Jonathan Rodgers is Assistant Professor of Church Music in the Lee University School of Music. He teaches church music courses as well as a variety of other course offerings including Music in Culture, Piano, and Conducting. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Rodgers holds a Bachelor of Music in music education and Master of Music in church music from Samford University, where he studied conducting with Milburn Price. He completed his Doctor of Musical Arts in choral conducting at the University of Southern Mississippi, where he studied conducting with Gregory Fuller. His scholarly research and dissertation examines the choral singing tradition of Estonia and, specifically, the choral folksongs of Estonian composer Cyrillus Kreek.

While at Southern Miss, Rodgers was assistant director of the Women’s Chorus and assisted with the flagship ensemble, the Southern Chorale, as rehearsal assistant and accompanist. In addition, he was accompanist for the Southern Hymn Festival (under the direction of Mack Wilberg), continuo player and rehearsal assistant for USM’s presentation of the Bach B Minor Mass, pianist on recordings of the music of James Mulholland, and pianist and rehearsal assistant for the Carnegie Hall premiere and recording of Edwin Penhorwood’s An American Requiem.

As a member of the American Choral Directors Association, Rodgers has been guest speaker and presenter at the Chicago national ACDA and Mississippi MENC/ACDA conferences. He has also given presentations at Youthcue Choirs and Student Music Metro Conferences. Previously, he has been a guest conductor for the YouthCue Choirs summer festival choir in Washington, DC, and clinician for Louisiana’s District II Women’s Honor Choir.

In addition to his conducting and scholarly activities, Jonathan is an active pianist, church musician, and composer. As a pianist, he has given concerts in churches throughout the south and has also been accompanist for various schools and hymn festivals. His arrangements have been published with Walton Music and Colla Voce and performed by Mountain Brook and Hoover High Schools in Birmingham, Alabama, the University of Southern Mississippi Southern Chorale, and the Brigham Young University Women’s Chorus.

Jonathan has been married to his wife Alicia for eleven years, and they have three children - Savannah, Leighton, and Brooks.