Other: Mark A. Bowdidge, a native of Missouri, earned the Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education and Organ Performance from William Jewell College in 1992. He was named the Outstanding Senior in Secondary Education by the faculty of the department of education and the Edgar L. Nolte Outstanding Senior Performance Major by the department of music upon graduating from William Jewell. Dr. Bowdidge earned the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees, both with concentration in choral conducting from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. While a student at Southwestern, he was selected by the music faculty to be the 1995 President’s Merit Scholar in Church Music. During his academic preparation Dr. Bowdidge studied with Dr. Donald C. Brown, Dr. Sandra Emig, Dr. Arnold Epley, Dr. C. David Keith, Dr. A. Joseph King, and Dr. Pauline Riddle.
Dr. Bowdidge served on the faculty of Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas during the 2008-2009 academic year as a Visiting Associate Professor of Music. From 2000 until 2008 Dr. Bowdidge was an Assistant Professor of Music at Brewton-Parker College in Mount Vernon, Georgia where he taught courses in choral music, music education, music theory, aural skills, conducting, and form. In addition to his classroom work, Dr. Bowdidge developed the Brewton-Parker Concert Choir into a highly respected collegiate choral ensemble. The Concert Choir toured domestically annually and internationally in 2005 and 2007 visiting and performing in cathedrals throughout England. Under his leadership, the Choral Society presented annual major works concerts accompanied by full orchestra including Honegger’s King David, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem, and Haydn’s The Creation. From 1998 to 2001 he taught choral music at Lakeview Centennial High School in Garland, Texas.
Dr. Bowdidge has held church music positions in Missouri, Virginia, and Texas including organist/choir master at Roanoke Baptist Church in Kansas City, Missouri, music intern at Columbia Baptist Church in Falls Church, Virginia and Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, bass section leader in the Chancel Choir of the Church of the Incarnation, Episcopal, in Dallas, Texas, and organist of The Oaks: A Traditional Baptist Church, in Lyons, Georgia. In addition to these permanent church music positions Dr. Bowdidge maintains an active calendar of supply engagements in Baptist, Disciples of Christ, Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist, and Presbyterian churches. Currently Dr. Bowdidge serves as the Director of Music of the Central Christian Church in Springfield, Missouri, conductor of the Lyric Singers of the Children’s Choirs of Southwest Missouri, Adjunct Professor of Music at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri, and Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri, and past Dean of the Springfield Missouri chapter of the American Guild of Organists.
Dr. Bowdidge holds memberships in the American Choral Directors Association, American Guild of Organists, Music Educators National Conference, Missouri Music Educators Association, and the College Music Society. He is active as an adjudicator and guest clinician and currently serves on the boards of the Springfield Missouri Chapter of the American Guild or Organists and the Springfield Mid-America Singers.