Dr. Jabarie Glass
Director of Choral Activities
Email: jabarie.glass@ou.edu
Jabarie Glass is a conductor and educator whose experience spans university, secondary, community, festival, and church choral settings. He currently serves as Director of Choral Activities in the School of Music at the University of Oklahoma, where he conducts the OU Chorale and oversees the graduate choral conducting program. Known for his dynamic leadership and compelling programming, Glass brings a steadfast commitment to musical excellence, collaboration, and inclusive practice to every ensemble he leads. Choirs under his direction have been featured at the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Southern Region Conference, the Mississippi-ACDA Conference, and the South Carolina Music Educators Association Conference.
In addition to his passion for conducting works from the choral-orchestral repertory, he is a fervent advocate for new music, dedicated to enriching the choral canon by commissioning and premiering works that embrace diverse artistic perspectives. He has presented interest sessions at regional and national conferences of the American Choral Directors Association, led conducting masterclasses, and published in The Choral Journal. He remains deeply engaged in the musical development of young choral artists by conducting honor choirs and all-state ensembles across the United States. Recent engagements include conducting the ACDA Southwestern Region 10-12 Mixed Choir; all-state choirs in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Wisconsin; as well as regional honor choirs in Oklahoma and Tennessee. He also holds leadership positions in professional choral organizations, having served as the Student Activities Coordinator for the ACDA Southern Region and as a member of the National Board for the National Collegiate Choral Organization.
A native Mississippian, Glass earned dual bachelor's degrees in business management and music education from the University of Mississippi, where he was inducted into the University's Student Hall of Fame, an honor awarded to ten seniors annually for exemplary leadership, scholarship, and service. He went on to earn a master's degree in music education from the Florida State University College of Music and a doctoral degree in conducting from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance. He also pursued additional conducting studies as a fellow with the Chorus America Conducting Academy and the Yale-Norfolk Chamber Music Festival Choral Conducting Workshop.
