Allen Pote

Allen Pote (b. 1945) is a composer of religious music and, with his wife Susan, co-founder of the Pensacola Children's Chorus.

Born in Halstead, Kansas, Pote earned a diploma in Church Music from Texas Christian University. He studied in Brussels on a Fulbright scholarship and took advanced work at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. For twenty-two years he served as a full-time Director of Music in churches in Texas and Florida. In 1991 he became accompanist of the Pensacola Children's Chorus (then called the "Pensacola Symphony Children's Chorus") under the direction of his wife, Susan Pote.

Compositions

Allen Pote is a nationally-known composer, having published more than 300 choral works and 14 musicals. Some of his compositions include:

• Seaplane, a historical musical about early aviation in the Pensacola area
• And A Little Child Shall Lead Them, commissioned by the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra
• Pensacola Overture, commissioned for the City of Pensacola's 1998 tricentennial celebration

Awards & Associations

• Fulbright Scholar
• Former member of the National Board of Choristers Guild
• Three-time winner of the Arts Council of Northwest Florida's Muriel Shugart Award
• Regularly honored by American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers

Together with his wife, Susan:

• Winner of the Cox/Bravo Champion for the Arts Award, 1999
• Winner of the Escambia/Santa Rosa Bar Association's Liberty Bell Award, 1999