CHORUS AMERICA - Key Persons
Allison joined Chorus America as Director of Development in September 2023.
She comes to Chorus America with a strong commitment to the arts, having previously held positions with the Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington National Opera and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She holds a Masters degree in Arts Administration from Indiana University and a Bachelors degree from Cornell University. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
Allison has had a life-long passion for music and values her connection with the choral community. She has sung as a member of The Choral Arts Society of Washington, The Washington Chorus and the Cornell University Chorus.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University
- President of Baltimore Children
- President, Baltimore Children & Youth Fund Founder and Artistic Director, Sister Cities Girlchoir
Alysia Lee is the President of Baltimore Children and Youth Fund Inc. She has a full circle role as an artist, arts educator, teaching artist, and policymaker. This gives her a broad perspective of the arts ecosystem.
Alysia receives national recognition for advancing access, equity, and decolonization with artists, organizations, and communities. Her methods center on anti-racism, creativity, and justice.
She is the Founder and Artistic Director of Sister Cities Girlchoir (SCG), the El Sistema-inspired, girl empowerment choral academy in Philadelphia, Camden, and Baltimore in its tenth season. Lee was selected from an international pool of applicants to the third cohort of the Sistema Fellowship at New England Conservatory in 2011.
In her previous job, Lee was the education program supervisor for Fine Arts Education for the Maryland State Department of Education across five arts disciplines: music, dance, visual art, theatre, and media arts. She supports the statewide arts learning community and advances arts-rich, lifelong learning in and through the arts for all Marylanders. She is the President-Elect of the State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education (SEADAE).
Alysia is the series editor of Hal Leonard's Exigence for Young Voices, the new choral series uplifting Black and Latino composers for young choir ensembles. Her piece ‘Say Her Name' is published by Hal Leonard. She has recent composition commissions by Baltimore Choral Arts, Portland Lesbian Choir, and GALA Choruses.
Lee is a faculty member of the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University.
Andrea Ramsey enjoys an international presence as a composer, conductor, scholar, and music educator. Her teaching experiences range from work with adolescent and children's voices to high school and collegiate voices. She enjoys regular opportunities to conduct all-state and divisional level honor choirs, festival events at Carnegie Hall, and serves as a principal conductor for the Pacific International Young Women's Choral Festival in Eugene, Oregon. Before leaping into full time composing and guest conducting, Andrea held positions in music education and conducting at The Ohio State University and the University of Colorado, respectively.
An ASCAP Plus award-winning composer, Andrea believes strongly in the creation of new works. Her compositions are available with traditional publishers and also through MusicSpoke, a digital sheetmusic marketplace. She enjoys residency collaborations with ensembles and festival choirs, some of which have included: the Allegro Choirs of Kansas City, Ithaca College, and the Crescent City Choral Festival in New Orleans.
As a scholar, she has presented for state, divisional, and national conventions of the American Choral Directors Association, the 6th Annual Symposium on Sociology in Music Education, as well as The Phenomenon Singing Symposium in St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada. She has co-authored articles published in the Choral Journal, as well as the Journal of Research in Music Education. A native of Arkansas, she has experienced in her own life the power of music to provide a sense of community, better understanding of our humanity, and rich opportunities for self-discovery
Andrés Holder (he/him/his), has over fifteen years of experience in performing arts management through his work with Gala Hispanic Theatre, Arena Stage, and The Washington Ballet. He currently serves...
Job Titles:
- Board Member & Singer ( Former Chair ), the Choral Arts Society of Washington ( DC )
Anne Keiser has sung with The Choral Arts Society since 1975 and has served on its Board of Directors since 1988, twice serving as the Board Chair. For twenty-seven years she was a member of the Senior Choir at St. Alban's Church under the direction of Norman Scribner who was also the Founding Artistic Director of The Choral Arts Society of Washington. She received her BA in Music from Middlebury College in Vermont.
When not singing, Anne is a freelance travel photographer based in Washington DC. She worked at The National Geographic Society as a photographer in the Society's Television Division. Over many years, she documented the humanitarian efforts of famed Mount Everest climber, Sir Edmund Hillary and his work with the Sherpa people. She produced several books on this subject including Sir Edmund Hillary & The People of Everest that tied in with the fiftieth anniversary of the famous climb. Anne's photography has focused on public health and conservation in third world countries.
As well as Chorus America, Anne serves on boards that relate to her interests in life, including The Choral Arts Society of Washington, The Greater Himalayas Foundation, The Middle East Institute, The Smithsonian Women's Committee, the National Council of the World Wildlife Fund US and is currently a board member of The Washington Tennis & Education Foundation. She resides with her husband Doug Lapp, also a singer, in Washington DC.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Finance and Operations
Anne Grobstich Erps is the vice president of finance and operations at Chorus America. She has a versatile arts management background with a focus on enhancing the organizational business model...
Anthony has a broad background in music, education, and arts administration. A DC-area native, he has been affiliated throughout his career with organizations such as The Washington Chorus, The Choral Arts Society of Washington, Shakespeare Theatre Company, and most recently the Children's Chorus of Washington. Prior to his work in arts administration, he worked as a high school and middle school choral music educator in Northern Virginia. Anthony holds a master of arts in arts management from George Mason University, and a bachelor of music in music education from James Madison University. He has served as Choir Director for the Washington Metropolitan Gamer Symphony Orchestra since 2022, as well as Assistant Music Director for the 18th Street Singers from 2018-2022, and currently sings with the Fairfax Choral Society. In his spare time he teaches high school marching bands in the Northern Virginia area.
A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Arreon A. Harley-Emerson graduated from Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland, with bachelor's degrees in Music Theory & Composition and Vocal Performance (opera)...
