We are pleased to welcome Jonathan Welch to the Pleasant Hill family as our Director of Music. Jonathan will be observing for the next two Sundays and then will assume his duties on February 2.
Jonathan Welch is a graduate of the University of North Florida (‘17) where he received his Bachelor of Music Education degree with a concentration in Classical Voice. A product of the arts schools in Duval County, Mr. Welch was a member of the Vocal Music teaching faculty at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts (’04) before moving to his current post of Choral Director at Gold Hill Middle School (GHMS) in Tega Cay, SC. He currently holds membership with the South Carolina Music Education Association, the South Carolina Choral Directors Association, the National Association for Music Education, and the American Choral Directors Association.
The 2025-2026 school year marks Welch’s twenty-second working with student musicians, his eighth as a full-time public school educator (part-time adjunct before) and sixth at GHMS where he provides oversight to the 8th Grade Honors Chorus, 7th Grade Honors Chorus (created in 2022), standard chorus classes for all three (3) grades, the Special Settings General Music Class (now in its fifth year), and musical direction for the annual school musical. In the few short years of Mr. Welch's tenure at GHMS, student participants have been added to State Performance Assessments in both solo and choral submissions with multiple ‘Superior with Distinction’ ratings and have been placed as singers in the State Choral Directors Association’s Honor Choir Festival as well as in Southern Region and National Conference Honor Choirs of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). Choral ensembles from the school have also been invited to perform for the Opening Ceremony of the Annual South Carolina Strawberry Festival and for the Charlotte Hornets.
Jonathan has performed as a soloist in Handel’s “Messiah”, Johnson’s “Considering Matthew Shepard”, Mozart’s “Requiem”, Nelson and Farrell’s “SAVIOUR”, Sorenson’s “Requiem”, and has participated in master classes and recitals that have featured artists such as José Carreras, Elizabeth Futral, and Gran Wilson. He has also been a member of various performing ensembles at State (Florida and South Carolina), Region (Southern), and National Conferences of the ACDA.
Having previously served churches in Florida, Illinois, and South Carolina, Jonathan is excited to be joining the Pleasant Hill family!