About
Daniel Farris serves as Professor, Director of Choral Studies, and Vocal Area Coordinator in the Department of Music at Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU), where he teaches applied voice, conducting, and choral music education sequences to performance, education, business, and music therapy majors.
His academic background includes a Bachelor of Music with all-level teacher certification from Angelo State University and a Doctor of Musical Arts in conducting with related fields in music theory and musicology from the University of North Texas, mentored by Candis Rogers-Hicks, Pamela Lee, Jerry McCoy, Stephen Dubberly, and Henry Gibbons.
Dr. Farris specializes in choral conducting pedagogy, vocal pedagogy, score study/editing, and modern language diction, with extensive international scholarship including presentations across the United States, central Europe, and southeast Asia. His research emphasizes practical applications for choral training and audition preparation for state-level honor choirs.
As an active clinician and adjudicator, he has led honor choir performances at conferences in Italy, Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas while directing SWOSU's summer choral camp for OMEA/OCDA preparation. His choirs consistently achieve recognition at regional and international events through rigorous skill development in diction and conducting techniques.
Previously serving 24 years as a church musician across Texas and Oklahoma congregations—including First Presbyterian Church in Elk City until age 40—he maintains professional engagement through workshops while pursuing personal interests in enology, cooking, and literature.
