Bio

Jacob D. Smith, he/him/his, is a current resident of Huntington, WV, is a native of Lavalette, WV and was a 2009 graduate of Wayne High School. Jacob earned his Bachelor of Arts in Music Education, Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music and Humanities, and his Master of Arts in Choral Conducting all from Marshall University in 2015 and 2017, respectively. Jacob was a voice student of the late Dr. Larry Stickler and current faculty, Dr. Alexander Lee.  He studied conducting under Dr. David Castleberry for his masters focus. Jacob also worked with groups such as Marshall University’s Choral Union, Opera Workshop, Chamber Choir, and as an accompanist and guest conductor for Musical Arts Guild, HART in the Park, First Stage Theatre Company, Appalachian Artists Collective in The Telltale Lilac Bush, and with the Albans Arts Academy.

Since September 2018, Jacob has been the teaching Director of the Timberwolf Theatre Company and Valley Vocals at Spring Valley High School (Huntington, WV), where he also served as Faculty Senate President, Fine Arts Faculty Chair, and on the School Improvement Leadership Team. In only his second year at SVHS, he was voted by his colleagues as the Teacher of the Year. In the summer of 2023, he also led a student tour across four major cities in Europe including London, Paris, Florence, and Rome with the EFTours Company. He will lead a second tour to England, Scotland, and Ireland in June of 2025.

Jacob has served as the Director of Musical Ministry, pianist, and organist at Lavalette United Methodist Church since June 2011, and teaches private voice and piano lessons for students in the Tri-State area. He has also taught as the Choral Director for the Huntington Symphony Orchestra and Marshall University’s Choral Union alongside Executive Director Ian Jessee and Artistic Director, Maestro Kimo Furumoto.

Credits