Job Titles:
- Digital Asset Manager
- Information and Digital Asset Manager
Casey Cook serves as the Information and Digital Asset Manager for Chorus America, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience from decades of singing, conducting, and composing for choirs around the nation.
He maintains a busy schedule as the director of the American University Chorus, where he also serves as musician in residence, and as the founder and artistic director of Artifice, a choral ensemble in Washington, DC dedicated to help explore the next generation of choral music by encouraging new and experimental choral works and performance techniques. He also sings in the professional-core of the Cathedral Choral Society at Washington National Cathedral.
Casey was awarded a doctor of musical arts in choral conducting from the University of Arizona for his research into the compositional completion of Gerald Finzi's Requiem da Camera. He also holds a bachelor's degree in music education from Miami University, and a master's degree in choral conducting from the University of South Florida.
As President and CEO since 2015, Catherine Dehoney brings a wealth of experience in arts management and fundraising. Prior to this role, she served as the executive director for development at the...
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation
Charles A. Berardesco recently retired as senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, or NERC, which is a not-for-profit...
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Programs, Strategy, and Development
Christie McKinney, the Vice President of Programs, Strategy, and Development, has a background in arts education and management. Prior to joining Chorus America, Christie taught middle school choral...
Job Titles:
- Founder and Artistic Director, Conspirare Artistic Director, Vocal Arts Ensemble
- Founding Artistic Director
Craig Hella Johnson is the founding artistic director and conductor of the Austin-based, internationally-renowned, Grammy-winning choir Conspirare. Johnson is also music director of the Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble and conductor emeritus of the Victoria Bach Festival. Known for crafting thought-provoking musical journeys that create deep connections between performers and listeners, Johnson is in frequent demand as a guest conductor of choral and orchestral works. A composer and arranger, Johnson is an editor for the Craig Hella Johnson Choral Series, featuring specially selected composers as well as some of his own original compositions and arrangements. His music is also published by Alliance Music Publications. Johnson's first concert-length composition Considering Matthew Shepard was premiered and recorded by Conspirare for a 2016 CD release.
Johnson's accomplishments have been recognized with numerous awards and honors. Notably among them, he and Conspirare won a 2014 Grammy® for Best Choral Performance, Chorus America granted him the Michael Korn Founders Award for Development of the Professional Choral Art in 2015, and the Texas State Legislature named him Texas State Musician for 2013. Johnson studied at St. Olaf College, the Juilliard School, and the University of Illinois, and earned his doctorate at Yale University.
Praised for his "nobility and rich tone," ( The New York Times ) and his "enormous, thrilling voice seemingly capable … of raising the dead;" ( Wall Street Journal ), bass-baritone Dashon Burton has...
The 2014-2015 season saw Mr. Hayes leading performances with The Philadelphia Singers, the Mannes Orchestra at Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Hall, The New York Choral Society at Carnegie Hall, The Temple University Symphony Orchestra and the Curtis Symphony Orchestra. In addition, Mr. Hayes prepared The Philadelphia Singers Chorale for performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra and conductors Alan Gilbert and Stéphane Denève.
The 2013-2014 season saw Mr. Hayes leading performances with the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières in Canada in addition to his regular performing duties with the Mannes Orchestra, the New York Choral Society (with whom he gave the New York Premiere of Jennifer Higdon's The Singing Rooms with violinist Jennifer Koh at Carnegie Hall), The Philadelphia Singers and The Curtis Symphony Orchestra.
In addition, Mr. Hayes served as lead faculty for the 2014 Chorus America National Choral/Orchestral Masterclass in New York. He also prepared The Philadelphia Singers Chorale for performances of Handel's Messiah, Fauré's Requiem and Duruflé's Quatre Motets with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York Choral Society for a performance with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra at Avery Fisher Hall of Ye Xiaogang's Symphonic Poems: Twilight of the Himalaya.
During the 2012-2013 season, Mr. Hayes led performances of the Mannes Orchestra at Alice Tully Hall, subscription concerts of The Philadelphia Singers, concerts with the Indiana University Orchestras, a production of Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore for Opera Memphis, and his debut concerts as the new Music Director of the New York Choral Society at Carnegie Hall. In addition, Mr. Hayes prepared The Philadelphia Singers Chorale for performances of Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky and Handel's Messiah with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New York Choral Society for a performance of Verdi's I Lombardi with the Opera Orchestra of New York at Avery Fisher Hall and The Washington Chorus for a performance of Verdi's La Traviata with the National Symphony Orchestra at Wolftrap.
During the 2011-2012 season, Mr. Hayes led performances of the Mannes Orchestra at Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Hall in New York (including the New York premiere of Elliott Carter's Flute Concerto); subscription concerts of The Philadelphia Singers; the Curtis 20/21 ensemble in a concert with Roberto Diàz as soloist in December; served as lead faculty for the Chorus America National Choral/Orchestral Conducting Masterclass in New York in January 2012; led a Curtis Opera Theatre production of Bellini's I Capuleti e i Montecchi; and returned to the Berkshire Choral Festival for an concert of opera acts by Puccini, Verdi and Bizet.
David Hayes is a conductor with an unusually broad range of repertory, spanning the symphonic, oratorio/choral and operatic genres.
Mr. Hayes is currently the Music Director of the Mannes Orchestra and Professor of Professional Practice at Mannes College The New School for Music in New York City, Music Director of The New York Choral Society and Staff Conductor of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra.
