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James Laster

(1934-2025)

James H. Laster Jr. was born in Philadelphia, the Cantus Singers, a women’s choral ensemble that
Pennsylvania, on April 19, 1934. He was professor appeared regularly on campus as well as in the North-
emeritus at Shenandoah Conservatory of Shenando- ern Virginia area. He also directed the Shenandoah
ah University, Winchester, Virginia. He held degrees Singers, a show choir of twenty-two singers, for ten
in music history and biology from Maryville College, years. He was active in theatre both on and off the
Maryville, Tennessee; a master’s in musicology and stage; he was musical director for fifty-two musical
PhD in church music from George Peabody College theatre productions, and he earned Actors Equity and
in Nashville, Tennessee; and a master’s in library sci- SAG cards, appearing in nearly eighty productions,
ence (music emphasis) from Catholic University in predominantly live theater plus a handful of commer-
Washington, DC. He also held a certificate in organ cials and movie cameos.
from the Mozarteum Summer Academy, Salzburg, He was past president of Virginia ACDA and
Austria. past state chair for the R&R committee on women’s
Dr. Laster held teaching positions at George Pea- choruses. His choral works are published by Augs-
body College; Grove City College in Pennsylvania; the burg-Fortress, Concordia, Mark Foster, Boosey &
Community School of Tehran, Iran; the Beirut Col- Hawkes, Hinshaw, and Treble Clef Press. He served
lege for Women, Beirut, Lebanon; and was a mem- as guest conductor and clinician for workshops and
ber of the faculty of Shenandoah Conservatory for regional choral festivals. In 2006, the Virginia Gener-
twenty-seven years. He served as a reference librarian al Assembly enacted a resolution commending James
in the Alson Smith, Jr., Library on the Shenandoah for his cultural contributions to the Commonwealth.
campus. For twenty-three years he was the director of

CHORAL JOURNAL October 2025 Volume 66 Number 3 49