East Bay Intermediates Director
Dr. Christian Emigh received his Bachelor of Music degree at California State University, Sacramento, and Master of Arts degrees in German Literature and Musicology from the University of Southern California. He holds a doctoral degree in Music Education from Boston University and secondary certification as a Kodály Music Specialist from Holy Names University. His research is currently focused on transformational leadership practices and the influence of director behavior on students’ attitudes and perceptions within the choral setting. From 2001 through 2023, Dr. Emigh worked as a choral director within the California public school system, where he developed a high-school choral program comprised of 6 ensembles with an annual membership of 350 singers. The choirs under Dr. Emigh’s direction have taken top honors at festivals across the United States and abroad, including performances at New York’s Lincoln Center, The Grand Ole Opry, and the 80th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii. In 2005, Dr. Emigh was selected as a member of Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers? In 2017, and again in 2021, the Veterans of Foreign Wars honored Dr. Emigh as the California State Teacher of the Year for his service to veteran organizations and his promotion of citizenship within choral-music education. Dr. Emigh has served as an instructor at Mount St. Mary’s College, Diablo Valley College, and the University of Southern California. As a performer, he has worked under the direction of Dr. William Dehning, Helmuth Rilling, and the composer Morten Lauridsen, and has appeared in collaboration with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and the Leipzig Baroque Ensemble. Currently, Dr. Emigh is in his fifteenth season as a member of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus where he has worked under some of the world’s preeminent conductors, including Michael Tilson Thomas, Esa Pekka Salonen, and the composer John Adams. Outside of teaching, Dr. Emigh regularly serves as a festival adjudicator and clinician at choral festivals and conferences throughout California. Beyond his duties with the San Francisco Boys Chorus, Dr. Emigh currently holds the position of Advisor for Higher Education for the Northern California Association of Kodály Educators.