Mr. Hayes served on the conducting staff of The Philadelphia Orchestra from 2001-2011; making his Philadelphia Orchestra subscription debut in 2003 at the request of Wolfgang Sawallisch. He was Music Director of The Philadelphia Singers (a professional vocal ensemble) from 1992 until May 2015 and also served as the Interim Director of Orchestral Studies at Temple University during the 2014-15 season. In addition, Mr. Hayes has also served as a cover conductor for the New York Philharmonic as well as for Sir Andre Previn on the Curtis Symphony Orchestra's 1999 European Tour with Anne-Sophie Mutter.
David Morales, Artistic Director, founded Cantare Con Vivo in 1987. He conducts the 100-vioice Cantare Chorale and 25-voice Chamber Ensemble. David is widely recognized for his outstanding choral...
Job Titles:
- Member of Metropolitan Atlanta Musicians Association
- Member of the Music Faculty at Morehouse College
- Professor and Director of the Morehouse Glee Club, Morehouse College
Mentor David Morrow is a native of Rochester, New York. He earned the Bachelor of Arts degree from Morehouse College in 1980. While at Morehouse, he became a member of Phi Beta Kappa, was awarded the...
David Morrow is a native of Rochester, New York. He earned the Bachelor of Arts degree from Morehouse College in 1980. While at Morehouse, he became a member of Phi Beta Kappa, was awarded the Kemper Harreld Award for Excellence in Music, received departmental honors, and graduated Valedictorian of his class. He received the Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan in 1981 and was elected to Pi Kappa Lambda. He received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music in 1995. He has studied conducting with Wendell Whalum, Thomas Hilbish, Elmer Thomas, John Leman, Earl Rivers, Elizabeth Green, Teri Murai, Fiora Contino and Donald Neuen.
Dr. Morrow has been a member of the Music faculty at Morehouse College since 1981. In 1987, he succeeded Dr. Wendell P. Whalum as Director of the Glee Club. In 2013, Dr. Morrow celebrated the 25th anniversary of his directorship of the Glee Club. Alumni and current students honored him singing Psalm 15; a piece composed for the occasion by alumnus Carlos Simon, and also presented him with a silver, engraved baton for his dedication in leadership. He is also Director of the Wendell P. Whalum Community Chorus, Co-Director of the Morehouse-Spelman Chorus, and Artistic Director and Conductor of The Atlanta Singers.
Dr. Morrow's conducting honors include, conducting the Morehouse College Glee Club for the 1991 Kennedy Center Honors as part of the tribute to Robert Shaw, Conductor Laureate, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, conducting soprano Jessye Norman and the Spelman-Morehouse Chorus at Atlanta's Symphony Hall celebrating the 1994 Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday, conducting the combined choruses of the Atlanta University Center and Natalie Cole singing the National Anthem for Super Bowl XXVIII, conducting the Morehouse College Glee Club for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 1996 Atlanta Centennial Olympic Games. In addition to numerous performances with the Glee Club in the United States including its centennial celebrations, international performances with the Glee Club include tours of Poland, Bermuda, the Bahamas, South Africa, Canada and Puerto Rico.
In 2002, Dr. Morrow was guest conductor for Centro Ecuatoriano Norteamericano's first Festival of Spirituals in Guayaquil, Ecuador, was the conductor of the 2009 "105 Voices" HBCU Concert Choir at the Kennedy Center and a recurring conductor on the masterworks series for the Colour of Music Festival in Charleston, South Carolina. In addition, he has conducted honors choruses across the country, lectured or conducted workshops in public schools, colleges and universities, including the Detroit Public Schools, University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, Cornell University, University of Cincinnati, Westminster Choir College and Rutgers University. His choral arrangements of spirituals and other African American folk music have been published by Alfred Music Publishers, Hal Leonard Music, and Oxford University Press, and GIA Music Publishers.
Dr. Morrow is a member of Metropolitan Atlanta Musicians Association, past president of The National Association of Negro Musicians, serves on the Board of Directors of the Intercollegiate Men's Choruses, Inc. and is a member of the American Choral Directors Association, Chorus America, the Georgia Music Educators Association, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, is a "Friend of the Arts" member of Sigma Alpha Iota and is a member of the Georgia Council for the Arts.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director Emerita, the Washington Chorus
Dianne was honored with the title of Executive Director Emerita of The Washington Chorus (DC) when she retired in June of 2016 after leading the organization for over 30 years. Since September of 2016 she has served in a part-time role as Director of Conference and Programs of Chorus America. Ms. Peterson has an extensive background in the performing arts and business management, as well as music education. As General Manager/Executive Director of the Grammy-winning Washington Chorus for three decades, Ms. Peterson led the Chorus to become one of the region's premier arts organizations and one of the largest-budgeted choruses in the nation.
In addition to her executive leadership role, she sang with The Washington Chorus for 22 years. Prior to her many years with the Chorus, she had a career in fashion as a buyer for a national retail firm. In addition to being a life-long solo and choral singer, her early work experience includes teaching vocal music in the NYC area and in Paris, France.
She has served on numerous arts panels and boards throughout her career, including serving as a board member and an officer of Chorus America. She was also a trustee and past Vice President of the Washington, DC Chapter of The Recording Academy. She currently serves on the board of the New Orchestra of Washington. During her tenue, The Washington Chorus received the Alice Parker ASCAP Award and the prestigious Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence.
Ms. Peterson is a graduate of the Indiana University Jacob School of Music where she received a BA and a MA in vocal performance and musicology
Job Titles:
- Choral Music and Director of Choral Activities, the Hartt School - University of Hartford Resident Conductor, Handel and Haydn Society Chorus
Over the past 20 years, Dr. Anthony Trecek-King has cultivated an international reputation as a choral conductor, scholar, pedagogue, and media personality. He is passionate about cultivating...
