Musician

A native North Carolinian, Paul L. Anderson II (PLA2) is a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Missouri School of Music (Mizzou). At Mizzou, his responsibilities include program support for the music education and choral departments, being the instructor of record for an assortment of courses, and assisting in preparing choirs for performance. 

Paul is the founding director of the Deep River Singers, a choral ensemble that promotes the performance, education, and preservation of Negro Spirituals. Previously he served as as co-conductor of Hitt Street Harmony (Columbia, MO), an auditioned chamber vocal ensemble specializing in traditional vocal jazz repertoire, contemporary popular music, and a cappella arrangements; music director of the Eta Beta chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (Pembroke, NC), fine arts chair and choral director at Spring Lake Middle School (Spring Lake, NC) and conductor of the Carolina Sinfonians Chorus (Fayetteville, NC). 

As an undergraduate, Paul was one of only nine student conductors chosen for the 2018 Southern Region American Choral Directors Association Conference student conducting masterclass. In 2021, he was presented the Ander J. Dunham Educator of the Year Award by the Spring Lake Kiwanis Club, and in 2023, he was honored with the inaugural Black Excellence in Music Award by the University of Missouri School of Music. In 2024, he was chosen for the Mizzou 18 award, an award dedicated to honoring 18 University of Missouri graduate and professional students chosen for their world-class research, collaboration with faculty and staff, and demonstrated leadership with undergraduate students

Paul holds degrees in music education and choral conducting from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke and University of Missouri - Columbia. He is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and the American Choral Directors Association. He previously served as a member of the executive board of the North Carolina chapter of the American Choral Directors Association.