About

SCOTT FARTHING - EXTENDED BIO

Scott Farthing is a Southern California based conductor, composer, pianist, vocal pedagogue, stage director and actor with a professional career spanning over thirty years. Dr. Farthing has conducted All-State choirs, regional honor choirs, as well as college, church, high school and junior hight choirs throughout the country as a guest clinician. He is most noted for his choral compositions which are featured in choral standards lists across the United States.

Scott began playing the piano at the age of three and first started playing in the store window of a local music shop. By the age of eight, he would go with his mother to her job at a local nursing home and spend his days playing the piano and singing with the residents.

At an early age, he learned  the  power  of  music  to affect lives, memories, and most importantly cue emotional response. At  the  age  of  eleven,  Farthing answered an ad by  a local theatre troupe seeking a piano accompanist. He was hired. At the age of thirteen, he answered an ad of the local light opera company  needing  singers, he got hired. By high school, Farthing was gigging Scott Farthing throughout the Washington  D.C.  Area,  playing and singing for events ranging from the Lighting of the National Christmas  Tree  at  the  Pageant of Peace, events at DAR Constitution Hall, the Kennedy  Center, and  the  National  Cathedral.

While still in high school, he was selected to be a soloist with the acclaimed National Christian Choir performing with them on tours to Israel and Europe as well as the Christian Performing Artist Fellowship singing at the Kennedy Center. While  at  Friends  University, he held the honor  of being the accompanist and arranger for the “The  Singing  Quakers”  where he had the honor  of accompanying them on tours throughout  the  United  States  and Europe Through his work at Friends University, he had the honor of being on the music staff of the Music Theatre of Wichita working for five seasons as a pianist, coach, and arranger (Big River, Paint Your  Wagon,  Desert  Song, Gypsy, Into the Woods, Singin’ in the Rain, Seven Brides, Good News!, Anything Goes, Sweet Charity, Phantom, Gigi, Annie, Damn Yankees, West Side Story, Hello  Dolly!,  The  Secret  Garden, South Pacific, Will Rogers Follies).

Farthing  also  had the opportunity  to work  at the Crown Uptown for the great Phyllis Diller  in  her  one  woman  show Almost Bionic, as well as musically directing many shows for the Wichita Children’s  Theatre, Wichita Center  for  the Arts, and the Crown Uptown. Farthing also began a long association with the United Methodist Church having positions  at Aldersgate  UMC  and  Kechi UMC from  1990 through 1997. He had the privilege of being the Musical Director for the Kansas Conference of the United Methodist Church for several years  as well  as  teaching  and  consulting local congregations in strategies of developing creative worship experiences.

He also had the honor of being the Musical Director for the Conference of Bishops at the invitation of Bishop Fritz Mutti. During this  time, Farthing collaborated with the writing/directing  team  of  Rev. Michael and Cindy Marion with many of their projects including Where the Heart Is, Trash, and Trees for Life. Dr.  Farthing  studied  in  the Voice and Piano Performance programs  at Catholic  University, University  of  Maryland  and Friends  University. He holds both the Masters and Doctoral degrees in Music from the Conservatory of Music at the University of Missouri-Kansas City where he had the privilege of being both the accompanist and assistant director for all the choirs under the mentorship of Eph Ehly and Charles Robinson.

In  2001,  Dr. Scott Farthing assumed the responsibilities  as  Professor  of Music  at the University of La Verne in La Verne, California. While at ULV he taught several voice classes, private voice, musical  theatre,  conducted the choral ensembles  and was  the Chair of the Department of Music. In 2005, he was honored by the students, administration and faculty with the Excellence in  Undergraduate  Teaching. He also had the privilege of musically  directing Little Shop of Horrors,  Naughty  Marietta, Rocky  Horror  Picture Show, Children of Eden, Marat Sade, and composed  a  score  for  Steven Kent’s  production of Midsummer  Night’s  Dream and Brechtfest with Weill. In addition to his work at ULV, he taught in the Classical Voice program at the American  Musical  and  Dramatic  Academy, Los Angeles.

In  2005,  Farthing  was  appointed Professor  of Music  at Saddleback  College, Mission Viejo, California,  a  position  that he still holds. While at Saddleback, Farthing has taught all levels of voice  class,  Applied  Music, Choirs, Musical Theatre, Honors  Humanities, Honors  Music Appreciation,  and  served  as  the Chair  for  the Department of Music. He continues  working on collaborative  projects  with the Theatre and Dance Departments  and has  directed productions including  Legally  Blonde,  The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, The 25th Annual Putnam County  Spelling  Bee,  Godspell, Beauty and the Beast, Little Shop of Horrors and She Loves Me.

He  also  directs  the  Opera 101 outreach program  where he has  directed productions of The Medium, The Goose Girl, The Telephone, Mitridate, Gallantry, The Old Maid and the Thief, The Elixir of Love, and Dido and Aeneas. Farthing  has  also  conducted or  accompanied Honor  Choirs  across  the country  at the local, regional,  and  national  levels  including Alabama All-State, Nebraska All-State, Missouri AllState, National ACDA Junior High Honor Choir, Southwestern Regional All-State, National Honor Choirs  at  Lincoln  Center  and Carnegie Hall, as  well as  many District Honor choirs. Dr.  Farthing  previously held the position of Director  of Music  at the Anaheim United Methodist Church  for many years and  oversaw a  vibrant music  program  that included  ten paid College Staff Singers for the Chancel Choir considered by many to be one of the finest church choirs in the area. Farthing is currently Music Director at St. Mark Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach, California.

In addition to his work in Academics and Music, Farthing has become a noted speaker and writer. 

In May 2018, he was keynote speaker at the annual Serving With A Purpose conference held in Ontario, California, where he spoke about teamwork.

With invitations to speak at churches and community groups, he has encouraged people with  insight  to  approaching their  lives  with confidence and inspiration by using their stage fright and fear of failure as a motivation and weapon for success. Farthing holds memberships in the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Music Association of California Community Colleges and the American Choral Directors Association.