KEN
CARTER
Education
- Ph.D., Rutgers University
- M.A., Rutgers University
- B.M., Westminster Choir College
Curriculum Vitae
The son of two professional musicians, Ken Carter was trained in piano and voice from an early age and he performed nationally and internationally as a featured soloist with the Philadelphia Boys Choir as a child. He earned a B.M., summa cum laude, from Westminster Choir College, performing internationally with the Westminster Choir under Joseph Flummerfelt and studying conducting with James Jordan and Andrew Megill. While at Westminster, he also performed and recorded major works with ensembles including the New York Philharmonic and Philadelphia Orchestra under conductors including Kurt Masur, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Helmuth Rilling. He holds M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in composition and theory from Rutgers University, where he studied with Pulitzer Prize winner Charles Wuorinen.
Dr. Carter has served on the faculties of Westminster Choir College, the Mason Gross School of the Arts (Rutgers University), and the American Boychoir School. After eight years at Arts High School in Newark, he has spent the past 14 years at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North, where he directs the choirs, a cappella groups, and musical theater productions. His program there emphasizes independent musicianship skills and literacy, development of healthy vocal projection, and ensemble artistry through a wide variety of repertoire and collaborations. His choirs have toured to Germany, Italy, and Portugal, as well as Colorado and New Orleans, and his Chamber Choir gave a featured performance at the 2017 National Conference of the Organization of American Kodály Educators (OAKE).
A Kodály-inspired teacher and active member of OAKE, Ken was the inaugural winner of its Ruth Boshkoff National Composition Competition in 2011, and he has presented workshops and reading sessions at its regional and national conferences. He has composed and arranged many choral and instrumental works, enjoying numerous commissions and performances including at regional and national conferences, and his music has been published by Alliance and Santa Barbara. Since the summer of 2015, Dr. Carter has taught graduate courses in Musicianship, Choir, and Conducting within the Kodály Teacher Education Programs at Westminster Choir College and West Chester University. He and his wife Amy (also on the West Chester Summer Kodály team) are the proud parents of three sons and co-direct the children’s music ministry at the First Presbyterian Church of Dutch Neck.