Professional Title/s
Professor : Director of Choral ActivitiesFaculty Credentials
B.A., Allegheny College; M.M., Binghamton University; D.M.A., University of ConnecticutBiographical Information
James D. Niblock is Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Allegheny College. Since 2012, he has conducted as many as five choirs annually, and the choral ensembles have sponsored dozens of projects and performances with students, community members, alumni, and regional and international collaborators. An Allegheny alumnus himself – Class of ’97 – James is passionate about the College’s history in music and especially enjoys hosting the extended family of past and present Allegheny singers for regular reunion performances. In 2024, Allegheny students and alumni joined together for their first collaborative performance tour.
James provides support and instruction to voice students in multiple channels and has created Allegheny’s Fall Vocal Workshop specifically to share techniques and tips with high school singers. His Allegheny responsibilities have included traditional courses in music theory, history, and appreciation. He also offers a multi-disciplinary course in human voice science, a writing and public speaking seminar about musical comedy, and Listen Up! - a critical listening course across an eclectic array of styles. An active professional on several fronts, James has been engaged as a singer, clinician, and conductor throughout the US as well as in Russia, New Zealand, England, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Spain. He has led Allegheny students in international performance tours and has served as the co-instructor for extended study in Italy. James is the 2019 recipient of Allegheny’s Thoburn Award for Excellence in Teaching.
James has prepared choirs for performances on public television, for residencies with professional ensembles, and for collaborations with the Alexander String Quartet, The Erie Philharmonic and Phil Chorus, Kammerkoret NOVA of Oslo, and numerous school and community ensembles in the US and abroad. He holds M.M. and D.M.A. degrees in conducting from Binghamton University and the University of Connecticut. James is an avid woodworker, occasional angler, and a big fan of scenic travel and outdoor adventures. He lives in Cochranton, Pennsylvania, with his wife Carol and their three children: Benjamin, Peter, and Madeleine.