J.D. Burnett enjoys a varied career as a conductor, singer, and teacher. He is Artistic Director of Orpheus Chamber Singers, the premier professional chamber choir in Dallas. Burnett is also Director of Choral Activities at the University of Texas Butler School of Music, where he conducts the UT Concert Chorale and guides the graduate program in choral conducting. Additionally, Burnett is the founding Artistic Director of Kinnara, Atlanta’s premier professional chamber choir. Formerly, he was Associate Director of Choral Activities at the University of Georgia Hugh Hodgson School of Music. Burnett has served as Assistant Director of the Dallas Symphony Chorus, conductor of the New Jersey Youth Chorus Young Men’s Ensemble, Associate Conductor of the Masterwork Chorus of New Jersey, and Acting Director of Choral Activities at Montclair State University. Earlier posts include Interim Director of Choral Activities at San Jose State University, Artistic Director of the New Jersey Chamber Singers, Music Director of the Houston Masterworks Chorus, and Founder of Men’s Consort Houston. He also served as Choral Editor at McGraw-Hill, Inc. Burnett did undergraduate study at Stanford University and Oklahoma State University. He holds advanced degrees in choral conducting from Westminster Choir College and the University of North Texas.
Karen Kenaston-French is Professor and Director of Choral Activities at the University of Texas Arlington, where she conducts the A Cappello Choir, teaches conducting, and heads the Vocal Area. Under her direction the UTA A Cappello Choir has per formed at the Texas Music Educators Association state convention {2019 and 2014), Southwestern Division of ACDA {2016 and 2022), the national conference of the National Collegiate Choral Organization {2019) and served as Ensemble-in-Residence for the National Student Conducting Competition at the American Choral Directors Association conference in Salt Lake City {2015). In addition, the choir has placed in the American Prize for Choral Performance {College/University Division: 3rd place, 2021 and finalist, 2014). Prior to UTA, Dr. Kenaston-French was Director of Choral Activities at Austin Peay State University in Tennessee. She holds a B.A. from West Virginia Wesleyan College, M.M. and M.S.M. degrees from Southern Methodist University, and a D.M.A. from the University of North Texas. In 2019 she assumed the position of Artistic Director/ Conductor of the Fort Worth Chorale of Schola Cantorum of Texas, only the fifth conductor in the organization’s 57-year history.
Dr. Gary Seighman is Professor, Director of Choral Activities, and Chair of the Music Department at Trinity University where he also teaches conducting and music education courses. Under his direction, Trinity’s ensembles have garnered regional and national accolades with multiple invited performances at TMEA, the National Collegiate Choral Organization, frequent international touring, and third place for the 2022 American Prize as the smallest university in the nation among the cohort of finalists. Seighman has traveled to East Asia five times where he conducted the Peking University Summer Opera Program, led graduate masterclasses in Taiwan, and guest conducted throughout the Henan and Sichuan provinces. He is a frequent artist-in-residence at institutions including University College-Dublin with further U.K. engagements in London, Cambridge, and Liverpool. He served as chorus-master for the Classical Music Festival in Austria, guest faculty artist with Manhattan Concert Productions at Carnegie Hall, and conductor for both treble and mixed choirs as part of the Worldstrides Honors Performance Series. Seighman has served on many arts organization boards and is a frequent grant evaluator for the Texas Commission on the Arts. He holds degrees from Westminster Choir College, the University of Oklahoma, and the University of Maryland.
Dr. Derrick Fox is the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, Research and Creative Endeavors and a Professor of Choral Conducting at Michigan State University. Prior to MSU, he was the Director of Choral Activities and Distinguished Professor of Music at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and Assistant Professor of Choral Music at Ithaca College. Dr. Fox has taught at the middle school, high school and collegiate levels. His conducting experiences include singers from upper elementary choirs through collegiate and community choirs. He was awarded the 2021 Bryan R. Johnson Service Award by the Nebraska Music Educators Association and the 2022 University of Nebraska Omaha Award for Distinguished Research/Creative Activity. He has held teaching residencies at the Latvian Academy of Music and Syracuse University and led performance tours through Lithuania and Estonia. He conducted the 2019 National ACDA Middle School/Junior High Mixed Honor Choir and traveled to South Africa as a 2019 ACDA International Conductor Exchange Fellow where he led choral workshops and rehearsals in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Potchefstroom. His compositions and arrangements are published by Hal Leonard and Brilee Music. He launched The Derrick Fox Choral Series with Music Spoke to publish works by and about marginalized and minoritized people. 
Dr. Yoojin Muhn serves as the Director of Choral Activities at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where she oversees a comprehensive choral program, conducts the UTSA Chamber Singers, and teaches undergraduate and graduate choral conducting classes. She also holds the position of Music Director for the San Antonio Mastersingers, a highly acclaimed 120-voice chorus of volunteers from the expansive San Antonio Area. Dr. Muhn is highly in demand as a clinician, guest conductor, and adjudicator. Recently, she conducted Mozart’s Requiem with the New York City Chamber Orchestra as part of Manhattan Concert Productions (MCP)’s Masterwork Series at Carnegie Hall in June 2023. Prior to her appointment at UTSA, she served as the Artistic Director of the Tucson Masterworks Chorale in Tucson, Arizona, co-directed the Oriana Women’s Chorus, and assisted in leading the Concert Choir at the University of Southern California. Furthermore, she was selected as a conducting fellow at both Oregon Bach Festival and the Yale Summer School of Music-Norfolk Chamber Music Festival. She received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Music with honors from the University of Southern California, a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Cincinnati, a Master of Music degree in Sacred Music from Westminster Choir College (where she graduated with distinction), and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Composition from SookMyung Women’s University in Seoul, Korea.
Alissa Mercurio Rowe serves as Associate Professor and Galante Chair and Director of Choral Studies at Louisiana State University. She conducts the renown LSU A Cappella Choir who will travel to London in 2025 and perform Jocelyn Hagen’s Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci in the Vox Anima Festival. She is an active adjudicator and guest conductor and has conducted numerous All-State and District Honor Choirs. She presented research on Individual Assessment in the Choral Rehearsal at the International Conference on Arts and Humanities and at the 2019 National American Choral Directors Association Conference. Dr. Rowe received the President’s Award from St. Tammany Parish President, Patricia C. Brister, as Musical Artist of the Year in St. Tammany Parish and was awarded the Southeastern Louisiana University’s President’s Award for Excellence in Artistic Activity. Dr. Rowe has also performed as soprano soloist with the Tallahassee Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Baton Rouge Symphony, New Hampshire Symphony, and the National Symphony Orchestra (Mexico). She also performed and recorded three roles in David Schiff’s opera Gimpel the Fool with Third Angle, Portland Oregon’s renowned new music ensemble. Dr. Rowe is a versatile performer who regularly performs a wide variety of works such as the Beethoven’s Mass in C, Messiah of Handel, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater and Schubert’s Mass in G, as well as opera roles in La Cenerentola, The Consul, Magic Flute and La Perichole, among others. Rowe released the album “Defining French Arias of Early 19th Century New Orleans” in October 2021 on Centaur Records. Dr. Rowe holds a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from Louisiana State University, a Master of Music in Conducting, a Master of Music in Vocal Performance, a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and Teacher Certification K-12 from the University of Michigan
Joshua R. Brown serves as Assistant Professor of Music, Director of Choral Studies, and Chair of Ensembles at Dallas Baptist University, where he conducts choral ensembles and teaches courses in choral music and conducting. Dr. Brown’s students have recently performed at the Meyerson, the Arkansas Gubernatorial Inauguration, Holidays at the Capitol (Little Rock), Carnegie Hall, and the Arkansas All-State Conference. Dr. Brown has been invited to present at conferences in Arkansas, Idaho, Wyoming, Texas and Utah. Additionally, he currently serves as Executive Director of Voces Pacis – a semiprofessional choral organization in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex. Previously, Dr. Brown served as the Director of the University of North Texas Men’s Chorus as well as Artistic Director of the Coppell Community Chorale (2016-2019) and was Director of Choirs at Coppell High School (2012-2017), where his choirs were selected to perform at the White House (2014), Texas Music Educators Convention (2017), and Southwestern American Choral Directors Convention (2016). Prior to that, Dr. Brown was Director of Choirs at Abilene High School (2009-2012). Brown holds music degrees from the University of North Texas, Baylor University, and Dallas Baptist University.
