Assistant Professor of Music, Director of Choral Activities
- D.M.A., Choral Conducting, University of North Carolina, Greensboro
- M.M, Conducting, West Virginia University
- B.A., Music, Mansfield University of Pennsylvania
- B.A., Music Education, Guangzhou University, China
“I enjoy seeing the sparkles in our students’ eyes during the conversations about topics such as multicultural issues and social justice issues in music education, choral and vocal pedagogy, conducting philosophy, gender issues in the Western European Musical Canon, and so many more valuable and important conversations.”
At Coker University, each student’s voice matters not only in the classroom and rehearsal environment but also, especially in SVPA, on stage, as young artists and leaders. I love to help our students thrive and take ownership and leadership of their solo and ensemble study experiences. It’s such a joy working with young musicians, music educators, and conductors and seeing their growth and success throughout their time at Coker and into their bright future professional careers. It’s also my honor to serve the university and local community as a choral director, where we share our very breaths, heartbeats, and voices together and building up our community in every rehearsal and concert!
My Story
Dr. Pingyi Song joined the music faculty at McCall School of Visual & Performing Art and serves as the Director of Choral Activities at Coker University. Dr. Song is an active conductor, clinician, music educator, and choral director for multiple professional, collegiate, community, church, and children’s choirs in both the United States and China. Song’s world premiere performance with the University of North Carolina, Greensboro Chamber Singers was selected as a National Finalist for the American Prize 2022 Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music. Her prominent leadership and conducting style also led her to the recipient of the National Semi-finalist nomination for the American Prize Dale Warland Award in Choral Conducting, and the selection as a National Graduate Conducting Fellow for the NCCO (National Collegiate Choral Organization) 9th Conference in 2021-2022. Dr. Song’s most recent research study “Gender Issues and An Introduction of Choral Literature by Eastern Asian Female Composers” was invited to present as an interest session at the 2023 National ACDA (American Choral Directors Association) conference in Cincinnati. As a Chinese original musician, she is dedicated to promoting cultural exchange between Western Canonic Music and Eastern Asian Music. Song has presented multiple research studies as interest sessions and has served as a clinician and round table panelist for “Languages, Cultures, and Repertoire” at several Regional and State ACDA conferences. Dr. Song is a firm believer in a wholehearted performance style for choral and instrumental ensembles. She is thrilled to join the SVPA students and faculties and can’t wait to make some wonderful music together at Coker University. Dr. Song holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Conducting, and a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Music Education from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, and she holds a Master of Music degree in Conducting from West Virginia University, a Choral Summer School Certificate from Oxford University, U.K., and Bachelor degrees in Music and Music Education from Mansfield University of Pennsylvania and Guangzhou University, China.
Publications, Awards & Honors
- The American Prize, Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music, National Finalist, 2022
- The American Prize, Dale Warland Award in Choral Conducting, National Semi-Finalist, 2022
- Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Music Education, University of North Carolina Greensboro, 2022
- Illinois Bach Academy, Conductor Track, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2022
- National Graduate Conducting Fellow, National Collegiate Choral Organization NCCO9, 2021-2022
- Illinois Choral Conducting Symposium, Conductor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2021
- Song, P. (2021, May 2). Learning Music Around the World: General Introduction to Conservatoires in Mainland China. Notas Magazine, Summer 2021.
- Interlochen Summer Choral Conducting Institute, Conductor, Interlochen College of Arts, 2020
- Holderness Fellowship Award, State of North Carolina, 2019-2020
- Oxford University Choral Singing Summer School, Oxford University Department for Continuing Education, Oxford, (U.K.), 2018
- The Valerie Canady Scholarship Award in Conducting, WVU College of Creative Arts, 2018
- Outstanding Graduate of CHEPD Exchange Student Program Awarded by CCIEE, the Ministry of Education, China, 2016