Marques L. A. Garrett (b. 1984) was most recently the Director of Choral Activities at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania. He holds the Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the Bachelor ofArts degree in Music from Hampton University where he graduated magna cum laude. He is currently enrolled at The Florida State University pursuing a PhD in Music Education.
As a conductor, Mr. Garrett has had the pleasure of working with noted choirs such as the Hampton University Concert Choir, Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church Sanctuary Choir (Memphis, TN), Bennett College Choir (Greensboro, NC), and Friendship Missionary Baptist Church Choirs (Charlotte, NC). He has studied conducting with Dr. Carole J. Ott, Dr. Carl Harris, Jr., and Royzell Dillard. At the Hampton University Choir Directors’ Organists’ Guild Workshop, he has served as the basic conducting workshop clinician.
Throughout his years in college, he competed and placed in various vocal competitions while studying with Lorraine Bell and Levone Tobin Scott. He has sung at various churches as a baritone soloist. Mr. Garrett was a featured soloist at the 4th Annual High School Gospel Festival sponsored by Ithaca College (Ithaca, NY) where he performed Raymond Wise’s ‘Afro-American Suite.’ He was the baritone soloist for the Germantown Concert Chorus’s performance of Haydn’s ‘Missa in Augustiis’ in 2014. As a composer, he began composing and arranging while at Hampton University. His compositions have been performed by collegiate and professional choirs nationwide such as the Brigham Young University Men’s Chorus, Biola University Chorale, University of North Carolina at Greensboro Combined Choirs, and I. Sherman Greene Chorale while the National Lutheran Choir, Winston-Salem State University Choir, and Missouri State University Concert Chorale have preserved some of his music on recordings. His compositions are published with Mark Foster Music Corporation, GIA Publications, Inc., Walton Music Corporation, Santa Barbara Music Publishing, and Hinshaw Music.
Mr. Garrett holds membership in the American Choral Directors Association; American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers; National Association for the Study and Performance of African-American Music; and National Association of Negro Musicians.
