2024 Competition Judges AnnouncedPublished on 3/17/2024
Bismarck-Mandan Civic Chorus is extremely pleased to announce the judges for this year's solo vocal competition. The three-judge panel is comprised of current chorus members Dr. Thomas Porter, current artistic director; Dawn Hagerott, soprano chorister and vocal professor at Bismarck State College; and Joshua Johnson, tenor chorister and current board member.
Dr. Thomas Porter
This year marks Dr. Porter’s 31st year as director of the Bismarck-Mandan Civic Chorus. In this capacity, he expanded arts opportunities to new audiences, developing and directing annual programs introducing young people to opera and choral music, conducting run-out concerts to small communities across western North Dakota, and collaborating with a wide variety of arts organizations from children’s choirs to symphony orchestras, from art schools to dance schools. Porter began his musical journey as a teenager, writing and arranging music for the Miss North Dakota pageant under the direction of Jane Gray Stewart, performing with the newly formed Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestra and Bismarck-Mandan Civic Chorus, and composing songs and directing local church groups. He graduated with honors from the University of Mary, DePaul University in Chicago, the University of Notre Dame, and the Conservatory of Music at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
From 1994 to 2008, Porter was a professor of music at Bismarck State College. During his tenure at BSC, he revised the music curriculum, expanded the department, oversaw the building of the Leach Music Center, developed the BSC at the Belle concert series, and began the BSC ChoirFest. His students from BSC have gone on to careers as professional performers, teachers, and composers. He chaired the committee that coordinated the Bismarck regional performances of the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Leonard Slatkin; received a Larry Remele Fellowship from the North Dakota Humanities Council to research and present programs on American Folk Songs; and coordinated state-wide performances of the American Masterworks project funded by the National Endowment of the Arts.
Porter holds a Doctorate in Musical Arts in Choral Conducting and is currently a professor of music and the chair of the Music Department at the University of Mary where he has taught since 2008. His choirs have performed for state conferences as well as toured regionally and internationally, including performances at St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice and St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel in Rome.
An avid composer for most of his life, Porter has written compositions in a variety of genres and for a variety of ensembles from classical solos to commercial jingles, from orchestral overtures to church hymns. Presently, his compositional efforts are focused on choral music, both secular and sacred, and often feature lyrics that promote an appreciation for North Dakota’s cultural heritage. Prime examples of this musical influence include Prairie Sketches for solo piano, five movements that depict eras of North Dakota, including “The Land,” “Dakotah,” “Homesteading,” “Dustbowl,” and “Centennial;” Songs of the Prairies, an eight-movement set of pieces for choir and piano with texts by North Dakota pioneer women; and a set of American folksongs for women’s choir, violin, and piano.
Many organizations have commissioned works by Porter, including the North Dakota Music Teachers’ Association, Bismarck-Mandan Civic Chorus, National Association of Pastoral Musicians, San Francisco Girls Chorus, Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestra, Missouri Valley Chamber Orchestra, Central Dakota Children’s Choir, and high school and church choirs across the region.
A published composer for over twenty-five years, Porter’s works are included in several major church hymnals and in the catalogues of publishers including GIA Publications, Heritage Music Press, Laurel Press, Roger Dean Music, Alliance Publications, and Concordia Publishing Company, including:
- Lux aeterna (Pepper Music Editor’s Choice), 2012
- A Prairie Storm, 2008
- Die Engel, 2008
- Ten Thousand Miles, 2007
- Cripple Creek, 2007
- O nata lux (Pepper Music Editor’s Choice), 2005
- People of the Willows (Pepper Music Editor’s Choice), 2004
- Saw You Never, 2004
- Snow/Summer, 2004
- White Promise, 2002
- All Good Gifts, 2002
- What Color Is the Music (Pepper Music Editor’s Choice), 2001
- By My Side (A Wedding Song), 1988
- Assembly Mass, GIA Publications, 1986
Porter served as musical director of six productions at Sleepy Hollow Summer Theater in Bismarck, and he has produced, directed, or performed in benefit productions for Young Life, Ruth Meiers Hospitality House, Abused Adult Resource Center, United Way, God's Child Project, and the ND Mental Health Association. He has served on local, state, regional, and national boards, including the North Dakota Council on the Arts, Central Dakota Children’s Choir, Bismarck-Mandan Civic Chorus, National Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions, and the American Choral Directors Association. He has presented papers and workshops at state, regional and national conferences, and has conducted honor choirs throughout the Midwest.
Porter is the son of Ken and Pat Porter of Mandan. Tom and Jenifer Porter live in Bismarck and have five children and seven grandchildren.
Dawn Hagerott
Dawn Hagerott has focused on vocal music and performing since she first joined BSC as a lecturer in 2004. In June 2009 she became an assistant professor of music, and in May 2014 an associate professor of music. Hagerott is the BSC voice instructor, teaches online music appreciation and coordinates the sophomore recitals for all BSC music majors. She is also the director of the BSC Men's Ensemble – the group widely known in the Bismarck-Mandan community for their annual Valentine serenades. Outside of BSC, Hagerott shares her passion with a much younger group of vocalists as the conductor of the Jubilate Children's Choir for the Central Dakota Children's Choir (CDCC) organization.
In her faculty bio, Hagerott notes, “Each of us has the potential to be a great singer. We just need to learn the tools to do this. If you have a love for music, (whatever style of music it may be) and you enjoy singing, you owe it to yourself to discover the voice that lies within you. Singing is such a wonderful way in which you can express yourself. Singing is something you can take with you anywhere, do anytime, and continue to enjoy your entire life.”
Hagerott earned bachelor's degrees in elementary and secondary music education from the University of Idaho and has a master’s degree in vocal performance from Northern Arizona University.
Joshua Johnson
Joshua Johnson has been living and performing in Bismarck, ND, for most of his life. His performance credits include numerous roles in musicals and operas, solo performances for voice and piano, and choral performances with Bismarck-Mandan Civic Chorus and Dakota Pro Musica. He has performed in venues across the state, country, and around the world, including St. Mark’s Basilica, Venice; St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome; the Sistine Chapel, Rome; and Carnegie Hall, New York. He has been a member of Bismarck-Mandan Civic Chorus since 2015, has served as a member of its board for five consecutive years, and served one term as its president.
Johnson holds a Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance from the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND, and a Master of Music degree in choral conducting from North Dakota State University in Fargo, ND. During his graduate studies in Fargo, he served as the choir director and cantor at Elim Lutheran Church. After completing his master’s degree, Johnson moved back to Bismarck where he worked at Dakota Stage, Ltd., as its executive director until 2022. While at DSL, he accompanied the choirs at Century High School on a part-time basis and, in 2019, travelled with the CHS choirs to Ireland and accompanied the tour choir at venues around the country.
Currently, Johnson works full-time at Century High School accompanying all six of the choirs. Most recently, Johnson sang with Dakota Pro Musica for the concert series A Prayer for Ukraine at concerts in Belfield and Bismarck, ND. He joined the board of Dakota Pro Musica in February of 2024. He also teaches private voice lessons in Bismarck/Mandan.Johnson lives in Mandan, ND, with his wife, Kourtney, and their son, Marcus.