Dr. Jeffery Goolsby is Director of Choral Studies at Abilene Christian University, where he leads a program dedicated to artistic excellence, transformational musical experiences, and high-impact community engagement. He conducts the university’s premiere choral ensemble, the A Cappella Chorus, conducts the University Chorale, and oversees three student-led contemporary a cappella groups. The ACU choral music program engages students from diverse academic, social, racial, and economic backgrounds. More than half of the program is comprised of non-music majors. Dr. Goolsby teaches courses in choral conducting and choral methods and supervises the choral music education program. Prior to joining the ACU faculty, he taught for ten years in successful high school choral music programs in the Dallas and Houston areas. Choirs under his direction have performed at notable venues in the United States and abroad. He is in demand as a clinician, consultant, and adjudicator throughout the country and has served in numerous regional and state capacities with TMEA, ACDA, and UIL. He holds degrees in choral conducting and music education from Texas Tech University, Louisiana State University, and Abilene Christian University, where he was named a University Scholar. Professional affiliations include ACDA, NCCO, TMEA, TCDA, TMAA, and Pi Kappa Lambda.
A. Jan Taylor was Associate Professor and Director of Choral Music Activities at Prairie View A&M University. A Houston native, she attended HSPVA and earned a B. M. from the University of Houston, M. A. from Prairie View A&M University, and a D.M.A. from UH. Dr. Taylor taught general music, piano, and choir in elementary, middle, and high schools in Houston ISD. An adjudicator and choral clinician for competitions and festivals throughout the U. S., as an authority she often lectures on the performance practices and preservation of the African American spiritual. Dr. Taylor has traveled in the U. S., Europe, and Asia as a singer and conductor, served as Assistant Conductor of the Houston Symphony Chorus, and conductor of the Houston Ebony Opera Guild Chorus. She conducted the “105 Voices of History” HBCU National Choir in performances at the Grand Ole Opry House, the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, the Kennedy Center, and for the nationally televised MLK50 Commemoration event held by the National Civil Rights Museum. The Prairie View A&M University Concert Chorale and PV Chamber Singers have performed to critical acclaim throughout the United States and abroad, including performances with the Houston Symphony Orchestra and international music festivals in Poland, Germany, and South America.
As conductor, pedagogue, and scholar, Sandra Snow is widely acknowledged as one who brings singers of all ages and abilities to artful performance through an understanding of the music and its context in the world around them. Dr. Snow is Director of Choral Programs and Area Chair of Conducting at the Michigan State University College of Music where she oversees graduate programs in choral conducting. The Mosaic ensemble has appeared as featured performers at American Choral Directors Association conventions at state, regional, and national levels. As guest conductor, she travels extensively in North America and abroad. In 2017 Snow created mirabai, a project-based professional women’s chorus. mirabai’s recording Ecstatic Songs was the winner of the American Prize in Choral Music, professional choirs’ division, in 2020. Their second recording, Home in Me, was released in fall 2022. The mission of mirabai includes outreach and education programs designed to support the work of women as educators, composers, poets, and conductors. Snow is a recipient of the Michigan State University William J. Beal Award for Outstanding Faculty, the MSU TeacherScholar Award, and the Dortha J. and John D. Withrow award for Excellence in Teaching.
Tony Thornton 
Raul Dominguez is the Associate Director of Choral Studies at Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) in the Tacoma, WA area where he leads their University Chorale, University Singers, and teaches courses in Secondary Methods and the Conducting sequence. He is also the Associate Conductor for Choral Union, PLU’s community ensemble. His research focus is the choral music of the United Mexican States. Prior to PLU, he served as the Director of Choral Activities at Regis University, in Denver, CO. He also led Denver Children’s Choir’s Timberline alongside fabulous musicians, Festival Chorus at CU Boulder, and was the Associate Artistic Director of the Denver Gay Men’s Chorus. In 2022, Raul graduated with his Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting and Literature from CU Boulder. He earned his Master of Music from Ithaca College. He taught at Clear Lake High School for four years in his hometown of Houston, TX after graduating from Oklahoma City University with his Bachelor of Music degrees in Music Education and Vocal Performance. His ensembles have sung with the Houston Symphony, Houston Chamber Choir, at Carnegie Hall and on the balcony of the Colorado State Capitol for the inauguration of Governor Jared Polis.
Michael Murphy is the Director of Choral Activities and Professor of Music at Stephen F. Austin State University. Before his appointment to SFASU, Michael was Director of Choral Activities and Associate Professor at the University of Idaho for nine years, where he was Founder and Artistic Director of the Idaho Bach Festival and was recognized with the UI Faculty Award for outstanding scholarship, teaching, and engagement. Dr. Murphy is an active clinician, adjudicator, and author. His international conducting and teaching experiences include Austria, China, Czech Republic, Ecuador, England, Germany, Norway, Panama, and Sweden. Murphy is the coauthor and editor of Conducting Primer in Practice, has been published several times in Choral Journal, and contributed to volume 4 of Teaching Music Through Performance in Choir. As a passionate champion of music for all, Michael has experience teaching all ages and levels and several auditioned and non-auditioned collegiate, community, school, and church choirs. His choirs have been invited to perform for several state and regional ACDA and NafME conferences, and he has held several state and national leadership positions in ACDA, NAfME, and NCCO. Murphy received his degrees in conducting and choral music education from Florida State University and East Carolina University.
Richard W. Robbins serves as Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at the Conservatory of Shenandoah University. Recognized as a sought-after clinician and adjudicator, Robbins has conducted residencies at several international institutions, including recent engagements at Warsaw’s Chopin Conservatory of Music, the Krakow Academy of Music, and Lebanon’s Fayha National Choir. His choral performances have been featured on television and on nationally syndicated radio programs, including American Public Media’s “Pipedreams.” With a rich background in choral- orchestral repertoire, Robbins has prepared choruses for numerous orchestral organizations, including the Houston Symphony, Houston Ballet, and Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra. Robbins’ ensembles have been featured at festivals and conferences, and he has collaborated with diverse artists, from classical performers to Grammy-winning pop groups. Prior to his current academic position, he led the choral programs at the University of Minnesota Duluth and the University of Wisconsin-Superior, in addition to serving as director of the University of Houston’s Concert Women’s Chorus and University Men’s Chorus. A native Texan, he performed at the Madrigal Festival as a high school student, and proudly directed choirs at the festival while on faculty at South Houston High School and Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.
Lynne Gackle is Professor Emeritus of Music at Baylor University where she served as the Director of Choral Activities and Chair of the Ensemble Division. Dr. Gackle previously taught at the University of South Florida, the University of Mississippi, and the University of Miami (FL). Lynne is an active choral clinician/conductor, nationally and internationally. She has held various positions within the American Choral Directors Association, including National President, President, Southern Region, President, ACDA-Florida, and was VP of College/Community Choirs for TCDA. Gackle is the editor of Choral Artistry for the Singer (Walton Music) and the Lynne Gackle Choral Series (Colla Voce). Internationally recognized for her research on the female adolescent voice, Lynne is the author of Finding Ophelia’s Voice, Opening Ophelia’s Heart. She is a contributing author for other books published by GIA, Oxford, Hal Leonard/McGraw Hill including the Oxford Handbook for Singing (2019), and Choral Reflections: Insights from American Choral Conductor/Teachers (2022). Gackle was awarded ACDA-FL’s Wayne Hugoboom Distinguished Service Award, Baylor’s Outstanding Faculty Award in Research (2012), the Texas Choir Masters Award (2021), the MacPherson Prize (2023) and most recently, the 2023 Frost Centennial Medal from the University of Miami. She holds memberships in ACDA, TMEA, TCDA, and NATS.