Job Titles:
- Chairman Tosdal Professor of Music, St. Olaf College
- Director of the St. Olaf Christmas Festival
Anton Armstrong served on Chorus America's board from 2008-2017, and rejoined in 2021. He is now Chorus America's board chair. Armstrong is the Tosdal Professor of Music at St. Olaf College, and became the fourth conductor of the St. Olaf Choir in 1990 after ten years in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he served on the faculty of Calvin College and led the Calvin College Alumni Choir, the Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus and the St. Cecilia Youth Chorale. He is a graduate of St. Olaf College and earned advanced degrees at the University of Illinois (MM) and Michigan State University (DMA). He is editor of a multicultural choral series for Earthsongs Publications and co-editor (with John Ferguson) of the revised St. Olaf Choral Series for Augsburg Fortress Publishers. In June 1998, he began his tenure as founding conductor of the Oregon Bach Festival Stangeland Family Youth Choral Academy.
Since 1990, Dr. Armstrong has served as artistic director of the St. Olaf Christmas Festival which features nearly 600 student musicians who are members of five St. Olaf choral ensembles and the St. Olaf Orchestra. Armstrong has received numerous awards for his outstanding work, including the 2009 Distinguished Alumni Award from Michigan State University and the Saltzman Award from the Oregon Bach Festival in June 2013.
Dr. Anton Armstrong served on Chorus America's Board from 2008 - 2017. He is the Tosdal Professor of Music at St. Olaf College , and became the fourth conductor of the St. Olaf Choir in 1990 after ten...
Faculty Dr. Antonio C. Cuyler's (Kyler) (He) journey into access, diversity, equity, and inclusion (ADEI) began at Stambaugh Middle School when a teacher invited him to join a program called, Cultural...
Job Titles:
- Director of Choral Activities at Towson University
Mentor Dr. Diana V. Sáez is the Director of Choral Activities at Towson University in Baltimore, Maryland, directing the University Chorale, Treble Voices, and Choral Society. Prior to this...
Job Titles:
- Tucson Girls Chorus, Executive and Artistic Director Tucson Symphony Orchestra Chorus, Director
Dr. Molina has been leading the Tucson Girls Chorus since 2006, first serving as Artistic Director and taking the helm as Executive Director in 2011. Under Dr. Molina's guidance, the Tucson Girls...
Job Titles:
- Director
- Director and Conductor, Chicago Symphony Chorus Director and Conductor, Colorado Symphony Chorus
Duain Wolfe has served as the director and conductor of the Chicago Symphony Chorus since 1994, preparing the chorus for performances with many of the world's most renowned orchestral conductors. His work resulted in a Grammy for Best Opera with Sir Georg Solti in 1998. He also won two Grammys for his recording of Verdi's Requiem with Riccardo Muti in 2010 - Best Choral and Best Classical. He has conducted over 200 performances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, including outstanding performances of the Brahms Requiem for the ACDA National Conference in Chicago. Wolfe also serves as conductor of the Colorado Symphony Chorus (which he founded in 1984) and directs choral performances for the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Canada. He is also the founder of the Colorado Children's Chorale, and for twenty years served as staff conductor of the Central City Opera Festival.
Job Titles:
- Associate Artistic Director
- Associate Artistic Director, Young People's Chorus of New York City, Founding Artistic Director, SoHarmoniums Women 's Choir
Elizabeth Núñez is the Associate Artistic Director of the award-winning Young People's Chorus of New York City, founded by YPC Artistic Director Francisco J. Núñez in 1988. She is also a conductor, choral clinician, soloist, and founding artistic director of the SoHarmoniums Women's Choir. At YPC, an organization renowned for diversity and artistic excellence, she directs children ranging in age from 8 to 18, in rehearsals, performances, and tours in the US and abroad. Each year over 1,700 children benefit musically, academically, and socially through their participation in YPC's after-school and in-school programs.
Since joining YPC in 2004, Elizabeth has conducted its choristers in the city's most prestigious venues from Carnegie Hall and the Apollo Theater to the Metropolitan Museum, as well as on national television, including appearances on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" and "Good Morning America." Last summer, she led YPC to first prize at the Cantonigròs International Music Festival in Spain, followed just three weeks later by YPC's debut in Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival. In fall 2017, Elizabeth returned with YPC to Lincoln Center, where she co-directed the chorus in Meredith Monk's "Dancing Voices" in YPC's White Light Festival debut, and this summer she conducts YPC in the Mostly Mozart Festival's presentation of Bernstein's Mass.
As director of the YPC School Choruses program, she creates and oversees YPC's unique curriculum of music education and performance for over 1,200 children in 20 New York City schools. Beyond music, Elizabeth created WIT: Women Inspiring Tomorrow in 2014, a thriving mentoring program that brings YPC's high school girls together with its alumnae and accomplished women across varying professions.
Elizabeth has led the intergenerational SoHarmoniums Women's Choir since it was founded with just six members in 2006. Based in New York City's SoHo neighborhood, it has today expanded to over 60 women, who perform across the city, from Alice Tully Hall and Merkin Concert Hall to Carnegie Hall.
A sought-after choral clinician as well, Elizabeth is invited by choral organizations around the country to give workshops and performances, including numerous All-State Honor Choirs and the 2016 OAKE National Children's Honor Choir. Elizabeth received a Master of Music Education from the University of Oklahoma and a Bachelor of Music Education from Lee University, where she was awarded the 2017 School of Music's Distinguished Alumnus Award.
