10/10/2026
The Arizona Pops is elated and honored to announce the establishment of our exclusive and professional Arizona Pops Chorus and the appointment of Jim Watson to the role of Chorus Director!
Jim Watson is the Chair of the Music Department at Arizona Christian University where he teaches choral ensembles and music education courses. As Founding Artistic Director of the Choral Artists of Michigan, he developed the professional Chamber Singers and the CAM Community Chorus. He is the former Director of Music Programs at Defiance College and Instructor of Music at the University of South Carolina, where he completed the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Conducting.
Jim is an adjudicator, clinician, and scholar who regularly serves young musicians through educational outreach. Recently, he conducted the Michigan School Vocal Music Association SATB Region B and State Honors Choirs. This fall, he conducted the Inaugural Mary King Choral Festival, a collaborative choral festival featuring elementary, secondary, and university choruses.
His research interests include choral literature selection, voice pedagogy, and conductors’ analyses. His research appears in the Choral Journal and the International Journal of Research in Choral Singing, and he presented "The Pitch Project" at the Symposium of Research in Choral Singing. He seeks to cultivate intellectual curiosity while providing ensemble experiences that are consistently recognized for excellence.