Joey M. Martin is Professor of Music at Texas State University where he serves as the Director of Choral Activities and Associate Dean for the College of Fine Arts and Communication. He served as the National ACDA Repertoire and Resources Chair for College and University Choirs for seven years and continues his professional service with the National Collegiate Choral Organization. Dr. Martin has conducted numerous honor choirs and has presented master classes and clinics in seventeen countries, on six continents and in the majority of the United States. Under his direction, Texas State Chorale has toured internationally including much of Europe, South Africa, and China with performances for prestigious conferences such as TMEA, SWACDA, ACDA, and the International Kodály Festival. For over 35 years, Dr. Martin has been engaged in music ministry and is currently the director of music/organist at New Braunfels Presbyterian Church. He is a graduate of the Harvard University Management Development Program and the Texas Academic Leadership Academy. Honors include appointment to the Fulbright Specialist roster to represent the United States throughout the world and receiving the TCDA Award for Choral Advocacy. In his spare time, he dreams of culinary school.
Dr. Anthony Trecek-King is a highly acclaimed choral conductor, scholar, pedagogue, and media personality with a career spanning over 20 years. He is an active guest conductor and serves as a Resident Conductor (chorus) with the Handel and Haydn Society. Recognized for his ability to create moving performances that exhibit a surprising range of dynamics and depth of expression, Dr. Trecek-King excels at cultivating vocal and instrumental musicians at all levels. Through his collaborative rehearsal style, he bridges the gap between high art and humanity, captivating audiences while maintaining exceptional sonic quality. Dr. Trecek-King’s impactful career includes directing ensembles for Pulitzer Prize and Grammy-winning projects and earning the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award. He has collaborated with esteemed artists like Leslie Odom Jr. and Yo Yo Ma and led performances at renowned venues globally. As host of “The Silent Canon” on KNVO 90.7 and a prominent figure on the Emmy-nominated WGBH series, Sing That Thing, he shares his passion for music and community engagement with a broader audience. 
Dr. Meg Frazier is Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Loyola University New Orleans, where she con-ducts the Loyola Chorale and Chamber Singers and teaches conducting. Dr. Frazier served the College of Music and Fine Arts as Associate Dean and the School of Music and Theatre Professions as Director. A native of Longview, Texas, Dr. Frazier studied with Dr Bev Henson at Sam Houston State University, earning her BMEd and MM in Conducting; she later studied with Dr. Ken Fulton at LSU, where she earned her DMA in Choral Conducting. In addition to her Loyola choirs, Dr. Frazier is the Artistic Director/Conductor of the choirs of NOVA, a community-based choral organization in New Orle-ans. She serves as the choral contractor/conductor for the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. A frequent guest conductor/clinician, Dr. Frazier has conducted honor choirs in 14 states, including 9 all-states. She has extensive experience in church and community choirs as both a conductor and chorister and particularly enjoys singing in chamber ensembles.
Dr. Pearl Shangkuan is a highly sought-after conductor, lecturer and clinician who has led performances and workshops across six continents. She is Director of Choral Activities and Professor of Music at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, MI, and the Grand Rapids Symphony chorus director. Now Editor of Hinshaw Music, Shangkuan has an earthsongs choral series and is music editor of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship choral series (GIA). A jurist for international choral competi-tions in Europe and Asia, she has led conducting masterclasses for national ACDA and Chorus America conferences. She has conducted numerous All State choirs, ACDA division honor choirs, and choral festivals nationally and internationally, and has headlined several ACDA state and other professional conferences. Upcoming engagements include conducting the SSAA Honor Choir at the ACDA National conference and a fourth residency conducting at Carnegie Hall. Professional ser-vice includes the Chorus America Board of Directors and serving as ACDA Central Division and Michigan ACDA President. She has commissioned and premiered numerous choral works and her choirs have performed at ACDA national, division and state conferences. She received the Calvin University Award for Excellence in Teaching (2020) and Michigan ACDA Maynard Klein Choral Award for “artistic excellence and lifetime leadership in choral music” (2013).
Richard Bjella, Director of Choral Studies Emeritus, Texas Tech University, has distinguished himself as a conductor, clinician, choral pedagogue, and choral arranger. He was honored to have his choirs appear at the 2009 and 2013 National ACDA Conventions, as well as performances at Carnegie Hall, Orchestra Hall, and TMEA conventions. In addition, Bjella’s graduate conductors received finalist recognition in conducting competitions at two recent National ACDA Conventions and one was awarded the Julius Herford Dissertation Prize. He has conducted and presented master classes throughout the world and at over 400 festivals and workshops in 34 states with workshops at 17 major universities in the last several years. He has also presented workshops and conducted in South Korea, England, Sweden, France, Switzerland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Columbia, Haiti, and Italy. He is also active in the promotion of creative choral programming and is a contributing writer for the book, The Oxford Handbook of Choral Pedagogy (2017) Bjella also served as President of the WCDA (Wisconsin) and was awarded the prestigious Lawrence Excellence in Teaching Award (2007) and the Lifetime Achievement Award (2013) from WCDA. Bjella was the recipient of the 2017 Professing Excellence Award at Texas Tech University. He has served as the Artistic Director for the San Antonio Chamber Choir since 2014.
Gary Packwood is recognized as an inspirational and motivational conductor, pedagogue, and lecturer who has appeared throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia. Now in his 34th year of teaching, Dr. Packwood has conducted all-state and honor choirs in over 40 states. Dr. Packwood is currently a professor of music and director of choral studies at Mississippi State University, where he oversees and administers all aspects of the undergraduate and graduate degrees. Dr. Packwood has published articles in the “Choral Journal,” “Teaching Music,” “AmeriGrove Dictionary, 2nd Edition” and book chapters in GIA’s publication of “Conducting Men’s Choirs” and Hal Leonard’s publication of “Choral Reflections: Insights from American Choral Conductor Teachers.” A lifetime member of ACDA, Dr. Packwood is a past president of the Southern Region of ACDA (2017-2019) and a former member of the board for the National Collegiate Choral Organization.
Dianne Brumley is Director of Choral Music Studies and Professor of Music Education, Emerita at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley – Brownsville. She was appointed in 2003 and was the first person to hold the position of Director of Choral Studies at the University. Brumley was the founding conductor of the University Master Chorale. During her ten-year tenure at UTRGV, the Master Chorale was selected to perform at the 2011 Texas Music Educators Association Convention and toured internationally. Brumley also served for 20 years as the founding Conductor and Artistic Director of the South Texas Chorale and Orchestra. Brumley is a frequent guest conductor, clinician, motivational speaker, and adjudicator throughout Texas and the United States. Currently, she serves as a choral music education consultant. Before her time with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Brumley was a successful choral music educator in public schools. Choirs under her direction were selected for honor performances at Texas Music Educators Association conventions, American Choral Directors Association regional and national conventions, and a featured performance at the Texas Choral Directors Association convention. Active in Texas choral music endeavors for many years, in 2011 Brumley was honored to receive the Texas Choral Excellence Award and in 2018 the Texas Choir Master Award from the Texas Choral Directors Association.
