Clay Whittington has been praised for his musical artistry and showmanship in both popular and cultivated genres. As a vocalist and entertainer, his recent work includes performances with the Helios Ensemble, the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, East Carolina University Opera Theater and Carnival Cruise Line. He currently serves as Alternative Music Leader and Interim Traditional Music Leader at Immanuel Presbyterian Church of Tucson, Arizona.
Clay has served as a church musician in the United Methodist and Episcopal denominations for much of the last two decades. In this role, he has conducted choral and instrumental ensembles in North Carolina, California, and Arizona. Outside of regular worship services, he has lead music and worship at the North Carolina Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, the Diocesan Convention for the Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real, and a Revival for the Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real, featuring Presiding Bishop, The Most Reverend Michael Curry.
From 2016 to 2018, Clay performed on nine ships in the Carnival Cruise Line fleet, earning Carnival Entertainment’s Top Performer status prior to his departure.
Clay received his A.F.A. in Music from Lenoir Community College (Kinston, NC) and his B.M. in Performance with a concentration in Sacred Music Vocal/Choral from East Carolina University (Greenville, NC). During his undergraduate studies, Clay performed with the internationally renowned East Carolina University Chamber Singers and East Carolina University Opera Theatre. In the fall of 2022, he will continue with graduate studies in vocal performance at the University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ). In 2022, he was inducted into the Beta Zeta Chapter of the Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society.
Clay is an active member of the American Guild of Organists, the American Choral Directors Association, and the National Association of Teachers of Singing.
Some fun facts…
SOUNDS LIKE
Steven Page (Barenaked Ladies) and Ben Folds
MUSICAL INFLUENCES
Ben Folds, Elton John, Billy Joel, Barenaked Ladies, Andraé Crouch, David Crowder, Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah, Warren Zevon, Hall & Oates, Five for Fighting, Buena Vista Social Club, Felix Mendelssohn, Johann Sebastian Bach
FAVORITE MOVIES
Becket, Star Wars Series, Guardians of the Galaxy I and II, The Conjuring Series
FAVORITE TELEVISION SHOWS
Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad, Stranger Things
FAVORITE ARTISTS
Painters: Banksy, Kehinde Wiley, Barb White
Photographers: Ansel Adams, Rob Taylor
Mixed Media: Sebastian Correa
FAVORITE FOOD
Pete Jones BBQ Sandwich (Sam Jones BBQ; Greenville, NC)
Pollo en Rajas Poblanas (Chalo’s; Cozumel, QI, Mexico)
FAVORITE SPORTS TEAMS
Carolina Hurricanes, Boston Red Sox, ECU Pirates
FAVORITE TRAVEL DESTINATION (VISITED)
Havana, Cuba
TRAVEL BUCKET LIST
Scotland, England, Germany, Austria, Brazil
BEST TRAVEL TIP
Get away from port and the tourist traps and find the hole-in-the-wall restaurant that you KNOW would fail a sanitation check. It’s not nasty. It’s seasoning. Enjoy it. You won’t regret it.