Dr. Baker L. Purdon is a two-time American Prize–winning conductor and music educator who currently serves as Director of Music Ministry at Common Flame Unitarian Universalist Church in Golden, Colorado. His professional experience spans music ministry in a wide range of faith traditions, including Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Catholic, and Jewish congregations. Prior to relocating to Colorado, he taught in both public and private schools for nearly a decade.
In 2022, Dr. Purdon was awarded the Presser Foundation Graduate Music Award, which supported the recording of his critically lauded debut album, Walking Through the Valley: Choral Music from Black Composers, 1919–2022. The album features the first commercial recordings of works by Harry T. Burleigh and Adolphus Hailstork, as well as the first studio recordings of excerpts from Margaret Bonds’ Credo. That same year, he was named the inaugural Presser Foundation Graduate Music Fellow. In this role, he visited performing arts organizations nationwide, consulted on ABDEI initiatives for the Foundation, and helped support the expansion of music scholar grants to HBCUs and HSIs.
Dr. Purdon earned his Ph.D. in Music Education and Choral Conducting from Temple University, where his dual research specializations focused on the ethical performance of Black choral music by White conductors and impostor syndrome among music students. He previously studied piano, voice, theatre, and conducting at the University of Kansas, the University of Central Missouri, and Westminster Choir College.
Amber Snow received her master’s degree in collaborative piano performance from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where she studied with Steinway Artist Dr. Sin-Hsing Tsai. Amber has pursued and enjoyed a variety of musical activities and careers over the years, and she most appreciates the shared community and beauty that comes from creating music with a group. She is the CEO at Nonprofit Megaphone, a digital marketing agency focused on partnering with and supporting nonprofit organizations. In her spare time, Amber enjoys playing disc golf, baking, and spending quality time with her dogs.
