معرفی
Nancy Menk serves as Professor of Music and holds the Mary Lou and Judd Leighton Chair in Music at Saint Mary's College, where she is Director of Choral Activities and Chair of the Music Department. Additionally, she teaches graduate conducting at the University of Notre Dame and founded the South Bend Chamber Singers, serving as its conductor for over three decades.
Her academic credentials include a BS and MA in Music Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and an MM and DMA in Choral Conducting from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
Dr. Menk specializes in choral conducting with a focus on women's voices, contemporary choral music, and commissioning new works. She has significantly expanded the repertoire for women's choirs through her editorial role in the Saint Mary's College Choral Series and numerous commissions. Her ensembles regularly premiere and record new compositions, contributing to the vitality of modern choral music.
Her professional achievements have been recognized with multiple awards:
- The American Prize in Choral Performance (2012, second place) for Belles Voix
- ASCAP/Chorus America Award for Adventurous Programming (South Bend Chamber Singers)
- The American Prize Dale Warland Award for Choral Conducting (2024, second place)
- American Prize in Choral Performance (2024, third place) for South Bend Chamber Singers
- Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music (2024, third place) for South Bend Chamber Singers
- Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence (finalist) for South Bend Chamber Singers
- The American Prize in Choral Performance (finalist, 2017) for Belles Voix
- The American Prize in Choral Performance (finalist, 2019) for Belles Voix
Dr. Menk has conducted at Carnegie Hall seven times and led the South Bend Symphony Orchestra as the first woman to program a subscription concert. She has secured funding for commissioning projects and has served as guest conductor for numerous all-state choirs and international festivals.
She leads several ensembles including Belles Voix, the Collegiate Choir, the South Bend Chamber Singers, and previously the Northwest Indiana Symphony Chorus (1998-2022) and the Lutheran Summer Music Academy and Festival Concert Choir (2019-2022).
