[4] While Long initially considered going into a career in finance, his experiences singing in choir led him to pursue music instead.

He received a Bachelor of music degree from the University of Arizona at Tucson, where he sang under Jean Berger.

Long oversaw the construction of the Mary Stuart Rogers Music Center,[7] which houses the University's primary concert and rehearsal halls.

A frequent adjudicator and clinician, Long has served as a guest conductor for the Kansas and Wyoming All-State Choirs as well as the Texas Two-Year College All-State Choir, the Fairbanks Festival of the Arts, and the Bangkok International Choral Festival.

He is a past president of the Oregon chapter of the American Choral Directors Association.