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1995 Distinguished Alumnus Award
Jerold Ottley, DMA (1972)
(by Gary Martin, commencement ceremony 1995)

Dr. Jerold Ottley is the music director and conductor of one of the world's most distinguished choirs, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, which has been part of the American arts scene for much of this century. Dr. Ottley has held the position of music director and conductor of the choir since 1975, a period of 20 years. He is one of America's highly respected choral directors, noted for his musical excellence in choral performance, for involving the choir in many of this country's major events, for taking the choir on tour to many nations of the world, for numerous recordings, and for many other choral activities.

Dr. Ottley took a baccalaureate degree from Brigham Young University and a master's degree from the University of Utah. He was then awarded a Fulbright fellowship, which led to his studying conducting, voice, and choral performance practice at the Academy of Music in Cologne, Germany. After returning to the United States he completed a Doctor of Musical Arts degree here at the University of Oregon.

Dr. Ottley's activities as musical director and conductor of the 350 voice Mormon Tabernacle Choir are clearly extraordinary. His duties include preparation of the weekly radio and television broadcast of "Music and the Spoken Word" which is in its 65th year of live, nationwide radio, and is carried by many TV stations as well. He has produced three videotapes, and 20 sound recordings, including several for CBS Masterworks Records. Among these albums are such titles as:

• Christmas With Marilyn Horne
• An American Tribute
• The Mormon Tabernacle Choir Live in Australia
• Mormon Tabernacle Choir Sings Hymns of Faith
• Songs from America's Heartland

He has taken the Tabernacle Choir on concert tours to Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, and throughout the United States. The Tabernacle Choir has performed major choral works, prepared by Dr. Ottley, with the Philadelphia Symphony, the Utah Symphony, and the Grand Teton Festival Orchestra. He has also conducted the Utah Symphony Orchestra in both recording and performance, and the Columbia Symphony Orchestra in recording.

Under Dr. Ottley's direction the choir has been regularly involved with major events of American society such as the United States Presidential Inaugurations of Ronald Regan and George Bush, the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in Washington, D.C., and the Statue of Liberty Centennial Celebration. The choir has probably performed for a larger number of national and regional professional conventions, philanthropic events, and national holidays than any other currently active choir.

In addition to his responsibility for guiding the Choir through its extremely heavy schedule of broadcasts, recordings, and concerts, Dr. Ottley has presented the choir in numerous radio and television specials, and is a much sought-after choral clinician. As this record indicates, Dr. Ottley maintains the Tabernacle Choir's activity at the heart of the artistic life of this country.

It is our pleasure to honor Dr. Ottley for his truly exceptional career as a choral conductor and musician.