Grammy-nominated singer joins Music Department

Anthony Holt is a new voice instructor who has been teaching in the Music department this fall semester. Holt has an extensive musical background.

Holt was selected to sing at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953. He was also a choir member of Christ Church, Oxford and Chichester and St. Paul’s Cathedrals. He sang as a soloist and chorus member in the Monteverdi Choir and the BBC Singers. Holt was also the first baritone with the Grammy-nominated King’s Singers who he spent 18 years with.

Holt contacted the UW - River Falls music department because he was in the process of moving from Northfield to Star Prairie.

“I was grateful that he contacted us, apparently he did so because he had heard of our voice and music program,” said Music Department Chair David Milne. “He met with us over the summer and gave us his credentials, which he had all kinds of great experience.”

Although Holt has been teaching voice for 20 years at St. Olaf, he wanted to see what teaching opportunities there were closer to his home.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for our music department and someone with that kind of performing experience,” said Milne, “Literally having had performed all over the world with one of the most famous vocal ensembles of all time is a great credential for our department.”

Besides teaching voice lessons, Holt has been a guest in some of the other faculty’s music classes. He is one of six faculties who teach studio voice.

“I have greatly enjoyed working with Tony, he is a pleasure to work with,” said Assistant Professor of Music Lesa Jacobson. “I have actually had him come into one of my music lessons and my students enjoyed having him there so much that they asked if he could come again next week.”

Holt has been teaching four students each week on Fridays for this fall semester.

“Tony is a wonderful person, he exudes a professionalism and a sense of quality and grace that is very inspiring to those who either work with him as students or faculty,” Milne said. “He is a high quality person and it is great to have him. He is very humble and its one of the good qualities of a great teacher that makes him very approachable. So it seems to be a great fit.“

According to Holt, he first moved to Minnesota when his wife got a job at WCAR radio and he started to teach at St. Olaf.

“I have been teaching in Minnesota at St. Olaf, but I am moving,” Holt said. “It was a last minute job. I’m really enjoying it. In the future I would like to do more choir.”

Besides teaching classes at St. Olaf and UW-River Falls, he also teaches privately.

“I also teach privately to a large range of ages,” said Holt, “but I love teaching college students. I am hoping that my teaching will increase at UW-River Falls. It has been a wonderful experience.”