Dr. Harry Mathurin-Cecil is an educator, conductor, scholar, and equity advocate with over fifteen years of teaching experience.  He is the co-founder and artistic director of Hear Us, Hear Them, an ensemble focused on performing and centering works by underrepresented composers.  He is a committed advocate for equity practices both in the classroom and in music programming.  His current research is centered on decolonizing the mainstream music curriculum with a focus on more Afro-centric music courses in collegiate studies.  With extensive research in the preservation and accurate performance practice of African American music, he also has taught classes, published articles, and presented sessions at local and regional conferences on these subjects, including for the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), Missouri Choral Directors Association (MCDA), Missouri Statewide Collegiate Gospel Conference, and the Missouri Music Educators Association (MMEA).  He is also a member of the National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM), National Association for Music Education (NAfME), and Chorus America. 

As a conductor, Cecil has presented many notable works—Messiah (G.F. Handel), Gospel Mass (R. Ray), Mass in E-flat (A. Beach), Christmas Cantata (D. Pinkham), Gloria (A. Vivaldi), The Chariot Jubilee (N. Dett), His Light Still Shines (M. Hogan), Requiem (G. Fauré), Chichester Psalms (L. Bernstein), Gloria (J. Rutter), and numerous other significant scores.  He prepared choruses both for performances at Carnegie Hall in New York and at the ACDA National Conference in Kansas City.  Cecil’s choral participation in the community is of great importance as well.  He has served as the apprentice conductor for Musica Sacra under the leadership of Dr. Brett Scott—one of Cincinnati’s most storied choral ensembles—and was the Choral Conducting Fellow for Cincinnati’s May Festival Chorus directed by Robert Porco—one of America’s oldest civic choruses.  Cecil also served as an assistant conductor to the historic St. Louis Symphony Orchestra IN UNISON Chorus under music director Kevin McBeth.  This symphonic chorus hosted performances with Take 6, CeCe Winans, Richard Smallwood, and many other legendary musicians.  Currently, he is the Minister of Music at Cade Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in Jackson, MS, pastored by Rev. Reginald Buckley. 

Before becoming Director of Choral Activities at Jackson State University (Jackson, MS), Cecil held teaching positions in Missouri both at Mineral Area College (Park Hills) and Jennings Sr. High School (St. Louis).  He earned his Doctorate in Musical Arts degree in Conducting with a Choral Emphasis from the College-Conservatory of Music (Cincinnati, OH) under the leadership of Dr. Joe Miller and the mentorship of Dr. Brett Scott.  He earned his Master’s in Choral Conducting from the University of Missouri-Columbia with Dr. Paul Crabb.  His Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance is from Truman State University under the leadership of the Director of Choral Activities Dr. Mark Jennings (Kirksville, MO), and his teacher certification training is from Lindenwood University (St. Charles, MO).  Cecil was born and raised in Kansas City, MO.  Harry Mathurin-Cecil acknowledges his wife, daughter, and faith as the most significant features of his bio.  For without their support, the achievements listed above would be of little value.