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Dr. Ben Ayling Ben Ayling
is a lifetime member of the American Choral Directors
Association and is the choral music education specialist at Kent
State University where his duties include conducting the KSU
Men’s Chorus, teaching choral conducting, and music education
courses for undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students. He is
sought after as a conductor, clinician, adjudicator, and
speaker. His speaking engagements have sent him from coast to
coast as well as New Zealand, Australia, and Russia. He recently
appeared as the guest conductor of the Arkansas All State Men’s
Chorus. He has served as a clinician at music educator's
conferences throughout the United Sates, Canada, Russia, Great
Britain, New Zealand, and Australia. He currently serves as the
President-Elect of the Ohio Choral Directors Association.Dr. Ayling's choirs are consistently known for their high standards. His ensembles have toured throughout the Midwest and Eastern United States as well as Belgium and The Netherlands. He is the founder and conductor of the Kent State University Men's Chorus, the newest addition to the choral music offerings of the Hugh A. Glauser School of Music. The chorus is open to all university majors. The KSU Men’s Chorus began in the fall of 2002 with 16 men. Since then, the singing group has grown in both numbers and skill as it continues its quest to become one of America’s finest choral organizations. The chorus is dedicated to spreading the word about music and the many educational endeavors found at Kent State. As a result, they exercise a strong commitment toward concert touring throughout Ohio and beyond. In its first five years, the chorus has presented more than 65 concerts in 10 states to thousands of people and produced their first professional recording, “Brothers, Sing On…” The First Five Years. They were the featured college men’s chorus invited to perform at the 2007 Ohio Music Educator’s Association Professional Conference in Columbus Ohio. As a performer, Ben Ayling sang bass in The Ritz, a world champion men's quartet that, along with having eight recordings to its credit, performed in 46 states, Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand, Australia and Russia. The quartet also sang on the PBS Special “Keep America Singing” and was a featured group on one of the MENC “World’s Largest Concert” broadcasts. He is in demand as a speaker and conductor for music conferences and honor choirs around the world. Dr. Ben Ayling had his debut as a conductor at the age of 14. Since then, he has received his Bachelor and Masters degrees in music education from Bowling Green State University and his Ph. D. in music education from The Ohio State University and has taught choral music for 20 years in the public schools. While he was in residence at Bowling Green State University and The Ohio State University, he assisted with each institution's music education, men's chorus, and conducting programs. Ben Ayling lives in Kent, Ohio with his wife, Mary Ann. Contact Dr. Ayling by sending e-mail to bayling@kent.edu, by surface mail in care of the Hugh A. Glauser School of Music, Music and Speech Building, P.O. Box 5190, Kent, Ohio 44242-0001 or by telephone at (330) 672-4802.
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