Director Rick Cobb
I'm originally from Atlanta, Georgia and have also Iived 12 years in Indianapolis, Indiana. I have spent over 30 years in the choral field as a church musician directing various choirs and ensembles for children, youth and adults. The driving force of music and singing made its mark at an early age.
When was the moment you decided to dedicate your life to music?
The novelist Graham Greene writes, "There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in." For me, that moment came when I was ten years old. My parents decided that our family would begin attending a larger church in downtown Atlanta. I'll never forget when on our first Sunday, the music minister approached the podium to conduct the choir and orchestra for the opening piece. He delivered the downbeat and out came this incredible sonic force from the voices and instruments. I had never heard anything like this from a live performance in my life. I was especially mesmerized as the conductor passionately unraveled luscious sounds from the group of people with the graceful gestures of his baton. I was instantly hooked! I knew right then and there I wanted to spend the rest of my life shaping and interpreting sound - as voices and hearts unite in song.
Background in Music
Little did I know that ten years later, my first job in the choral field would be as the assistant to the mesmerizing church choir director. What an amazing experience to stand before that same choir and orchestra and conduct this bedazzling group of united voices! I felt very fortunate to be given such a solid foundation in good choral music-making. In elementary and high school, I jumped at the chance to sing in various choirs and ensembles at school and church. In college, I studied vocal performance and choral conducting at Georgia State University. I was privileged to be a member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus (under the direction of Robert Shaw) and sang several seasons with the Atlanta Opera Company (under the direction of William Fred Scott) as a chorus member.
My previous experience as a conductor of various groups over the years has spanned stylistically from traditional to contemporary in the different choirs I have directed. One of the greatest joys of conducting has been the opportunity to take several choirs overseas to Germany and Japan. I think that touring brings congruency to a group and also provides perspective by seeing various cultural differences. Traveling together can build and enrich a choral program through shared artistic experiences.
My Family
I've been married to my incredible wife, Trish for 22 years and we have three teenage sons: Campbell, Landon and Lawson. Trish is a middle school math teacher at Griffin Middle School and we live in the Smyrna area.