Kellori Dower

Dr. Kellori Dower is the Dean of Visual and Performing Arts at Cypress College in Cypress, California. She was the director of two award-winning high school choral music programs prior to serving as Director of Choral Activities at the collegiate level.  Past appointments have also included High School Principal, Asst. Principal and District Arts Administrator positions. 

She is a past recipient of the Outstanding Music Educator Award for the California Music Educators Association.  Artistically, she has written several published choral works including performances of her work with the San Diego Symphony.  Dr. Dower is published through Hal Leonard. Her choral ensembles have performed in some of the most distinguished venues in the country, including Carnegie Hall, Chicago’s Orchestra Hall and New York’s Lincoln Center.  

Dr. Dower is an active choral adjudicator and clinician and has conducted All-State and regional High School Honor ensembles across the U.S.  She is the immediate past president of the National Collegiate Choral Organization (NCCO) and is a member of the California Arts Council grant review committee.  Dr. Dower also serves state choral directors as the Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Access and Belonging with the California Choral Directors Association (CCDA) and also teaches on the graduate faculty at Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  Her work and research regarding culture and music lead to the creation of collegiate courses in Rap and Hip Hop, Gospel Music and African-American folk compositions. 

She is a proud mom of four, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and a former mellophone player and drummer in the Marching Storm Band at Prairie View A & M University (HBCU).