Choir Director
Ron Gillis is a composer, conductor, singer, and music educator. A native El Pasoan, Ron spent 25 years in San Diego where he directed successful church music programs and several community ensembles. In 1991, Ron was one of the founders and the artistic director of the San Diego Choral Artists, a professional choral ensemble that specialized in music of the 20th century, including many premiere works by San Diego composers. In 1996, the Choral Artists together with the San Diego Children’s Choir premiered Requiem in Memoriam – Oklahoma City, a piece composed by Mr. Gillis in response to the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in 1995.
Ron has been on the faculties of many colleges and universities including San Diego State University where has taught music history, theory, voice, choral conducting, and music education. As a composer, Ron has written a large amount of sacred music in addition to songs and works for the piano. Ron returned to El Paso in 2011 and has continued composing many works including "Seven Words from the Cross: Meditations on the last words of Christ."
For the past two years, Ron has sung in the choir and has composed several pieces for the choir and soloists at St. Clement. He and his wife, Charlene, reside in the upper valley and have become active members in the life of the church.