Dr. Andrea Ramsey holds a Ph.D. in music education from Michigan State University, where she was a University Distinguished Fellow and conducted the MSU Chamber Choir and assisted with the Women’s Chamber Ensemble. Her conducting teachers included Dr. David Rayl, Dr. Sandra Snow, and Dr. Jonathan Reed. Additionally, she holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education from Arkansas Tech University and a Masters of Music in Choral Conducting from the University of Kansas where she served as a graduate teaching assistant and conductor of the KU Men’s Glee Club, the first female to do so in the 120+ year history of the organization.

As a composer, Dr. Ramsey continues to serve as composer-in-residence to the Allegro Choirs of Kansas City (an upbeat energetic youth choral program serving singers in grades 2-12) where she served as an assistant conductor for two years. Andrea completes works annually for the organization and has traveled in residency with Allegro con Brio on tours to Austria and the Czech Republic (2008), and Italy (2011) and looks forward to traveling to France with Brio in 2013. An ASCAP award-winning composer, she has over 60 works in print or press currently with publishers such as Hal Leonard, Boosey & Hawkes, Alliance, Santa Barbara, Walton, Colla Voce, and Carl Fischer.

A native Arkansan, Andrea has thirteen years of teaching experience with children’s, public school and university choruses. Her choral program in the Bentonville Public School district in Northwest Arkansas at Washington Junior High School grew to include approximately 375 students in grades 7-8. The choirs were twice invited to perform for the Arkansas All-State Music Conference.

As a presenter, Andrea has presented for the 6th Annual International Symposium on Sociology in Music Education, American Choral Directors Association Divisional Conventions (Northwest, Central, and Southern), The Phenomenon of Singing Symposium in Newfoundland, Canada, as well as state conferences for choral music educators.

As a guest conductor, she has conducted all-state choruses and honor choirs in Missouri, Louisiana, Georgia, Virginia, and Arkansas. She looks forward to work this year with choirs in New York, Mississippi, Kentucky, Arkansas, West Virginia, Alabama, North Carolina, and Tennessee.