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 Saint Mary's College of California (SMC, Moraga, CA).

At LOPC, she designs liturgy for worship services, directs four choirs (Chamber Singers, Chancel Choir, Cantemus Children & Youth Choir, and Festival Choir), conducts choral-orchestral works, and collaborates for special worship events with the Company C Contemporary Ballet, Jubilate Baroque Orchestra, and the choir from Temple Isaiah of Lafayette, CA. Her Chamber Singers performed at the 2009  American Choral Directors Association national convention, and Cantemus received a "Gold" award in 2011 at the Forum Music Festival.

At Saint Mary's College, she directs the newly established Chamber Singers and Glee Club, each recent recipients of honors at the Reno-Tahoe International Interkultur Choral Festival ("Silver" for Chamber Singers, "Gold" for Glee Club).

Dr. Ford also sings in Without Measure (early music vocal quintet), Moodswing (vocal jazz quartet, 2005 Champions of the San Francisco Bay Area Harmony Sweepstakes), and Everyday Wisdom (a contemporary sacred jazz/gospel/pop/light classical ensemble).

Work with all of these ensembles inform and facilitate her passion for integrating classical and jazz idioms in worship and in concert. See Dr. Ford's LOPC choral blog and the SMC choral blog for information about upcoming choral events, and click on the Recordings page to hear her choirs and vocal performances.

Dr. Ford also serves ais the Repertoire and Standards Chair for Music in Worship for the California American Choral Directors Association. For fifteen years, 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 jazz arranger/composer Greg Murai to elevate contemporary forms to a level of complexity and artistry that draws in musical enthusiasts and wins over most traditionalists.