Dr. John McCarty Teaches at Elon University, where he a visiting assistant professor in both the Music and Performing Arts departments. At Elon, he teaches voice, musical theatre history, music appreciation, and directs musical theatre productions. He recently moved to North Carolina from Miami, Florida, where he taught in the department of Performing Arts & Industries at Miami Dade College and in the Theatre Arts department at the University of Miami. In Miami, he was also the music director at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral and served as the assistant conductor of the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida. Before moving to Florida, Dr. McCarty was the director of choral music at Bridgewater College in Bridgewater, Virginia. During his time in Virginia, he also conducted many community choruses, including the Crozet Community Chorus, the Page County Community Choir, and the Main Street Singers.

Originally from Iowa, Dr. McCarty earned his bachelor’s degree in music education and voice from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN, his master’s degree in choral conducting from the University of Minnesota, and his doctorate in choral conducting, pedagogy, and literature from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. He has conducted honor choirs, offered workshops, and presented his scholarship throughout the southeastern United States and internationally at the ATINER conference in Athens, Greece.