Dr. Gary Seighman is Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Trinity University where he also teaches courses in conducting and music education. Under his direction, Trinity’s choral ensembles have garnered regional and national accolades with invited performances at TMEA, the National Collegiate Choral Organization, frequent international touring, and third place for the 2022 American Prize as the smallest university in the nation among the cohort of finalists. Seighman has traveled to East Asia five times where he conducted the Peking University Summer Opera Program, led graduate master-classes in Taiwan, and guest conducted throughout the Henan and Sichuan provinces. In 2019 he was artist-in-residence at University College-Dublin with further engagements in London, Cambridge, and Liverpool. The year prior he was chorus-master for the Classical Music Festival in Austria and more recently a guest faculty artist with Manhattan Concert Productions for whom he conducted Mozart’s Requiem at Carnegie Hall. Seighman has served on multiple arts organization boards, is a frequent panelist on the webinar series “In the Teacher’s Lounge” through Worldstrides Travel, and a grant evaluator for the Texas Commission on the Arts. He holds degrees from Westminster Choir College, the University of Oklahoma, and the University of Maryland.
Eduardo García-Novelli was born in Argentina, where he served 8 years as Choir Director at Belgrano Day School in Buenos Aires and as Assistant Conductor
Tony Thornton is Professor of Music and Doug and Nickie Burns Endowed Chair in Choral Music at Oklahoma State University, where he serves as the Director of Choral and Vocal Studies. He is Artistic Director of the Sarteano (Italy) Chamber Choral Conducting Workshop. Thornton received his Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education and Voice from Westminster Choir College, his Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from Louisiana State University, and his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Conducting and Historical Musicology from the University of Arizona. Thornton has worked with over 400 mixed, treble, and tenor/bass choruses in public and private schools, colleges, churches, community ensembles, and professional organizations in 25 states, Japan, and throughout Europe. As a member of the Westminster Choir, he performed at the Spoleto Festival in Italy and the United States, and he has recorded with Leonard Bernstein, Riccardo Muti, Robert Shaw, Claudio Abbado, and Zubin Mehta. He sang for seven years as a member of the Robert Shaw Festival Singers. He is Past President of the Massachusetts chapter of the American Choral Directors Association, and he was Collegiate R&R Chair for the ACDA Eastern Division from 2020-2022.
Tony Gonzalez is Associate Director of Choral Activities at Oklahoma City University. His University Singers have performed at the 2018 and 2022 OkMEA State Conferences and the SWACDA Conference in 2020. He spent 17 years at Norman North High School where his choirs earned consecutive State Sweepstakes, won festivals in 10 major cities, performed at OkMEA, OCDA, SWACDA and ACDA, and performed on NPR’s From the Top. He has been an adjudicator and guest conductor throughout the Southwest. He has been named Who’s Who Among American High School Teachers. NAfME named him as one of the country’s outstanding music educators. He is the 2007 NFHS National Music Educator of the Year, 2008 OkMEA Exemplary Teacher, and the 2015 OCDA Director of Distinction Award. A native of Brownsville, Texas, Tony attended Del Mar College {Ron Shirey}, has degrees from Texas A&I University at Kingsville and the University of Oklahoma {B.R. Henson}. Tony taught in Alice and Edinburg, Texas, is former DCA at the University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma, was conductor of the Norman Community Choral Society and the Oklahoma Vocal Arts Ensemble. Tony has served as president of OCDA and SWACDA.
Robert Simpson is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Houston Chamber Choir. He also serves as Canon for Music at Houston’s historic Christ Church Cathedral and Lecturer of Church Music at Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. Chorus America awarded him the Michael Korn Founders Award for the Development of the Professional Choral Art and most recently awarded the Houston Chamber Choir the Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence in 2018. Mr. Simpson is the recipient of the 2015 American Prize in Choral Conducting. Choirs under his direction have toured the United States, Europe, and Mexico, and performed before national conventions of Chorus America, the American Choral Directors Association, The American Guild of Organists, The Association of Anglican Musicians, and The Hymn Society of America. They have appeared nationally on CBS-TV, ABC-TV, and American Public Radio. Mr. Simpson is married to Marianna Pornos-Simpson, the noted children’s choir conductor.
Lynne Gackle is Director of Choral Activities at Baylor University and holds the Mary Gibbs Jones Professor of Music Chair. She conducts Baylor Bella Voce Baylor Concert Choir, teaches choral conducting, choral literature, and serves as the Director of the Ensemble Division. Prior to her Baylor appointment, Lynne taught at the University of
Anthony Trecek-King has cultivated an international reputation as a conductor, pedagogue, and media personality. He is passionate about cultivating artistically excellent ensembles that explore socially relevant issues through emotional ly immersive programs. Trecek-King is the Director of Choral Activities at The Hartt School, University of Hartford, and a Resident Conductor with the Handel and Haydn Society. Ensembles under his direction were integral to projects that have won a Pulitzer Prize {Madam White Snake, Zhou Long), received a Grammy {Fantastic Mr. Fox, Boston Modern Orchestra Project), and earned the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award from Presidential Committee on the Arts {Boston Children’s Chorus). He has led performances in world-renowned venues including Boston Symphony Hall, the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, and the Sydney Opera House. In addition to his conduct ing, he is currently the host of the classical radio show “The Silent Canon” which airs on KNVO 90.7. He was the host of the WGBH television series 
David Means is Director of Choral Studies, Professor of Music and Music Department Chair at Victoria College in Victoria, TX. Most recently, he was Director of Choral Studies at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg, Conductor of the Valley Symphony Chorale, and Founder/Artistic Director of the Valley Choral Artists. Means has also taught on the faculties of the Grammy-winning Westwood High School in Austin, TX, Cuero High School, University of Southern California, and Christopher Newport University in Virginia. In addition to being a regular adjudicator for American Classic Tours and Music Festivals, Dr. Means is active as a guest conductor, adjudicator, and clinician across Texas, the USA, Europe, Mexico, Canada, and Asia, having recently served on the international juries of the Preveza International Choral Festival in Greece (2016) and the International Choir Championships Lege Artis in Tuzla, Bosnia, and Herzegovina (2019 and 2022), as well as the New Mexico State Choir Contest in Albuquerque. He has appeared as a headliner for ACDA and TCDA conferences in Hawaii, Texas, West Virginia, Minnesota, and Florida. Means earned degrees from Howard Payne University (BME), Baylor University (MM), and the University of Southern California (DMA) with honors.
Eric Posada currently serves as Director of Choral Activities at Angelo State University. Previous academic appointments for Dr. Posada include Visiting Professor of Choral Music at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Director of Choral Music at Tyler Junior College, and Associate Director of Choral Activities at Texas A&M University. In 2020-2021, Posada presented interest sessions for eleven state and regional conferences. This year, Dr. Posada has professional engagements scheduled with the National Collegiate Choral Organization, Southwestern American Choral Directors Association; Pennsylvania Choral Directors Association; and the state Music Educators Associations of New Hampshire, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Mexico, Florida, Indiana, and Texas. Moreover, during the summer of 2022 Posada will travel to the United Kingdom to conduct Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man. A native of McAllen, Texas, Dr. Posada founded the Rio Grande Valley’s first professional chorus, Pasión, and serves as the ensemble’s Artistic Director. The chorus recently won third place in the American Prize for two categories, Choral Performance and the Ernst Bacon Memorial for the Performance of American Music, and was selected as Performing Choir for the Texas Choral Directors Association 66th Annual Summer Conference.
