Greensboro Youth Chorus Director – Apprentice Choir, Concert Choir, Encore Conductor

Claire Jurs directs the Apprentice, Concert, and Encore Choirs of the Greensboro Youth Chorus. She is currently a PhD candidate in Music Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She earned a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Furman University and a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she received the Boris Goldovsky Prize in Opera. With over 20 years of teaching and performing, Claire focuses on the intersection of vocal pedagogy, community engagement, and choral leadership. She completed Level 1 Kodály certification at DePaul University, emphasizing her dedication to music literacy and foundational singing skills.

Claire has a deep understanding and strong background in music education and conducting. She has served as a clinician for several All-County Chorus festivals, as well as a director of various summer music camps. Claire has taught general music in both public and private schools in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, creating inclusive and dynamic musical environments for students of diverse backgrounds. Her teaching experience extends to higher education as well, having served on the voice faculty at Elon University, Allegheny College, and Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. She currently serves as the Director of Handbells and Children and Youth Music at Elon Community Church in Elon, NC. She has also served as the Director of the Chancel Choir and Barry Robinson Men’s Chorus at Salem United Church of Christ in Verona, WI and the Chancel Choir Director at Christ Episcopal Church in Meadville, PA.

While teaching at Allegheny College in Meadville, PA, Claire founded early childhood music classes that later developed into a community children’s chorus that she directed. This initiative sparked her passion for community-based music programs, fostering creativity and collaboration among young singers.

Claire is an active member of the North Carolina chapter of the American Choral Directors Association and the North Carolina Music Educators Association. Outside of directing and teaching, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Doug Jurs, piano professor at Elon University, their two children, Silas and Lou, and two cats, Zigzag and Lennon.