About

Ruth E. Dwyer is internationally recognized as a youth and children’s choir specialist and Kodály educator. She has been the guest conductor for the OAKE National Children’s Choir, numerous ACDA All-State Choirs, and NAfME. She is the Founder of the Hoosier Hills Choral Festival in Southern Indiana. She founded and directed Philanthropy Through Song, which presented choral festivals supporting anti-drunk driving education. Mrs. Dwyer has been a frequent guest conductor with the Texas International Choral Festival, MidAmerica Productions, the New England Symphonic Wind Ensemble, and guest lecturer in São Paulo, Brazil where she conducted the GRAN FINALE Festival Nacional de Corais Infantis e Jovens. 

Mrs. Dwyer is the Artistic Director of the Lilly Chorus (LC).  LC is a social opportunity and community service group for Eli Lilly employees, spouses, adult family members, and retirees.  She is excited to be a part of this long-standing arts representative of the Eli Lilly Corporate Family. In retirement, she continues to be a guest speaker, conductor, and clinician for high schools, colleges, universities, and professional music organizations.

Mrs. Dwyer is the Director of Education Emerita of the Indianapolis Children’s Choir (ICC) where she mentored music directors and conducted for 34 years.  Though “retired,” she continues volunteering for the ICC as a teacher mentor, substitute director, alumni association event conductor, and composer.  While with the ICC she also served as Composer in Residence, and Founder and Artistic Director of the Columbus Indiana Children’s Choir, a co-operative with the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic Orchestra. Her ensembles have performed for the Indiana Music Educators Association, the AOSA National Conference, in Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall, across North America, Spain, and Central Europe. She has prepared ensembles for performances with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Butler Ballet, the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, Indianapolis Opera as well as other organizations. 

Mrs. Dwyer served the State of Indiana for 19 years as a public school music educator. Her teaching experiences include all levels of music instruction, from preschool to post-graduate students. She was also an adjunct professor at Butler University.  She has received the Organization of American Kodály Educator’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic Golden Baton Award, the IMEA Elementary Music Teacher of the Year and the Hoosier Musician Award, and the Indianapolis Public Schools’ Rising Star Award.

Mrs. Dwyer has authored and published three curriculum books with ICC and was a guest author for the Hal Leonard choral textbooks series.  Her compositions and arrangements are available in the Ruth Dwyer Choral Series at Colla Voce Music, LLC (distributed by Canticle), Hal Leonard, the ICC Publishing House (distributed by Bechenhorst Press), and Shawnee Press.  Mrs. Dwyer also works as a studio conductor for various music publishers.

Ruth E. Dwyer is a graduate of Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. She enjoys traveling, reading, crocheting, and gardening.