Job Titles:
- Board Member, Cincinnati Children 's Choir
- Minister of Music
Eric V. Oliver recently retired as Regional Attorney for the National Labor Relations Board's Cincinnati Office (NLRB). Mr. Oliver began his career with the Agency in 1984 as a Field Attorney in the Fort Worth, Texas office. The NLRB is an independent federal agency enforcing the National Labor Relations Act; it acts to prevent and remedy unfair labor practices committed by private sector employers and unions.
Mr. Oliver is the Minister of Music at Zion Baptist Church, Avondale, the founder of the Loretta C. Manggrum Chorale, and serves on the Board of the Cincinnati Youth Chorus. He was a Board Member of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, serving a 6-year term ending in 2019. Mr. Oliver received the 2014 Spirit Award from the Cincinnati USA Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) and the Wendell P. Dabney award for Diversity for his work with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Classical Roots Community Mass Choir.
He served as a Legal Consultant and Musician for the Heritage Music Foundation (Los Angeles, CA) and a member of the American Negro Spiritual Festival Competition Criteria Committee. Mr. Oliver graduated from Oberlin College in 1980 with a degree in Government and Music. He received his J.D. from Case Western Reserve School of Law in 1983.
Job Titles:
- Director of Choral Activities, University of Michigan Artistic Director, the Washington Chorus
Mentor A two-time Michigan Emmy Award winner, a 2017 Sphinx Medal of Excellence recipient, and a 2015 Grammy Award nominee, Eugene Rogers is recognized as a leading conductor and pedagogue throughout...
Recognized as a leading conductor, pedagogue, and lecturer, Eugene Rogers has appeared throughout the United States as well as in Africa, Canada, China, Singapore, England, Portugal, Hong Kong, Luxembourg, Mexico, Spain, and Italy. Recently, Rogers conducted the University of Michigan Men's Glee Club in Salt Lake City, Utah at the National Convention of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). In December 2014, the Naxos recording of Milhaud's monumental L'Orestie d'Eschyle, on which Rogers served as a chorus master, was nominated for a 2015 GRAMMY® Award ("Best Opera Recording"). Rogers is currently associate director of choirs at U-M where he teaches undergraduate conducting, conducts the Men's Glee Club and the University Choir, and is the faculty director of the MPulse Vocal Arts Institute, a national high school summer program. His past appointments include Macalester College (St. Paul, Minnesota), the Boys Choir of Harlem, Waubonsie Valley High School (Aurora, Illinois), and Anima Young Singers of Greater Chicago (formerly the Glen Ellyn Children's Choir). In 2013, Rogers co-managed the production of the joint CD Ye Shall Have a Song with the Michigan, Yale, and Harvard Glee Clubs, a collaboration celebrating America's three oldest collegiate choirs. Notable guest appearances include the Ministry Branch of Education Inaugural World Youth Choir Festival (Singapore); the Lisbon Summerfest Chamber Choir and Festival Chorus; VocalEssence and the Minnesota Public Radio Harmony in the Park; the Association for Music in International Schools (AMIS) High School Mixed Honor Choir (Luxembourg), the British Columbia Music Education Association Honor Choir; the NAfME All-Northwest High School Mixed Choir, and numerous honor choirs for ACDA regional divisions. In 2015, Mark Foster Publishing began the Eugene Rogers Choral Series, a series featuring emerging composers who specialize in contemporary classical and folk music traditions. In 2011, Rogers traveled to and studied the choral traditions of East Africa (Tanzania) and subsequently published editions of Tanzanian choral music under the Hal Leonard World Music Series. In addition to his duties as a conductor, teacher, and singer, Rogers is the first national chair of Diversity Issues for the American Choral Directors Association National Conference, co-artistic director of Portugal's Lisbon Summer Choral Festival and, in 2010 and 2011, was the artistic director of the Disneyland Hong Kong Winter Choral Festival. He has served as a panelist for the National Endowment of the Arts and currently serves on the boards of the Central Division American Choral Directors Association (Male Chorus R&S Chair), the National Collegiate Choral Organization, and is the ChoralQuest series editor for the American Composers Forum. Rogers holds the Bachelor of Arts degree in choral music education from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in choral conducting from U-M.
Hannah is delighted to combine her fundraising background and her love of choral music as Chorus America's development manager. Prior to joining the team, she served in development and communications...
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder and General Director for DCINY
- Co - Founder and General Director, Distinguished Concerts International New York ( DCINY )
Iris Derke is Co-Founder and General Director for DCINY, a major INC 5000 concert production company responsible for large-scale concerts at numerous prestigious concert venues. DCINY has brought...
Job Titles:
- Artistic Director, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir Director of Choral Studies, McGill University
Jean-Sébastien Vallée is a renowned Canadian-American conductor, scholar, and pedagogue known for his expertise in vocal, choral, and orchestral repertoires. With an illustrious career spanning over...
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Partner
- Partner and CFO, Dorsal Capital Management LLC
Jeff Barnett has been Chief Financial Officer and Partner of Dorsal Capital since the firm's founding in June 2009. He directs all aspects of the firm's operations including trading, systems, human resources, client relations, marketing, and compliance. Prior to joining Dorsal, he was a co-founder,
partner and CFO of Boston-based Granite Point Capital, where he had similar responsibilities.
