Dr. Leon W. Couch III
College Organist
Assistant Professor of Organ and Music Theory
Ph.D., DMA, MM University of Cincinnati
BM, BS, BA, AA, Performer’s Certificate University of Florida
Leon.Couch@converse.edu
864-596-9007
Blackman Hall, Room 206

Leon W. Couch III earned two doctoral degrees from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music: the D.M.A. in Organ Performance and the Ph.D. in Music Theory. His undergraduate degrees in physics, mathematics, and music are from the University of Florida. Having taught collegiate music theory and organ since 1993, Dr. Couch’s teaching has been highly regarded. While on the faculty at Texas A&M University, the university named him their 2005–2006 Montague Teaching Excellence Scholar for the College of Liberals Arts and Sciences (230+ faculty). In addition to designing and coordinating their music-theory curriculum for several years, Dr. Couch supervised pedagogy and student research projects. Earlier, Dr. Couch taught organ studio, music theory, and undergraduate mathematics at the University of Cincinnati. Now College Organist at Converse College, Dr. Couch teaches both organ and music theory at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Dr. Couch’s scholarship concentrates on pragmatic applications of modern analysis and historical music theory to keyboard performance. Recent projects include rhythmic analyses (Schenker) of Baroque organ works and musical-rhetorical interpretations of seventeenth-century German music. Dr. Couch has presented at numerous international, national, and regional conferences, including both national conferences of the American Guild of Organists (AGO) this year. As the 2007 Nelson visiting scholar at Northwestern College, Couch also enjoys presenting lectures to the local AGO chapters and to the public.

This fall, the respected label Pro Organo will release his solo recording Hamburger Rhetoric, which features dramatic music and musical settings of the Lord’s Prayer by Bach, Buxtehude, Mendelssohn, and others. These musical-rhetorical interpretations were recorded on the beautiful Noack tracker instrument at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Houston, Texas. Each year, Dr. Couch presents organ recitals, masterclasses, and lecture-recitals throughout the United States. This spring, he will perform in several states: CA, DC, FL, GA, IA, KY, MA, MN, NJ, SC, TX. He is still available to concertize during summer and fall 2007.

Dr. Couch has been the recipient of numerous grants for his scholarship, performances, teaching, and public service. He is also active in several musical organizations (AGO, AMS-SW, CMS-SW, ICMC, and TSMT) and as a church musician.

Students needing daily course materials and those interested in further information about Dr. Couch's professional work (recordings, papers in progress, CV, etc.) should see Dr. Couch's faculty webpages.