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Lonnie Arnold, a native of Youngstown, Ohio, received his Bachelor of Music degree from Youngstown State University in 1968 and his Master of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music in 1975. In addition to his formal education, Mr. Arnold was a participant at the Aspen Choral Institute and the Saratoga-Potsdam Choral Institute. He studied voice with Anna Kaskas and Thomas Paul and choral conducting with Fiora Contino, Bev Hensen, and Donald Neuen.
Lonnie Arnold began his teaching career in the Greece Central School District in 1968. In 1971, he moved to the Fairport Central School District, where he taught at Fairport High School until his retirement in 2001. While at Fairport, the choirs consistently received superior ratings in state and International competitions. In 1992, Mr. Arnold was awarded the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra’s Musician’s Award for Outstanding Music Educators, Outstanding Choral Director. In 1998 he was listed in “Who’s Who, Among America’s Teachers”. In the Spring of 1996, The Fairport High School Concert Choir participated in it’s first concert tour of Europe, performing in Prague, Budapest, Salzburg and Vienna. In 1999, the Fairport choir embarked on a concert tour of Italy that included being the guest choir during a Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
Lonnie Arnold served as Monroe County choral chairperson, and Conference All-State chairperson for New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA). In 1995, he helped establish the Rochester Philharmonic Festival High School Chorale, which he co-directed with Harold McAuliffe until his retirement.
Mr. Arnold now resides in Niagara County in New York State where he teaches voice and is very active as a professional adjudicator and guest conductor throughout the Northeast United States and Canada. Mr. Arnold served as a member of the NYSSMA Diversity Committee and is now Adjudication Festival Chorus Coordinator. His duties require training choral adjudicators for NYSSMA Major Organization Festivals . He is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Choral Directors Association serving as treasurer from 2006 to 2012.