A. Jan Taylor A. Jan Taylor is Associate Professor and Director of Choral Music Activities at Prairie View A&M University. A Houston native, she attended HSPVA and earned a B. M. from the University of Houston, M. A. from Prairie View A&M University, and a D.M.A. from UH. Dr. Taylor taught general music, piano, and choir in elementary, middle, and high schools in Houston ISD. An adjudicator and choral clinician for competitions and festivals throughout the U. S., as an authority she often lectures on the performance practices and preservation of the African American spiritual. Dr. Taylor has traveled in the U. S., Europe, and Asia as a singer and conductor, served as Assistant Conductor of the Houston Symphony Chorus, and conductor of the Houston Ebony Opera Guild Chorus. She conducted the “105 Voices of History” HBCU National Choir in performances at the Grand Ole Opry House, the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, the Kennedy Center, and for the nationally televised MLK50 Commemoration event held by the National Civil Rights Museum. The Prairie View A&M University Concert Chorale and PV Chamber Singers have performed to critical acclaim throughout the United States and abroad, including performances with the Houston Symphony Orchestra and international music festivals in Poland, Germany, and South America.
James C. Franklin is the Director of Choral Activities at East Carolina University where he conducts the internationally renowned ECU Chamber Singers, directs the graduate program in choral conducting, and teaches undergraduate conducting. In the fall of 2021, the ECU Chamber Singers released their most recent album, Appear and Inspire, a collaboration with multi-GRAMMY producer, Blanton Alspaugh. Also in the fall of 2021, the ECU Chamber Singers completed a recording project with Oxford University Press for their 2022 release of RVW 150, a two-volume collection of works by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Additional accolades include winning second place in the American Prize in Choral Performance, College/University Division (Summer 2020), and juried invitations to perform at the Southern ACDA Conference (Mobile, AL), National ACDA Conference (Kansas City, MO), and European Grand Prix for Choral Singing (Varna, Bulgaria). In addition to being a conductor, Franklin is a GRAMMY-nominated choral singer. He has performed with many professional choirs including the South Dakota Chorale, Taylor Festival Choir, Orpheus Chamber Singers, Dallas Bach Society, Houston Bach Society, and Fuma Sacra of New Jersey. He received his BME, vocal emphasis, from Baylor University, his MM in Choral Conducting from Westminster Choir College and his DMA degree from the University of North Texas.
Kristina Caswell MacMullen has devoted her career to sharing music and inspiration with students and audiences. Her collaborations with fellow musicians continue to confirm her abiding hope for the future and an unflagging belief in the power of choral music. Currently, MacMullen serves as an Associate Professor of Choral Conducting at the University of North Texas where she conducts the University Singers, Kalandra, and instructs both undergraduate and graduate students. Prior to her appointment at UNT, Kristina spent eight years on the faculty of The Ohio State University. While at OSU, her interdisciplinary work earned her the Sir William Osler Award for Humanism in Medicine. As an active adjudicator and clinician, MacMullen has conducted All-State and honors choirs throughout the United States. She has presented and co-presented interest sessions at state, regional, national, and international conferences. Her teaching and conducting is featured on the DVD Conducting-Teaching: Real-World Strategies for Success published by GIA (2009). Her editions for the treble choir are published by Boosey & Hawkes, Musicatus Press, and MusicSpoke. MacMullen earned both the Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Music degrees from Michigan State University. She completed the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Texas Tech University.
Sandra Snow As conductor, pedagogue, and scholar, Sandra Snow is widely acknowledged as one who brings singers of all ages and abilities to artful performance through an understanding of the music and its context in the world around them. As Professor of Choral Conducting and Music Education at the Michigan State University College of Music, the MSU Women’s Chamber Ensemble has appeared as featured performers at American Choral Directors Association conventions at state, regional, and national levels. As a guest conductor, she travels extensively in North America and abroad. In 2017 Snow created mirabai, a project-based professional women’s chorus. mirabai features alumna associated with the MSU Women’s Chamber Ensemble. mirabai was a featured ensemble at the Texas Choral Director’s Association conference in 2018. The inaugural recording, Ecstatic Songs, was released in 2018. Snow is the author of the DVD “Conducting-Teaching: RealWorld Strategies for Success” published by GIA (2009), a resource for conductor-teachers at all levels of teaching. She edits the choral music series In High Voice published by Boosey & Hawkes. Snow is the Artistic Director of the American Institute for Choral Teacher Education produced annually at MSU. Snow is a recipient of the Michigan State University William J. Beal Award for Outstanding Faculty, the MSU Teacher-Scholar Award, and the Dortha J. and John D. Withrow award for Excellence in Teaching.
Conductor-teacher Kristina Caswell MacMullen has devoted her career to sharing music and inspiration with students and audiences. Her collaborations with fellow musicians continue to confirm her abiding hope for the future and an unflagging belief in the power of choral music. Currently, MacMullen serves as an Associate Professor of Choral Conducting at the University of North Texas where she conducts the University Singers, Kalandra, and instructs both undergraduate and graduate students. Prior to her appointment at UNT, Kristina spent eight years on the faculty of The Ohio State University. While at OSU, her interdisciplinary work earned her the Sir William Osler Award for Humanism in Medicine. As an active adjudicator and clinician, MacMullen has conducted All-State and honors choirs throughout the United States. She has presented and co-presented interest sessions at state, regional, national, and international conferences. Her teaching and conducting is featured on the DVD Conducting-Teaching: Real-World Strategies for Success published by GIA (2009). Her editions for the treble choir are published by Boosey & Hawkes, Musicatus Press, and MusicSpoke. MacMullen earned both the Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Music degrees from Michigan State University. She completed the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Texas Tech University.
John Ratledge, Professor Emeritus, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, was the Conductor of University Singers, Area Coordinator of Graduate Choral Conducting, and Director of Choral Activities. Ratledge made his European orchestral conducting debut in 1996 with the Filharmonia Sudecka of Walbrzych and Wroclaw, and Poland, and since then, he has conducted orchestras in France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Romania, and Spain. During his tenure at Shorter College of Rome, Georgia, the Shorter Chorale distinguished itself nationally and internationally by giving the world premiere of the full orchestral version of the Duruflé Requiem in Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Greece and the organ version premiere of the same work in Bulgaria; the world premiere of Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms in Poland, and the St. Petersburg, Russia world premieres of Handel’s Messiah in English and Corigliano’s Fern Hill. He is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Bassi Brugnatelli International Conducting and Singing Symposium held annually in Robbiate, Italy, and he is the editor of the new Javier Busto Choral Series of Carl Fischer Music Publishers.
Michael Murphy is the Director of Choral Activities and Associate Professor of Music at Stephen F. Austin State University. Before his appointment to SFASU, Michael was Director of Choral Activities and Associate Professor at the University of Idaho for nine years, where he was Founder and Artistic Director of the Idaho Bach Festival and was recognized with the UI Faculty Award for outstanding scholarship, teaching, and engagement. Dr. Murphy is an active clinician, adjudicator, author, and composer. His international conducting and teaching experiences include Austria, China, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Germany, Norway, Panama, and Sweden. Murphy is the co-author and editor of Conducting Primer in Practice, has been published several times in Choral Journal, and contributed to volume 4 of Teaching Music Through Performance in Choir. As a passionate champion of music for all, Michael has experience teaching all ages and levels and several auditioned and non-auditioned collegiate, community, school, and church choirs. His choirs have been invited to perform for several state and regional ACDA and NafME conferences, and he has held several state and national leadership positions in ACDA, NAfME, and NCCO. Murphy received his degrees in conducting and choral music education from Florida State University and East Carolina University.
Betsy Cook Weber is Professor of Music and Director of Choral Studies at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music and is also active internationally as a conductor, clinician, adjudicator, and lecturer. Weber also serves as Director of the Houston Symphony Chorus. In that role, she prepares choral-orchestral masterworks for some of the world’s greatest conductors. Choirs under Weber’s direction have been featured at multiple state (TMEA 2002, 2005, 2008, 2013, 2017) and national conventions (ACDA 2007 and 2017 and NCCO 2017). Internationally, Weber has led choirs in performances with orchestras in the Czech Republic, Poland, and Germany and to top prizes at prestigious competitions in Wales, France, Germany, Hungary, and Italy. Weber routinely prepares singers for Houston’s early music orchestras Ars Lyrica and Mercury Houston, as well as preparing singers for touring shows, including Josh Groban, the Eagles, NBC’s Clash of the Choirs, Telemundo’s Latin Grammy’s, Star Wars in Concert, Andreas Bocelli, and Harry Potter. In 2013, Weber became the 1st woman to receive TCDA’s Texas Choirmaster Award. She is editor of the Betsy Cook Weber choral series with Alliance Music Publishing Before coming to the University of Houston, Weber taught vocal music, K-12, in the public schools. She holds degrees from the University of North Texas, Westminster Choir College (Princeton, NJ), and the University of Houston.
