamber Choir, the PSU University Choir, and teaches graduate and undergraduate conducting. Dr. Cottrell holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Louisiana State University, as well as Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the University of North Texas. Dr. Cottrell studied conducting with Jerry McCoy and Kenneth Fulton, and hasreceived coaching from Craig Hella-Johnson, Jerry Blackstone, and Sandra Snow. In addition to the choirs at PSU, Dr. Cottrell has conducted the 120-voice UNT Men's Chorus, and served as the associate conductor of the Schola Cantorum of Texas, a Fort Worth-based community chorus.

Dr. Cottrell's primary research interest is the science of the singing voice and its application to choral pedagogy. Having studied vocal pedagogy at UNT with voice scientist Dr. Stephen Austin, Dr. Cottrell has published two articles in the Choral Journal and one in The Choral Scholar, the official journal of the National Collegiate Choral Organization. He has also presented lectures on voice science for choral conductors at the 2006 Texas Music EducatorsAssociation convention, the 4th International Conference on the Physiology and Acoustics of Singing, and the 2009 national convention of the American Choral Directors Association. His doctoral thesis is entitled, "Increasing glottal closure in an untrained male chorus by integrating historical, scientific, and clinical practice into choral voice building exercises."

Dr. Cottrell also has an interest in vocal jazz, and has worked with Paris Rutherford, Michelle Weir, Rosanna Eckert, and Kerry Marsh. He has directed and coached vocal jazz at various levels, and has performed with acclaimed vocal jazz groups including a UNT Jazz Singers ensemble.