Reese Norris

J. Reese Norris (b. 1973) is director of choirs at Hernando Middle School and is co-founder and co-artistic director of CoroRio, both in Northwest Mississippi. Mr. Norris received degrees from Delta State University and Florida State University, and in 2005 was named Delta State University Music Alumnus of the Year.

Norris was the 2017 recipient of MMEA’s Music Educator of the Year, the Ernestine Ferrell Lifetime Achievement Award given by the Mississippi Chapter of ACDA, and the Delta State University Educator of the Year Award. Norris has served in several leadership capacities for state-level NAfME and ACDA, and at the division level for ACDA.

Choirs under his direction have performed at Carnegie Hall, at the National Conference for Middle School Choirs, twice for Mississippi ACDA’s State Conference, twice for ACDA’s Southern Division Conference, at the OAKE National Conference and will perform at the ACDA National Conference in 2019. Norris has been honored to serve as guest clinician across the Eastern U.S.

Norris has been commissioned by children’s choirs, middle schools, high schools, colleges and universities, church, and adult community choirs. Mr. Norris’ compositions have been performed in multiple all-state choirs, at ACDA Regional Conferences, all across the U.S., and abroad. His compositions and arrangements are published by Lawson Gould, Santa Barbara, Colla Voce, G. Schirmer, and MusicSpoke.