James Franklin is the Director of Choral Activities at East Carolina University where he conducts the internationally renowned ECU Chamber Singers, directs the graduate program in choral conducting, and teaches undergraduate conducting. Recent honors include invitations to perform at the National ACDA Conference (Kansas City, MO), European Grand Prix for Choral Singing (Varna, Bulgaria), SW-ACDA Conference (Little Rock, AR), Piccolo Spoleto Festival (Charleston, SC), and Duke Chapel (Durham, NC).
Richard Robbins is the director of choral activities at the University of Minnesota Duluth, where he conducts the University Singers and Chamber Singers and teaches choral conducting and methods. Robbins travels extensively as a conductor for choral festivals and honor choirs across the country, with recent engagements in New York City, Boston, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago; he recently completed an international conducting residency at the Krakow Academy of Music. His early music editions are published internationally, and he has presented on a range of topics for organizations, including the American Choral Directors Association and internationally at Warsaw’s Chopin Conservatory of Music and the upcoming 2020 World Symposium of Choral
Brian A. Schmidt is Associate Professor of Choral Music and Director of Graduate Choral Studies at Baylor University, where he conducts the Baylor A Cappella Choir and Chamber Singers. He teaches graduate applied lessons, graduate choral conducting and literature courses, and guides graduate conducting recitals. He is also the founder and director of the International Choral Conducting Masterclass and Young Artist Program, a weeklong intensive summer program. Schmidt is founder and Artistic Director of the GRAMMY-nominated South Dakota Chorale, a professional choir based in
Z. Randall Stroope is recently retired as a Regents Professor and Doug and Nickie Burns Endowed Chair of Choral Music at the Greenwood School of Music at Oklahoma State University where he served as Director of Choral and Vocal Studies. He remains active as a composer, teacher, and conductor. In the last two years, Randall has had conducting engagements in Salzburg, Dublin, Vienna, Rome, Barcelona, Prague, Singapore, Hong Kong, Cambridge, and St. John (Canada). Randall has also conducted music for mass at the Vatican every year since 2009, conducted 36 times at Carnegie Hall, 16 times at Chicago Orchestra Hall, and directed his 47th all-state choir this year. Randall has toured 23 countries with ensembles under his direction, including China, South Africa, Japan, Italy, Latvia, Sweden, Norway, Singapore, Estonia, Ukraine, Romania, Germany, France, and England. In 2017, the Oklahoma State University Concert Chorale, under Randall’s direction, performed at the American Choral Directors Association national convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As a composer, Randall has published 180 musical works (instrumental, solo voice, and choral). One of his works was performed by the London Symphony on their 2015 holiday series. Randall completed a Master of Music (Voice Performance) degree at The University of Colorado Boulder, and a Doctor of Musical Arts (Choral Conducting) degree at Arizona State University. He did post-graduate work with Margaret Hillis, Chorus Master of the Chicago Symphony.
Dr. Julie Yu is Professor and Co-Director of Choral Studies at Kansas State University where she oversees and conducts the undergraduate choral ensembles and the masters in music choral program. Her choirs have performed in Carnegie Hall, in Hawaii, the National Cathedral in Washington DC, as well as in Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Ireland, and Italy. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in music education from the University of Central Oklahoma, a Master of Music degree in choral conducting from Oklahoma State University, and a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in choral conducting from the University of North Texas. Before joining the Kansas State faculty, she taught at Norman North High School in Norman, Oklahoma, and San José State University. She has given presentations, conducted, and/or her choirs have performed for state and regional conferences of the American Choral Directors Association, National Association for Music Education, and the European Music Educators Association Conferences. She is the president of the Southwestern Region of the American Choral Directors Association. She serves as a member of the Kansas State University Faculty Senate. She was selected as an International Conducting Exchange Fellow for the American Choral Directors Association to Kenya.
Karen Kenaston-French is Associate Professor and Director of Choral Activities at the University of Texas Arlington, where she conducts the A Cappella Choir, teaches graduate and undergraduate conducting and heads the Vocal Area. Under her direction, the UTA A Cappella Choir performed at the National Collegiate Choral Organization convention in College Park Maryland (2019), gave invited performances at the Texas Music Educators Association state convention (2019 and 2014) and Southwestern Division Conference of ACDA (2016), and served as Ensemble-in-Residence for the National Student Conducting Competition at the American Choral Directors Association conference in Salt Lake City (2015). The choir has made appearances with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Fort Worth Chorale, Texas Ballet Theatre, and the Fort Worth Symphony. Prior to her arrival at UTA, Dr. Kenaston-French served as Director of Choral Activities at Austin Peay State
Robert Simpson is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Houston Chamber Choir. He also serves as Canon for Music at Houston’s historic Christ Church Cathedral and Lecturer of Church Music at Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. Chorus America awarded him the Michael Korn Founders Award for the Development of the Professional Choral Art and most recently awarded the Houston Chamber Choir the Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence in 2018. Mr. Simpson is the recipient of the 2015 American Prize in Choral Conducting. Choirs under his direction have toured the United States, Europe, and Mexico, and performed before national conventions of Chorus America, the American Choral Directors Association, The American Guild of Organists, The Association of Anglican Musicians, and The Hymn Society of America. They have appeared nationally on CBS-TV, ABC-TV, and American Public Radio. Mr. Simpson is married to Marianna Parnas-Simpson, the noted children’s choir conductor.
Lynne Gackle is Director of Choral Activities at Baylor
Sandra Snow As conductor, pedagogue, and scholar, Sandra Snow is widely acknowledged as one who brings
David Means is Director of Choral Studies at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg, TX, the conductor of the Valley Symphony Chorale, and recently founded Rio Grande Valley’s premier professional chamber choir, the Valley Choral Artists. Dr. Means came to south Texas from Austin where he was Head Choral Director of the Grammy Award-winning Fine Arts Academy of Westwood High School. Means has also taught at the University of Southern California, Christopher Newport University, Hill College and has more than twenty years’ experience successfully teaching public school choirs in Texas and California.
Joshua Oppenheim received his B.M. from Western Michigan University, his M.M. at the University of Mississippi, and his D.M.A. in Choral Conducting at the University of North Texas. His choirs have been selected to perform at state conferences (2009 Concert Choir; 2012 Men’s Choir); regional conferences (2012 Concert Choir; 2016 In A Chord); 2018 Concert Choir) national conferences (2104 Men’s Choir; 2015 In A Chord; 2017 Concert Choir) and international conferences (2018 Concert Choir) He has been engaged as guest conductor and clinician in Carnegie Hall (2014, 2016) ) the National Cathedral (2018) Singapore (2015), and Dubai (2015); and had done additional study at Trinity College Cambridge, England.
Trent Patterson conducts the Chamber Singers and Concert Choir and teaches conducting and choral literature, at Webster University in Saint Louis. Under his leadership, Webster’s Chamber Singers have been selected by peer review to perform for state, regional and national conferences. Choirs under Dr. Patterson’s direction have appeared with Josh Groban in Saint Louis, Clearwater, Orlando, Kansas City, and have collaborated with The Boston Camerata and the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Patterson has appeared as a clinician in Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Tennessee, and Texas.
