Our Conductor

Dr. Jason Heald currently serves as Director of Music at Umpqua Community College, and is an active composer, performer, educator, and clinician in the Pacific Northwest. He holds a Ph.D. in composition from University of Oregon, a master's degree from University of Portland, and a bachelor's degree from Lewis and Clark College. Dr. Heald is a prolific composer, with works published by Augsburg Press, ChoralWeb, UNC Jazz Press, Plymouth Music, Sound Music Publishing, and Call of the Wild Publishing. Recent premiers and commissions include performances by the Oregon Musical Theatre Festival. Shreveport Opera, Vanguard Voices, Delgani Quartet, Consonare, Kantorei, The Singers – Minnesota Choral Artists, the Willamette Singers, Lake County Symphony Orchestra, Umpqua Chamber Orchestra, Peter Argondizza, guitarists Cameron O'Connor and James Bishop-Edwards, soprano Linda Larson, and Halcyon Trio Oregon. Recent awards include Grand Prize Winner, Eventide Arts Songfest (Dennis MA); Grand Prize winner, Cascadian Choral Composition Competition (Seattle, WA); Longfellow Chorus Award of Distinction in Choral Composition (Portland, ME), Vanguard Premieres Composition Contest (Detroit, MI); Sacred Voice Arts Song Finalist, (Salt Lake City, UT); Finalist, 21st Annual Ithaca College of Music Choral Composition Competition (Ithaca, NY); and Project Encore Composer, (New York, NY). Heald’s orchestral concerts have featured Grammy award-winning artists Mason Williams and Tingstad and Rumbel, Craig Chaquico (Jefferson Starship), the Four Freshmen, Delgani String Quartet, and jazz vocalist Haley Loren. Dr. Heald has also been the recipient of many ASCAP symphonic and educational awards.