Clay Whittington is an entertainer, vocalist, pianist, and conductor from eastern North Carolina. He serves as Director of Music Ministries for Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Tucson, Arizona, leading a variety of musical expressions in traditional and alternative worship forms. Clay has directed vocal and instrumental ensembles with Lenoir Community College, the Thalian Association, the Texas Panhandle Heritage Foundation, and sacred music programs in the Episcopal, United Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, and Reform Judaism traditions. As an entertainer, Clay maintains a full performance calendar which has included work with the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Pebble Beach Resorts, The Cypress Inn, Fairmont Hotels, and Carnival Cruise Line.
As a professional chorister, Clay currently works with the Helios Ensemble and the Tucson Symphony Orchestra Chorus. Past work has included performances and worship services with the Washington National Cathedral and the Carmel Bach Festival. He has performed under the direction of Dr. Benjamin Hansen, Dr. Marcela Molina, Maestro José Luis Gomez, Michael McCarthy, Simon Carrington, Dr. Andrew Megill, Maestro Paul Goodwin, and Dr. Daniel Bara.
Clay has served as the principal musician for churches in the United Methodist and Episcopal traditions for much of the last two decades. In these roles, 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 the Diocesan Convention for the Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina.
Clay received his Bachelor of Music magna cum laude with a concentration in Sacred Music (Vocal/Choral) from East Carolina University, studying with Prof. John Kramar, Dr. James Franklin, and Prof. Andrew Scanlon. During his undergraduate studies, Clay performed with East Carolina University Opera Theatre and the internationally renowned East Carolina University Chamber Singers. 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, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and the Presbyterian Association of Musicians.