Biography
- DMA, conducting performance, Northwestern University
- MEd, secondary education (concentrations in music, curriculum and instruction), University of Missouri-St. Louis
- BS, music education (K-12 certification), Case Western Reserve University
Rollo Dilworth is the Elaine Brown Choral Chair, Vocal Arts Department Chair and Professor of Choral Music Education in Temple University’s Center for the Performing and Cinematic Arts in Philadelphia, PA. He has served on the faculty since 2009. In addition to teaching undergraduate and graduate level courses in choral music education, Dilworth serves as conductor for the Temple University Singing Owls Campus/Community Chorus, as artistic director for Singing City, and as conductor for the School District of Philadelphia High School All-City Chorus.
Over 200 of Dilworth’s choral compositions and arrangements have been published, and many are part of the Henry Leck Creating Artistry Choral Series with the Hal Leonard Corporation. Additional choral publications can be found in the catalogs of Santa Barbara Music Publishing, Colla Voce, Walton Music and EC Schirmer. He has conducted more than 70 all-state choirs at the elementary, middle and high school levels, and remains an active clinician and frequent guest conductor of festival, community, church and professional choirs. He has researched, lectured and presented extensively on various topics including African American choral music, choral pedagogy, composing/arranging for choirs, social justice, social emotional learning, cultural appropriation, urban music education, community engagement, and diversity, equity and inclusion.
He is a contributing author for the Essential Elements for Choir and the Experiencing Choral Music textbook series, both published by the Hal Leonard Corporation/Glencoe/McGraw-Hill Publications, and for Music Express! Teachers Magazine. He has authored three books of choral warm-up exercises intended for elementary and secondary choral ensembles, entitled Choir Builders: Fundamental Vocal Techniques for General and Classroom Use (2006); Choir Builders for Growing Voices (2009); and Choir Builders for Growing Voices 2 (2014).
Dilworth serves on the national boards of Chorus America and the Presser Foundation; he is an active life member of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). He also holds memberships with several other organizations, including the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), the National Collegiate Choral Organization (NCCO) and the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP).