Keith Jones

Throughout his professional life tenor Keith Jones has brought distinction to his performances in opera, oratorio, and recital. He has sung with Opera Omaha, Newberry Opera, Palmetto Opera, Opera Lite of Hilton Head, Indiana University Opera Theatre, Converse Opera, and in Boris Goldovsky’s Opera Scenes Program with the San Antonio Young Artists Festival. He also has sung concert versions of opera and operetta throughout South Carolina and has performed on Three Tenors concerts with the Charleston, Columbia, and Spartanburg symphonies.

One of the busiest oratorio and cantata singers in the state, Dr. Jones has been the tenor soloist for Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, St. John Passion, Christmas Oratorio, and Magnificat; Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Missa Solemnis; Britten’s War Requiem and Saint Nicolas; Mendelssohn’s Elijah; Mozart’s Requiem and Coronation Mass; Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610; Orff’s Carmina Burana; Vaughan Williams’ Hodie and Serenade to Music; and Verdi’s Requiem. Dr. Jones has performed the tenor solos in Carmina Burana and Mozart’s Requiem with the Prague Choral Festival, and has sung the title role in Jesus Christ Superstar with Christ and St. Luke Episcopal Church in Norfolk, Virginia. His several dozen performances with the leading orchestras of the state and with the Piccolo Spoleto Festival have won him wide acclaim and the description, “a lustrous component of our musical life.”

Dr. Jones is Professor of Music at Converse, where he is a Professor of Music, Director of Choral Activities, Music Director for the Opera program, and a past Music Director for the Musical Theatre program. His choirs include Converse Chorale, a women’s chorus for undergraduate students at Converse; and the Spartanburg Festival Chorus, a large mixed chorus of undergraduate and graduate students and community singers.

Major works performed by these ensembles under Dr. Jones’ direction include: Bach’s “St. John Passion”, “Magnificat”, and “Mass in B-minor”; Brahms “A German Requiem”; “Britten Saint Nicolas” and “Ceremony of Carols: Handel Messiah”; Mozart’s “Requiem” and “Mass in C-minor”; Orff Carmina Burana; and Pergolesi Stabat Mater. Dramatic works performed at Converse under Dr. Jones’ direction include: Copland The Tender Land; Handel Alcina; Humperdinck Hansel and Gretel; Mozart Cosi fan Tutte and The Marriage of Figaro; PucciniGianna Schicchi, La Boheme, and Suor Angelica; Purcell Dido and Aeneas, and Strauss Die Fledermaus and The Merry Widow. Musicals under Dr. Jones’ direction include A Little Night Music, Urinetown, Little Women, and Godspell.

Dr. Jones is also the Music Director at Central United Methodist Church in Spartanburg, where he directs the Chancel Choir.