Before joining the hedge fund world, he was Vice President of venture-backed StarMine (now a division of Reuters Thomson), where he spearheaded the development of new software tools targeted at the financial services industry. Prior to attending Stanford Business School where he earned an MBA, Jeff worked in the music industry and higher education, including as a manager of the internationally acclaimed Dale Warland Singers and as a special assistant to the Dean of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
Jeff has been an active alumnus of Stanford University on multiple fronts, including as co-chair of several class reunions. He has been a board member or advisor to numerous nonprofit organizations, particularly in education and the arts, including Early Music America, Apollo's Fire (Cleveland Baroque Orchestra) and as a member of the Board of Visitors of the New England Conservatory of Music. Jeff is himself a professional lyric tenor, focusing primarily on lieder and oratorio literature. He has performed with many early-music ensembles including Philharmonia Baroque, American Bach Soloists, Apollo's Fire, and the acclaimed cantata series at Boston's Emmanuel Music under the direction of the late Craig Smith.
Jeff's better half, Jamie (Earle) Barnett, is a serial entrepreneur, advisor and investor in start-up software companies. Jamie, Jeff and kids J.T. and Claire live in Palo Alto, CA. Both kids are involved in music and love to sing.
Job Titles:
- Board Member, May Festival Chorus and Board Chair, Vocal Arts Ensemble of Cincinnati
- Chief Financial Officer of the Prospect House, Inc
John Earls is the Chief Financial Officer of the Prospect House, Inc. a not-for-profit social services agency in Cincinnati, OH. Mr. Earls is the President of the Board of Trustees of both the Vocal Arts Ensemble and Linton Chamber Music. He also serves on the Executive Committee of the Cincinnati Opera and the Board of the Cincinnati May Festival. He and his wife Joanne are long-time supporters of choral music in the greater Cincinnati area.
Job Titles:
- Community Leader and Former President / CEO, American Composers Forum
- President and CEO of the American Composers Forum
John Nuechterlein recently retired as President and CEO of the American Composers Forum, a leading national service organization based in St. Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 1975 as the Minnesota...
Job Titles:
- Leader
- Artistic Director and Conductor, Seattle Pro Musica
Karen P. Thomas is a nationally known leader in the field of choral music and performance, as a conductor, composer, and arts advocate. An award-winning composer, her music has been praised as "superb work of the utmost sensitivity and beauty." Her music is regularly performed internationally by groups such as The Hilliard Ensemble, The Vocal Consort of Brussels, NOTUS, and Cathedra of the Washington National Cathedral. Among her numerous commissions are works for the Harvard/Radcliffe Choirs, the Grand Jubilee in Rome, the American Guild of Organists, and the Association of Anglican Musicians. She received the 2015 Dale Warland Singers Commission Award from Chorus America and American Composers Forum. In addition to her work as a composer, Karen is also the Artistic Director and Conductor of Seattle Pro Musica, with whom she received the Margaret Hillis Award from Chorus America. She has conducted at international festivals in Europe and North America, including the Berkshire Choral International, the Bergen International Festival, and the Alliance World Festival of Women's Singing. She has lectured for Chorus America, the American Guild of Organists, the American Choral Directors Association, and the Seattle Symphony, and she has received awards from the NEA, American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, and ASCAP, among others. For her leadership in multiple areas, including making choral ensembles welcoming spaces for transgender and nonbinary singers, she received a 2018 Seattle Mayor's Arts Award. Named the Washington State "Outstanding Choral Director" for 2012, she has been recognized for her "charismatic…magnetic podium presence" and "sweeping vision." She serves on the boards of Chorus America and the American Choral Directors Association, and was a founding member of the Greater Seattle Choral Consortium.
Job Titles:
- Programs and Membership Manager
A lifelong choral music enthusiast, Karyn has a background in both the choral arts and arts management. In her role at Chorus America, she oversees member renewals and inquiries, and is an integral...
Kim is delighted to combine her experience in grant-making and choral music education as Director of Grants for Chorus America's Music Education Partnership Grants program. Most recently, she served...
Job Titles:
- Arts and Nonprofit Consultant
Laura Adlers is an experienced arts and non-profit leader who has successfully directed organizations and projects in the cultural and public sectors for more than 25 years. She recently relaunched...
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Communications & Membership
Liza W. Beth has a background in communications and a passion for working in the cultural sector. She served as director of communications at Chorus America for four years before taking on her current...
Job Titles:
- Educator and Conductor, Girl Conductor LLC Director, Sheldon 's City of Music All - Star Chorus
Maria A. Ellis is a passionate educator and conductor. She is the owner of Girl Conductor LLC, a company that creates diverse music education resources and currently serves as the director of the Sheldon's City of Music All-Star Chorus. Maria is an active clinician, adjudicator, and presenter throughout the United States and abroad. She holds a B.M. in Music Education emphasis on Voice (K-12 Certified) Degree from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. She has served as the arts and administrative fellow for the St. Louis Symphony and has served as the community engagement manager for the St. Louis Children's Choirs. Maria is the host of the award-winning Show "Bach and Beyoncé" on Classic 107.3 The Voice for the Arts in St. Louis and is a host for the St. Louis Symphony "Live at Powell" broadcast. Maria is an active member of the American Choral Directors Association; National Association of Music Educators; and Missouri Alliance for Arts Education, where she is chair of the RIDE (Race, Inclusion, Diversity & Equity) Committee. She holds Level 3 Certification from the CME Institute for Choral Teacher Education. Maria is the wife of Marion Ellis and the mother of Aria, Kendal, and Noah.
Marie Bucoy-Calavan has conducted a diverse range of ensembles, from primary and secondary level choirs, to community, collegiate, and professional choruses and opera productions. Bucoy-Calavan...
Job Titles:
- President of ECS Publishing Group
Mark W. Lawson is the President of ECS Publishing Group, parent company for E.C. Schirmer, Galaxy Music Corporation, MorningStar Music Publishers and the ARSIS Audio recording label. Mr. Lawson has been active in developing digital delivery methods, strategizing about the development of music web-sites, and has been involved in numerous recording projects. As a publisher, he enjoys working with both new as well as established composers. He is actively involved in the Music Publishers Association, and the Church Music Publishers Association. Mr. Lawson has contributed written material to numerous music periodicals and books over the last 20 years.
