Craig Arnold has conducted works large and small in most of the United States, frequently at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Orchestra Hall in Chicago, and other major venues throughout the world. He has had an extensive career as conductor of choirs and orchestras of all ages; educator of graduate, undergraduate, high school, and middle school students; guest lecturer for teacher and conductor training; and guest conductor of workshops, festivals, and all state choirs across the country. Following a tenure as Director of Choral Activities and Conductor of the internationally renowned Nordic Choir at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, he is currently the Artistic Director of Manhattan Chorale and Chamber Orchestra.
Passionate about choral and educational opportunities of excellence, Dr. Arnold more recently founded CODA Concerts and an online learning center called Forward Motion. These ventures augment the performance experiences offered internationally through sister-company Manhattan Concert Productions, a New York City-based production company he founded in 1999.
In addition to Luther College, Dr. Arnold previously served as Director of Choral Activities at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, and Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. He has high school teaching experience from positions in Iowa and Minnesota, and music ministry experience from serving on church staffs in Minnesota, Iowa, Ohio and Michigan.
Arnold’s education includes a doctorate in conducting from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY; a master’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; and a bachelor’s degree from St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN.
Choirs under his direction have performed at state, regional, and national conventions, toured throughout the United States and abroad, and produced numerous CD recordings. A national broadcast on PBS of Christmas at Luther with Arnold as Artistic Director received a regional Emmy award. The University Chorale from Western Michigan, under Arnold’s direction, won first prize at the prestigious international choral competition in Wales. Dr. Arnold has had several students, graduate and undergraduate, that were finalists in the student conducting competition of the American Choral Director’s Association.
Dr. Arnold serves as frequent guest lecturer and conductor throughout the United States and abroad having appeared in Japan, England, Scotland, Germany, France, Italy, Wales, Hong Kong, China, Russia, the Czech Republic, Spain, Austria and most of the United States, including Alaska.
