Conductor and Vocalist, Classical and Jazz

Dr. Julie Ford is Director of Worship and Music at Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church (LOPC, a 2000-member congregation in Lafayette, CA) and Lecturer in Choral Directing at St. Mary's College (Moraga, CA) where she directs the NightenGaels.

At LOPC, she designs liturgy for worship services, directs four choirs (Chamber Singers, Chancel Choir, Cantemus, and Festival Choir), conducts choral-orchestral works, and collaborates for special worship events with the Company C Contemporary Ballet, Jubilate Baroque Orchestra, and Temple Isaiah of Lafayette, CA. Her Chamber Singers recently performed at the American Choral Directors Association national convention. Check out Dr. Ford's choral blog for information about choral events, and click on the Recordings page to hear her choirs and vocal performances.

She sings in and directs Without Measure (early music vocal quintet) and sings with the groups Moodswing (vocal jazz quartet, 2005 Champions of the San Francisco Bay Area Harmony Sweepstakes) and Everyday Wisdom, Greg Murai, director (a contemporary sacred jazz/gospel/pop/light classical ensemble). All of these ensembles inform and facilitate her passion for integrating classical and jazz idioms in worship and in concert.

Dr. Ford is the Repertoire and Standards Chair for Music in Worship for the California American Choral Directors Association. For over a decade, she has assisted churches with the creative integration of contemporary and traditional music ("blended worship") through the cross-pollination of jazz and early music development. One of her most successful strategies has been collaborating with a jazz arranger/composer on staff to elevate contemporary forms to a level of complexity and artistry that draws in musical enthusiasts and wins over most traditionalists.