Mr. Lawson was conductor of The Gateway Ringers, an auditioned community handbell group, from 1997-2003. He has conducted numerous youth choir and handbell festivals in several states, and has been responsible for developing several important choral series in his capacity at MorningStar. Mr. Lawson has a degree in Music Education from Southwest Baptist University, and a Masters of Church Music degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
Job Titles:
- Conductor and Grassroots Organizer and Leader
Job Titles:
- CEO of MTK Practical Leadership
- Principal, MTK Practical Leadership
Drawing on 34 years of executive experience across a wide range of industries, Mary Tuuk Kuras serves as CEO of MTK Practical Leadership and empowers professional leaders through a common-sense...
Job Titles:
- Programs and Membership Intern
Megan Flynn is from Gaithersburg, Maryland, and a senior at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she is pursuing a dual degree in Vocal Performance and French. This coming semester, she...
Job Titles:
- President of the Baltimore Children & Youth Fund
Mentor Alysia is the inaugural president of the Baltimore Children & Youth Fund, the bold hyperlocal grantmaker stewarding public funds to support the success of Baltimore's young people. Lee is a...
André de Quadros, conductor, ethnomusicologist, human rights activist, and music educator, has conducted and undertaken research in over forty countries and is a professor of music at Boston University, where he also holds affiliated faculty appointments in the African Studies Center, the Center for the Study of Asia, the Institute for the Study of Muslim Societies and Civilizations, and the Prison Education Program. In addition to leading choral projects in prisons and psychiatric centers, he directs or co-leads VOICES 21C (Boston), Common Ground Voices (Jerusalem), Common Ground Voices/La Frontera, Muslim Choral Ensemble (Sri Lanka), and Manado State University Choir (Indonesia).
Mentor André de Quadros, conductor, ethnomusicologist, human rights activist, and music educator, has conducted and undertaken research in over forty countries and is a professor of music at Boston...
Mentor Chris Verdugo (CEO San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus) - Chris Verdugo's first introduction to the gay choral movement was at the early age of 18 when he joined the Gay Men's Chorus of South...
Job Titles:
- Director of Choral Activities
Mentor Derrick Fox is the Director of Choral Activities and Distinguished Associate Professor of Music at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He earned a BME from Arkansas State University, a MM in...
Mentor Everett McCorvey is a native of Montgomery, Alabama and a graduate of the University of Alabama, where he received his degrees, including a doctorate in musical arts. He has given performances...
Everett McCorvey is a native of Montgomery, Alabama and a graduate of the University of Alabama, where he received his degrees, including a doctorate in musical arts. He has given performances at the Metropolitan Opera, Kennedy Center, Radio City Music Hall, Teatro Comunale, Florence, Italy, Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, England, and in over 23 countries.
He is the founder and artistic director of the American Spiritual Ensemble, a professional ensemble dedicated to the performance and preservation of the American Negro spiritual and he is the artistic director of the National Chorale of New York City, a professional choir dedicated to performing the titans of the classical choral repertoire. In his home state of Kentucky, he is the chairman of the Kentucky Arts Council and nationally, he is an advisory panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts and on the board of trustees for the Sullivan Foundation of New York, an organization dedicated to identifying gifted young opera singers in the early stages of their professional careers and helping them develop through a unique program combining audition awards with continuing support for learning new roles.
He has served on the faculties of the New York State Summer School of the Arts, American Institute of Musical Studies, Graz, Austria, and Bay View Music Festival as co-opera conductor and co-director of the American Negro Spirituals Intensive Program. He holds the position of Endowed Chair of Opera and Professor of Voice at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky.
Job Titles:
- President / CEO of Diverse Arts Solutions and Minister of Arts at Arch Street Presbyterian Church, Is the Founding Conductor of the Westminster Choir College Jubilee.
Mentor J. Donald Dumpson, Ph.D., President/CEO of Diverse Arts Solutions and Minister of Arts at Arch Street Presbyterian Church, is the founding conductor of the Westminster Choir College Jubilee...
Job Titles:
- Executive Director of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem
Mentor Leela Breithaupt is the executive director of The Bach Choir of Bethlehem. A dynamic nonprofit arts administrator, Leela combines her experience as an internationally successful performer with...
Mentor Molina has been affiliated with the Tucson Girls Chorus since 2006, first serving as artistic director and taking the helm as executive director in 2011. Under Molina's guidance, the Tucson...
Job Titles:
- Professor of Choral Music Education, Vice Dean, Center for the Performing and Cinematic Arts, Temple University
- Vice Dean and Professor
Mentor Rollo Dilworth is vice dean and professor of choral music education in the Department of Music Education and Therapy at Temple University's Center for the Performing and Cinematic Arts in...
Rollo Dilworth: Dilworth served 10 years on Chorus America's Board and is being invited back for a new term, after a year's hiatus. He served as Board chair from 2014 - 2016. More than 150 of Dilworth's choral compositions and arrangements have been published-many of which are a part of the Henry Leck Creating Artistry Choral Series with Hal Leonard Corporation. Additional publications can be found in the catalogs of Santa Barbara Music Publishing and Colla Voce Music, Inc. Dilworth is a contributing author for the Essential Elements for Choir and the Experiencing Choral Music textbook series, both published by the Hal Leonard Corporation/Glencoe/McGraw-Hill Publications, and for Music Express! Teachers Magazine. He has authored 3 books of choral warm up exercises intended for elementary and secondary choral ensembles, entitled Choir Builders: Fundamental Vocal Techniques for General and Classroom Use (2006); Choir Builders for Growing Voices (2009); and Choir Builders for Growing Voices 2 (2014).