Lynn Gackle is the Director of Choral Activities at Baylor University and holds the Mary Jane Gibbs Professor of Music Chair. She conducts Baylor Bella Voce, Baylor Concert Choir, teaches choral conducting, choral literature, and serves as the Director of the Ensemble Division. Prior to her Baylor appointment, Lynne taught at the University of South Florida, University of Mississippi, and the University of Miami (FL). She received her education from LSU (BME) and the University of Miami (MM/Ph.D.). Lynne is an active choral clinician and conductor, nationally and internationally. She has held various positions within the American Choral Directors Association, including President, Southern Division, and ACDA-Florida and served as the TCDA-VP of Collegiate/Community Choirs. She currently serves as the National Vice President for the American Choral Directors Association.
Cameron F. LaBarr is director of choral studies at Missouri State University where he leads a comprehensive choral program including over 250 singers in eight choirs. He holds a Bachelor of Music from Missouri State University and he earned a Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of North Texas. He has completed further study in choral music and conducting with Simon Carrington and Alice Parker. Choirs under his direction have been selected for performance at the Tennessee Music Education Association Conference, Tennessee ACDA Conference, Missouri Music Educators Association Conference, Piccolo Spoleto Festival, National Collegiate Choral Organization, National ACDA, Southwest ACDA, Intercollegiate Men’s Choruses National Seminar, the China International Chorus Festival and the IFCM World Voices Conference. Dr. LaBarr has worked as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator across North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, most recently presenting at the China International Chorus Festival (2016 and 2018). In 2019, Dr. LaBarr will serve on the jury panel for the 8th Bali International Choir Festival and will guest conduct the Limerick Sings International Choral Festival (Ireland).
Meg Frazier, Director, School of Music, College of Music and Fine Arts, Rita O. Huntsinger Distinguished, Professor of Music, Director of Choral Activities, Loyola University, New Orleans, LA. A native Texan, Dr. Frazier earned her BMEd and MM at Sam Houston State (studying with Bev Henson) and her DMA at LSU (studying with Ken Fulton). She taught in the Texas public schools before teaching at Beloit College in Wisconsin and subsequently moving to Loyola in 1998. At Loyola, Dr. Frazier conducts the Loyola Chorale, Chorale SSA, and Loyola Chamber Singers. Loyola choirs have performed for regional ACDA, MENC, and NAfME conferences. She teaches choral methods, beginning and conducting. The School of Music presents over 250 public performances each concert season as a vibrant part of the cultural life of New Orleans.
John Dickson, Director of Choral Studies, Edward G. and Catherine M. Galante Chair for Choral Music Education, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA. As Director of Choral Studies, he conducts the A Cappella Choir and supervises the masters and doctoral programs in choral conducting. He is also the conductor of Coro Vocati, one of Atlanta’s most accomplished professional chamber choirs.
John Ratledge, Professor Emeritus, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, was the Conductor of University Singers, Area Coordinator of Graduate Choral Conducting, and Director of Choral Activities during his twelve-year tenure at The University. Ratledge made his European orchestral conducting debut in 1996 with the Filharmonia Sudecka of Walbrzych and Wroclaw, and Poland, and since then, he has conducted orchestras in France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Romania, and Spain. During his tenure at Shorter College of Rome, Georgia, the Shorter Chorale distinguished itself nationally and internationally by giving the world premiere of the full orchestral version of the Duruflé Requiem in Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Greece and the organ version premiere of the same work in Bulgaria; the world premiere of Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms in Poland, and the St. Petersburg, Russia world premieres of Handel’s Messiah in English and Corigliano’s Fern Hill. He is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Bassi Brugnatelli International Conducting and Singing Symposium held annually in Robbiate, Italy, and he is the editor of the new Javier Busto Choral Series of Carl Fischer Music Publishers. Ratledge currently is the Director of Music at First United Methodist Church in Tuscaloosa.
Pearl Shangkuan Director of Choral Activities and Professor of Music Calvin College Chorus Director, Grand Rapids Symphony Editor, Mosaic: the Pearl Shangkuan choral series, earth songs Editor, The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship music series, GIA Grand Rapids, MI. He is a highly sought-after conductor, lecturer, and clinician all across the United States and internationally. Director of Choral Activities and Professor of Choral Music at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, she is also chorus master of the Grand Rapids Symphony. Her conducting, teaching, and adjudicating engagements have taken her to Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and all over Europe and Asia. Shangkuan has a signature choral series with earthsongs and edits the Calvin Choral series, published by GIA. Michigan ACDA has honored her with their Maynard Klein Choral Award for “artistic excellence and lifetime leadership in choral music.” Her choirs have performed at American Choral Directors Association national, division, and state conferences and for other professional music organizations. She has conducted numerous All-State choirs, ACDA division honor choirs, and other honor choirs and festivals nationally and internationally, and has headlined several ACDA state conferences. She has also served on the jury of international choral competitions in Europe and Asia and has been a guest faculty for many programs in the U.S. She served as president of ACDA Central Division and Michigan ACDA and has commissioned and premiered numerous choral works by acclaimed composers.
Craig Jessop Professor of Music Founding Dean, Caine College of the Arts Utah State University Founder and Music Director American Festival Chorus and Orchestra Logan, UT. He is a Professor of Music and the founding Dean of the Caine College of the Arts at Utah State University. He is also the founder and Music Director of the American Festival Chorus and Orchestra. His distinguished career includes Music Director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Under his direction, the Tabernacle Choir received numerous awards, including the coveted National Medal of Arts in a White House ceremony. He has recorded more than 15 CDs with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra and has been nominated for a Grammy. At the 2002 Winter Olympic Games Opening Ceremony in Salt Lake City, Dr. Jessop conducted the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Utah Symphony, working with artists Sting and Yo-Yo Ma. Dr. Jessop has conducted in the world’s most prestigious concert halls, in¬cluding Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Royal Albert Hall in London and throughout Europe and Asia. He has conducted national American Choral Directors Association conferences on four occasions and is a frequent guest conductor at Massachusetts’ Berkshire Choral Festival. Dr. Jessop has been active as a baritone vocalist as a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and with the choirs of Helmuth Rilling, John Rutter, and The Robert Shaw Festival Singers.
Joshua Habermann Conductor, Dallas Symphony Chorus Artistic Director, Santa Fe Desert Chorale Adjunct Professor, University of North Texas Dallas, TX The 2017-2018 season marks Joshua Habermann’s seventh year as conductor of the Dallas Symphony Chorus. Recent projects with the DSC include Bach’s St. Matthew Passion and Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem, which was reprised for the national convention of the American Choral Directors Association in 2013. Prior to his DSO appointment, Habermann was assistant conductor of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus under Vance George. Other singing credits include the Oregon Bach Festival Chorus and three recordings with Austin-based Conspirare. Habermann is the music director of the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, a 24-voice professional chamber choir based in New Mexico. During his tenure, the ensemble has been recognized for outstanding performances of repertoire ranging from choral-orchestral masterworks to innovative a cappella programs. A passionate advocate for music education, Habermann has served on the faculties at San Francisco State University and the University of Miami and worked with singers and conductors in masterclasses and honor choirs throughout the United States and abroad. He is currently an adjunct faculty member at the University of North Texas. Raised in San Francisco, Habermann is a graduate of Georgetown University and the University of Texas at Austin, where he completed doctoral studies in conducting with Craig Hella Johnson.
