Following 35 years as Director of Choral Activities at San Jose State University, Dr. Charlene Archibeque returned to the SJSU campus as Acting Director of Choral Activities for the academic year 2010-11. One of America’s foremost choral conductors and teachers, Dr. Archibeque helped put SJSU on the world map by winning seven international choral competitions with the famous SJSU Choraliers. Her choirs completed sixteen concert tours to Australia, Mexico and throughout Europe and she has conducted in many of the major music halls including Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Royal Albert Hall in London, and the Berlin Philharmonic among many others.

Dr. Archibeque has presented choir clinics and conductors’ workshops throughout the US, as well as Australia, England, Canada, and most of Europe. Known as one of America’s top choral clinicians, she has conducted hundreds of honor choirs in 44 states and six provinces of Canada. Active in the American Choral Directors Association she has presented major interest sessions at national and divisional conventions, served on many panels, and her choirs have performed at 25 state, divisional and national conventions. She was the recipient of the Howard Swan Award presented by Calif. ACDA in 2008.

In the past several years Dr. Archibeque conducted the Connecticut and South Carolina All-State Choirs, judged the Golden State Choral Festival several times, and presented a major session at the Western Division Convention of the ACDA in Reno. She was Headliner for the National Association of Church Musicians Convention in Los Angeles, one of the Headliners for the ACDA Voices United conference at James Madison University in Virginia as well as for the Michigan ACDA Conference.

Known for her knowledge of the choral repertoire and performance practice of all styles, Dr. Archibeque has conducted and prepared over 150 major choral works with orchestras and chooses music from all historical periods. She regularly serves as Visiting Professor at various Universities and was on the campuses of both the University of Michigan and Michigan State in 2010 and at the University of Delaware and at the prestigious Westminster Choir College in spring 2012. Her most recent conducting assignments were Guest conductor for the California Bach Society in concerts of an all-Handel program with period instruments and Christmas Concerts at the Santa Clara Mission with the Santa Clara Chorale and the Jubilate Orchestra.

Her degrees were earned at the Univ. of Michigan, San Diego State and the DMA at the University of Colorado. She was named Outstanding Alumna at the latter and was given both San Jose State’s highest honors: Outstanding Professor and President’s Scholar. She currently serves on the Board of the American Beethoven Society, is President of the Silicon Valley League of the San Francisco Symphony and is Editor of the Charlene Archibeque Choral Series with Santa Barbara Music Publishers. A new DVD is in the works on Placement of Singers in Choirs.