A frequent presenter at local, state, regional and national conferences, Dilworth has conducted 53 all-state choirs at various levels (elementary, middle school, high school), and has conducted 6 regional honor choirs and 4 national honor choirs (ADCA, OAKE and NafME). He has most recently appeared as guest conductor for international choral festivals and master classes in Australia, Canada, Taiwan, Ireland, and China. He is an active life member of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). He also holds memberships with several other organizations, including the National Association for Music Education (NafME), the National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM) and the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP). In 2017, he received the Temple University Faculty Award for Research and Creative Achievement.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director of Communications
Mike comes to Chorus America as a veteran of the choral world with a range of experiences in nonprofit arts administration, communications, and education. He has held positions in the DC Public...
Job Titles:
- Vice President and Director of Education & Community Programs, Pacific Chorale
Molly Buzick Pontin is equally at home as a conductor, educator and administrator. Her training includes a Bachelor of Arts in piano performance from the University of Denver, a Master of Music in...
Mentor Pearl Shangkuan is a highly sought-after conductor, lecturer and clinician who has led performances and workshops across six continents. Director of Choral Activities and Professor of Music at...
Mentor Penelope Cruz has taught vocal and general music at all grade levels, conducted community children's and honor choirs, and sung professionally in Illinois, Wisconsin, and New York. Since 2003...
Penelope Cruz has taught vocal and general music at all grade levels, conducted community children's and honor choirs, and sung professionally in Illinois, Wisconsin, and New York. Since 2003, she has been the choral conductor at White Plains (NY) High School.
She was President of the American Choral Directors' Association (ACDA) Eastern Region from 2020-2022. From 2016-2020, she was co-chair of the inaugural National ACDA Diversity Initiatives Committee. She has served as the program and honor choir chair for Eastern Region conferences since 2012. Cruz was the NY ACDA President (2014-2015) after being a Repertoire and Standards chair. In these roles, she has led conference programs, presented various workshops, has aimed to bring quality repertoire to every situation, and fostered diversity of all kinds.
She was a writer on the Arts Standards Revision Committee for the New York State Education Department.
Penelope Cruz is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory and the Eastman School of Music.
Born and raised in Wisconsin, she currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Job Titles:
- Artistic Director, Pacific Chorale Director of Choral Studies, CSU Fullerton
Conducting Academy Dean Robert Istad is Artistic Director of Pacific Chorale and Director of Choral Studies at California State University, Fullerton. Mr. Istad regularly conducts and collaborates...
Job Titles:
- Director
- Artistic Director, Cincinnati Youth Choir
- Founder, Managing
Robyn Reeves Lana is the founder, managing artistic director, and conductor of the award-winning Cincinnati Youth Choir (CCC), Ensemble-in-Residence at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). At CCM, she sponsors undergraduate interns with the children's choir and mentors graduate choral conducting students. Under her leadership, CYC has received the Scripps-Corbett Award and earned a gold medal in the 2012 World Choir Games.
Lana has directed international, state, and regional honor and festival choirs, including Florida (2014), Kentucky, Indiana, Minnesota (2013) Mississippi, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, ACDA Southern Division Honor Choir, and at Carnegie Hall in 2013. She is a founding co-director of the Coastal Song Children's Choir Festival, an annual national festival held in Savannah, GA and Charleston, SC. Her choirs have performed for state, regional, and national professional development conferences. She has presented workshops for the World Choir Games 2012, Music Educators National Conference regional conventions, Chamber Music America National Convention, Northeast Ohio Education Association, Orff Schulwerk workshops, and regionally at colleges and universities and Music Education Associations in Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, and Mississippi.
Job Titles:
- President, Berkshire Choral International
Steven F. Smith leads transformative change for performing arts organizations. As President of Berkshire Choral International, he is overseeing a strategic revitalization of the organization with...
Job Titles:
- Treasurer Chief Financial Officer, Los Angeles Master Chorale
Steven is a senior-level finance executive with more than 35 years of experience managing financial and administrative functions for highly respected financial services companies, ranging from start-ups to publicly held firms. He began his career in banking in Southern California, an experience that included consummating an initial public offering, managing Wall Street analyst and shareholder relations, and later selling the institution as part of the great banking consolidation of the late 1990's.
Steven then served as chief financial officer for a Los Angeles-based commercial insurance brokerage with a long and proud history serving the agricultural sector in California. Its top-quintile profit margins made it attractive to a private equity firm, which acquired it as part of a hub-and-spoke brokerage-building strategy.
In 2015, he began an "encore" career in the non-profit sphere when he joined the Los Angeles Master Chorale as its first chief financial officer. Steven gets great personal satisfaction from applying his skills and experience in strategic planning, financial modeling, accounting and human resources functions on behalf of one of the country's most dynamic and pioneering choral organizations. He is dedicated to improving financial literacy throughout his organization through clear, audience-appropriate communication.
Other non-profit experience includes serving as the Board Treasurer of the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles from 2008 - 2011, an organization with which he continues to sing. Presently, Steven is honored to serve as Board Treasurer of VOX Femina Los Angeles.
Job Titles:
- Membership & Grants Senior Associate
Vale Southard has a background in music education and performance science. She spent five years as a general music and chorus teacher for the Public Schools of Brookline in Massachusetts, while also...
Mentor Zanaida Stewart Robles is an award-winning Black American female composer, conductor, vocalist, and clinician. She is a fierce advocate for diversity and inclusion in music education and...