Dr. Betsy Cook Weber is Professor of Music and Director of Choral Studies at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music and is also active internationally as a conductor, clinician, adjudicator, and lecturer. Weber also serves as Director of the Houston Symphony Chorus. In that role, she prepares choral-orchestral masterworks for some of the world’s greatest conductors. HSC recently concluded performances with the Prague Symphony Orchestra and the Litomysl Festival Orchestra in the Czech Republic. Choirs under Weber’s direction have been featured at multiple states (TMEA 2002, 2005, 2008, 2013, 2017) and national conventions (ACDA 2007 and 2017 and NCCO 2017). Internationally, Weber has led choirs to top prizes at prestigious competitions in Wales, France, and Germany. Weber routinely prepares singers for Houston’s early music orchestras Ars Lyrica and Mercury Houston, as well as preparing singers for touring shows, including Josh Groban, NBC’s Clash of the Choirs, Telemundo’s Latin Grammy’s, Star Wars in Concert, Andreas Bocelli, and Harry Potter. In 2013, Weber became the 1st woman to receive TCDA’s Texas Choirmaster Award. She is editor of the Betsy Cook Weber choral series with Alliance Music Publishing Before coming to the University of Houston, Weber taught vocal music, K-12, in the public schools. She holds degrees from the University of North Texas, Westminster Choir College (Princeton, NJ), and the University of Houston.Anderson Chamber Choir, David Beussman & Meredith Phillips, Directors
Bowie Silver Sound Ensemble, Cody Parrott, Director
Chisholm Trail Ranger Vocal Band, Charlie Winkley, Carla Hardy, & Jared Hardy, Directors
Yukon (OK) Chamber Singers, Darin Chapin, Director
Madrigal & Chamber Choir Festivals
Madrigal Festival Participation Regulations
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An individual school may enter only one group in a specific division per year. In other words, a school may not enter the same type of group at multiple sites in a given year.
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A school with an honor choir at one festival site may not register to compete in that same division at another festival site in a given year.
2025 Madrigal and Chamber Choir Festivals
American Classic is thrilled to present the 54th annual San Antonio Madrigal and Chamber Choir Festival and the 7th annual North Texas Madrigal and Chamber Choir Festival and the first annual Houston Madrigal and Chamber Choir festival.
In-order performance time/clinician selection is BASED ON THE ORDER EACH REGISTRATION FORM IS RECEIVED.
American Classic Tours and Music Festivals invites you to perform at our flagship choral music festivals in San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston. Experience the exceptional singing, camaraderie, competition, and clinics that are the hallmark of American Classic’s premier choral festival.
Competition:
- A three-judge panel will evaluate each performance and provide both ratings and written comments, as well as rank each choir’s performance in order to designate first place and first, second, and third runner-up.
- The judging panel will provide additional recognition with the “Performance of Distinction” award for notable performances.
Clinics:
- Following the performance, each participating ensemble will travel to a clinic room for a 30-minute interactive clinic (minus travel time) with a nationally recognized university choral conductor.
- At the director’s request, an ensemble may opt out of the clinic and utilize the clinic room for reflection on the performance.
- Directors should communicate with the clinician about the focus of the clinic: reflection because it is a culminating performance or insights for a future performance of the repertoire.
Concert and Awards:
- The Honor Choir Concert is presented Saturday evening at the conclusion of the competition and clinics by the previous year’s Chamber Division first-place winner (San Antonio) and a mini-concert by the Small Ensemble Division winner at the judges’ discretion. The North Texas
Festival features mini-concerts by the winning Treble Ensemble plus the Tenor-Bass Ensemble if ranked first or second in the division. - An awards ceremony follows the concert, where groups receive trophies for the rating they have earned.
- Additional awards are presented to the first-place winner, first, second, and third runners-up as well as the judges’ choices for Performance of Distinction Awards
History:
The storied history of this signature event began in 1972 when Mary Ann Winden founded the Roosevelt Madrigal Festival with the sole purpose of encouraging quality performances of chamber repertoire in a collaborative atmosphere.
Announcing the new Houston Madrigal and Chamber Choir Festival!
March 8, 2025
The Foundry Church
8350 Jones Rd. Houston, TX 77065
DIVISIONS FOR THE HOUSTON MADRIGAL AND CHAMBER CHOIR FESTIVAL
CHAMBER DIVISION
MIXED, 32 or fewer.
Compete for the Division’s 3 Runner-Up Awards plus Winner and Honor Choir the following year.
+Ratings Awards and Performance of Distinction Awards
ELITE TREBLE / TENOR-BASS DIVISION
Exclusively for Varsity Treble or Tenor-Bass Ensembles of 32 Members or Fewer
Compete for the Division’s 3 Runner-Up Awards plus Winner and *Honor Choir (Mini-Concert) of the following year.
+ Ratings Awards and Performance of Distinction Awards
*Inclusion of two Honor Choir Mini-Concerts will occur providing a Tenor-Bass group and an Elite Treble group rank first and second in the division.
If a two-entry school wins first place in both divisions, the director will select which honor choir concert to present, and the other division honor concert will go to the choir ranked next in the standings.
Click here to see 2025 Houston Clinicians & Judges!
Guest Choirs Performing Prior to the Awards Ceremony
The Houston Men’s Choir, founded in 2014, is primarily comprised of choral music educators who are without a conductor by design. This structure provides more artistic input from all singers and gives everyone a voice in the ensemble. The Houston Men’s Choir has recorded and released two albums, performed throughout the Houston area for junior high and high school students, hosted All State Choir camps, and in 2024 created the Golden Boot Invitational for Tenor-Bass Choirs.
Mission Statement
The Houston Men’s Choir is committed to the art of singing and its positive impact through performance and education.
Founded in 2019 by Artistic Directors Janwin Overstreet-Goode and Neena Taylor, Casulana Women’s Choir of Houston prioritizes works by female composers and compositions that empower women. The choir has singers spanning the ages of 24-84, representing all walks of life from school music teachers to geologists and engineers. Presenting two concerts annually as a part of the Trinity Downtown Concert Series, Casulana programs a TMEA all-state audition piece on the spring concert and invites high school singers to perform.
Mission Statement
Casulana Women’s Choir of Houston celebrates the female voice and its power to inspire and culturally enrich the lives of audience and participants through artistic and educational programs that present high-quality choral music.
San Antonio and North Texas
North Texas: February 21-22, 2025
DIVISIONS FOR THE NORTH TEXAS MADRIGAL AND CHAMBER CHOIR FESTIVAL
CHAMBER DIVISION
MIXED, 32 or fewer.
Compete for the Division’s 3 Runner-Up Awards plus Winner and Honor Choir the following year.
+Ratings Awards and Performance of Distinction Awards
ELITE TREBLE / TENOR-BASS DIVISION
Exclusively for Varsity Treble or Tenor-Bass Ensembles of 32 Members or Fewer
Compete for the Division’s 3 Runner-Up Awards plus Winner and *Honor Choir (Mini-Concert) of the following year.
+ Ratings Awards and Performance of Distinction Awards
*Inclusion of two Honor Choir Mini-Concerts will occur providing a Tenor-Bass group and an Elite Treble group rank first and second in the division.
If a two-entry school wins first place in both divisions, the director will select which honor choir concert to present and the other division honor concert will go to the choir ranked next in the standings.
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Messiah Lutheran Church
1801 Plano Parkway, Plano 75075
San Antonio: February 28-March 1, 2025
DIVISIONS FOR THE SAN ANTONIO MADRIGAL AND CHAMBER CHOIR FESTIVAL
CHAMBER DIVISION
MIXED, 32 or fewer.
Compete for the Division’s 3 Runner-Up Awards plus Winner and Honor Choir the following year.
+ Ratings Awards and Performance of Distinction Awards
*Ensembles of any size up to 32 may enter the Chamber Division
SMALL ENSEMBLE DIVISION
MIXED, 20 or fewer
Compete for this Division’s 3 Runner-Up Awards plus Winner and Honor Choir (Mini-Concert) the following year.
+ Ratings Awards and Performance of Distinction Awards
Trinity Baptist Church
319 E Mulberry Avenue, San Antonio 78212
