Hilbish, Thomas

Thomas Hilbish was born on August 28, 1918, in Bristol, Indiana, and graduated from Bristol High School in 1937. Hilbish attended the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, where he participated in numerous student activities including varsity basketball, student government, symphonic band, church choir, glee club, and the Phi Mu Alpha, Alpha Phi Omega, and Kappa Sigma fraternities. He graduated with a Bachelor of Music in instrumental supervision in 1941. Hilbish earned a master of music degree from Westminster Choir College in 1947, and pursued doctoral studies at Rutgers (1949), Columbia University (1950), and Indiana University (1952). In addition to formal educational training, Hilbish did private score study and analysis with renowned choral conductor Julius Herford in New York City.

Prior to coming to the University of Michigan, Hilbish was an instructor and choral conductor in Princeton, New Jersey, working as the supervisor of music for the public school system (1948-1964), the director of music at the Hun School (1948-1964), the director of music at the First Methodist Church (1948-1964), a professor of conducting and director of the symphonic choir at Westminster Choir College (1956-1963), and professor of conducting (1961-1962) and director of the men's glee club at Princeton University (1961-1962 and 1962-1964, respectively). While working for the Princeton public schools, Hilbish built the Princeton High School Choir into a nationally recognized ensemble, acclaimed for the complexity and professional level of its work. Under Hilbish's leadership the choir was the first high school to receive United States State Department sponsorship for tours of Europe (1962, 1964).

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