Clay Whittington is a conductor, pianist, vocalist, and educator from Kinston, North Carolina whose work spans choral music, musical theatre, sacred music, and commercial performance. Based in Tucson, Arizona, he serves as Director of Music Ministries at Immanuel Presbyterian Church and on the music faculty at Cochise College (Sierra Vista, AZ). He is also Artistic Director of the Tucson Summer Chorus and Choir Director for the Tucson Interfaith Choir and Orchestra, while performing regularly with The Gaslight Theatre and The Gaslight Music Hall.
As a conductor, musical director, and collaborative artist, Whittington has led choral and instrumental ensembles across Arizona, California, and North Carolina in academic, sacred, and theatrical settings. His theatrical work has included productions with The Gaslight Theatre (Tucson, AZ) and the Thalian Association (Wilmington, NC). His work centers on the intersection of performance, storytelling, and community engagement, with particular interests in congregational song, American sacred music, and the evolving role of music in public life. Recent projects have explored the sacred works of Duke Ellington, the choral works of Kurt Weill, the music of North American singer-songwriters, and large-scale collaborative choral productions.
As a performer, Whittington’s engagements have included appearances with Pebble Beach Resorts, Carnival Cruise Line, the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, the Carmel Bach Festival, Washington National Cathedral, and the Helios Ensemble.
Whittington holds a Master of Music, Conducting Emphasis, from the University of Arizona and graduated magna cum laude from East Carolina University with a Bachelor of Music in Sacred Music. His academic and professional work has included research in clergy-musician relationships, church music reform, American hymnody, and liturgical theology.
He is a member of the American Choral Directors Association, the American Guild of Organists, the Presbyterian Association of Musicians, and Pi Kappa Lambda.