Innovative programing, inspirational teaching, and engaging performing.

Alissa Mercurio Rowe, is an active choral conductor, voice teacher, and soloist. She currently serves as Associate Professor and Director of Choral Studies at Louisiana State University. Previously she served twenty years as Director of Choral Activities at Southeastern Louisiana University. Dr. Rowe conducts the LSU A Cappella Choir, teaches graduate choral literature courses, and advanced conducting. She has brought choirs on national and international tours. With the Southeastern Concert Choir she conducted the world premiere of Andrea Ramsey’s Canto, Theodore Morrison’s Canzoni d’amore and Stephen Suber’s His Rhythm! She is active as an adjudicator, has given choral and vocal workshops in the Midwest and Southern states and has conducted numerous honor choirs. Recent research on individual assessment in the choral rehearsal led to presentations at the 2019 American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) National Conference, Georgia and Louisiana ACDA conferences as well as the January 2020 International Conference on Arts and Humanities in Oahu, Hawaii.

As a soloist Dr. Rowe has performed with the Tallahassee Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Baton Rouge Symphony, New Hampshire Symphony, and the National Symphony Orchestra (Mexico). She also performed and recorded three roles in David Schiff’s opera Gimpel the Fool, conducted by Kenneth Kiesler, with Third Angle, Portland Oregon’s renowned new music ensemble. She also performed and recorded three roles in David Schiff’s opera Gimpel the Fool, conducted by Kenneth Kiesler, with Third Angle, Portland Oregon’s renowned new music ensemble. Dr. Rowe is a versatile performer who regularly performs a wide variety of works such as the Beethoven’s Mass in C, Messiah of Handel, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater and Schubert’s Mass in G, as well as opera roles in La Cenerentola, The Consul, Magic Flute and La Perichole, among others. In 2018, she received the Irene Pennington Endowed Professorship in the Visual and Performing Arts to record arias performed between 1800-1850 in New Orleans’ opera houses.  Defining French Arias of Early 19th Century New Orleans was released on Centaur Recordings in October, 2021.

Dr. Rowe received the St. Tammany Parish President’s Award as Music Director of the Northlake Performing Arts Society in September 2019, Musical Artist of the Year in 2012 and was awarded the Southeastern Louisiana University’s President’s Award for Excellence in Artistic Activity in 2013.

Dr. Rowe holds a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from Louisiana State University, a Master of Music in Conducting, a Master of Music in Vocal Performance, a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and Teacher Certification K-12 from the University of Michigan.