main content John K. Cox

Conductor, musicologist, producer, and four-time GRAMMY nominee John K. Cox is a Visiting Professor of Music at Lewis & Clark College where he teaches courses in music history and choral music. He previously served as Visiting Assistant Professor at Reed College where he led the choral program and taught music theory. Prior to Reed he was Director of Performance at Union College in upstate New York, leading the college-community orchestra and two choral ensembles. He is artistic director of Rose City Renaissance, a new community collegium dedicated to vocal music from 1400-1700. Dr. Cox is also assistant conductor of the Portland Phoenix Chamber Choir, who took first place in the sacred music category at the 2024 Preveza International Choral Competition, and also won their division on the 2023 International Choral Kathaumixw. Previous conducting posts include assistant conductor of the Eugene Opera and apprentice conductor of the Eugene Symphony.

As a musicologist, Dr. Cox has presented research at meetings of the International Musicological Society, North American Renaissance Society, Society for 17th Century Music, and International Conference in Historic Performance. His scholarly editions of Renaissance and Baroque repertoire have been recorded by Skylark Ensemble and performed by professional and amateur choral groups across the country. Under his direction, the Reed Collegium Musicum received Early Music America’s 2017 College Development Award for a concert of newly edited works by Alessandro Melani (1636-1703) at the Boston Early Music Festival. His current research project investigates music written for Roman nuns during the late-seventeenth century. In its 2025-26 season, Portland Baroque Orchestra will give the modern debut of five pieces written for performance in Roman convents during the Anno Santo of 1675.

As a professional tenor and chorister, has performed and recorded with many renowned professional vocal ensembles including Apollo’s Singers, True Concord, and the Oregon Bach Festival Chorus. He currently sings with Resonance Ensemble, Cappella Romana, and the Skylark Ensemble (2025, 2022, 2021, 2019 GRAMMY nominees for “Best Choral Album”). Skylark’s recent Christmas album, Winter’s Night, includes his editions of music by Gregorio Allegri and Giovanni Bernardino Nanino. Recently Dr. Cox crossed into the the role of record producer for projects with Resonance Ensemble, Portland Phoenix Chamber Choir and Skylark. In the summer of 2025 he will produce his second album for Skylark, featuring narration by actress Christine Baranski.