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The American soprano, pianist and choral conductor, Renata Dworak, has studied voice and vocal pedagogy extensively and has now pursued learning the organ. Fluent in Polish, she has a high school diploma in Polish language, history, and geography from the Kolbe School of Polish. was formally trained as a pianist and earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Choral Music Education from DePauw University. North Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana was the site of her student teaching placement during her final year at DePauw. Former Indiana Choral Director Association President, Patricia Wiehe, supervised Renata throughout her stay at North Central, including beginning-advanced levels of concert, show, gospel, and a cappella choirs. She began her graduate studies at the Eastman School of Music under the guidance of Dr. William Weinert in the fall of 2012. She is now pursuing her Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting.
Renata Dworak has studied privately with Dr. Gregory Ristow of DePauw University, Professor Gabriel Crouch of Princeton University, and Dr. Jan Harrington, former choral department chair of Indiana University. Through internships and independent studies, Renata has worked with Marguerite L. Brooks of Yale University’s Institute of Sacred Music, Dr. Paul S. Jones of Temple University (interim), Dr. James Jordan of Westminster Choir College, and Henry Leck of the Indianapolis Children’s Choir and Butler University. Additionally, She has studied and teaches voice, piano, organ, and harpsichord.
These experiences along with other accomplishments, such as winning the DePauw Student Conducting Competition in 2011, led Renata Dworak to receive awards such as the Van Denman Thompson Award. This award was for the outstanding senior who has achieved excellence in scholarship, musicianship, and activities. Her studies in piano, piano pedagogy, and private teaching qualified her for the Mabel Lucille Sherman Music Award, presented to the outstanding pianist in the graduating class at DePauw. Now in her graduate studies, she is a recipient of the both the Simon Rose Scholarship and the Herman Genhart Choral Conducting Award at Eastman.
Renata Dworak’s passion for choral conducting began when she founded DePauw’s only student-run chamber choir, Les Chanteurs. She set a goal to establish Les Chanteurs as an ensemble with a high-performance standard in which students could develop their conducting skills. After auditioning the ensemble, selecting repertoire, and rehearsing, she directed two successful concerts. Additionally, she led seminars on choral conducting and fostered an atmosphere of engagement and education. Her efforts yielded a highly-respected choir that has transcended her time at DePauw.
Since joining the community at Eastman, Renata Dworak began serving as a graduate assistant to the Eastman Chorale, Eastman Repertory Singers, and Eastman Rochester Community Chorus. Renata has most recently joined Lakeville United Church of Christ in Lakeville, New York as the Director of Music. She directs the choir and serves as the church pianist/organist. |
