THE VOICE
2024 Winter Conference Issue
Conference Venues and Information
Headliner Presentation
Dr. Matthew Arau, Lawrence University
Friday, January 12, 8:45-9:35 am, Paper Valley Lawrence Room
Friday, January 12, 10:40-11:30 am, Paper Valley Lawrence Room
Friday, January 12, 2:05-2:50 pm, St. Mary's Community Room
Friday, January 12, 8:00-8:25 pm, Lawrence Memorial Chapel
Upbeat! The Power Within
Part 1: Friday, January 12, 8:45-9:35 am, Paper Valley Lawrence Room
Part 2: Friday, January 12, 10:40-11:30 am, Paper Valley Lawrence Room
We often look outside of ourselves for the solutions and answers to the challenges we face. Dr. Matthew Arau reminds us that despite the hurdles, we can make a significant difference by tapping into the power within ourselves and our students. Through choosing our personal upbeat and being intentional with how we teach and lead, we can create a positive, inclusive culture by design and elevate the level of learning, performance, motivation, belonging, and student leadership within our ensembles.
Making JOY Your Tonal Center – The 6 Keys to Fulfillment and Wellbeing in Teaching, Music Making, and Life
Friday, January 12, 2:05-2:50 pm, St. Mary's Community Room
Our jobs as music teachers are stressful and it is easy to get bogged down in the daily grind and the pressures from so many directions. While recognizing the challenges we face, Dr. Matthew Arau shares 6 keys to keep the joy alive in teaching while centering our personal wellbeing, sense of worth, and true power to make a transformative difference in the lives of our students. Connection, passion, and joy are just a key change away.
Choose Your Upbeat
Friday, January 12, 8:00-8:25 pm, Lawrence Memorial Chapel
Dr. Matthew Arau shares an inspirational message reminding us that every day we have so much to be grateful for. We get to choose our upbeat, our mindset, and our attitude, and we get to make music together.
Dr. Matthew Arau, author of Upbeat! Mindset, Mindfulness, and Leadership in Music Education and Beyond and founder of Upbeat Global, is an Associate Professor of Music and the Chair of the Music Education Department and Symphonic Band Conductor at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. Dr. Arau is also on the graduate music education faculty of VanderCook College of Music and the American Band College of Central Washington University. Dr. Arau serves as Leadership Editor for GIA Publications, Director of Community Engagement for SLAM (Servant Leadership Association for Music), and as a Conn-Selmer Education Clinician.
Dr. Arau has guest conducted, led professional development, and presented clinics on leadership, mindfulness, growth mindset, rehearsal techniques, and creating positive cultures in 38 states and 4 continents in person. He has presented and/or keynoted at the International Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic several times, the Western International Band Clinic, the NAfME National Conference, numerous State and Regional Music Education Association Conferences, the ACDA Next Direction Conference and ACDA Leadership Conference, the ASTA Virtual String Teachers Summit, and the Conn-Selmer Institute. Thousands of high school students have attended his Upbeat Leadership Academies across the country to develop their leadership skills and reach for their fullest potential. In addition to being in demand as a keynote speaker, presenter, and professional development facilitator, Dr. Arau has conducted honor bands in Australia, Greece, Cyprus, and Malaysia, and All-State honor bands across the United States.
Dr. Arau draws on a deep reservoir of fifteen years of experience as a successful middle school and high school band director in Loveland, Colorado, where he led his bands at Walt Clark Middle School and Loveland High School to numerous honor performances and championships and pioneered the Leadership Symposium. He lives with his wife Merilee in Neenah, Wisconsin accompanied by their sugar glider, Flash, and two Dachshunds, Savannah and Eli. Dr. Arau’s website is www.upbeatglobal.com
Headliner Performance
Performance | Friday, January 12 | 8:30 pm | Lawrence Memorial Chapel
Presentation | "New Frontiers In 21st Century Choral Music" | Saturday, January 13 | 9:45-10:40 am | Lawrence University Harper Hall
Nation is a collaborative vocal band from Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN, pioneered by composer/performers Jocelyn Hagen and Timothy C. Takach. Blurring the lines of pop, classical, a cappella, singer/songwriter, folk and many other genres, Nation’s sound defies definition, and commands attention from the stage.
Expanding on their composing successes, Hagen and Takach are quickly becoming known for reshaping the choral experience with singers around the globe. Pioneers in their field of composing, entrepreneurship, coaching youth and adults, and leading ensembles in the spirit of collaboration, Takach and Hagen bring to the table a uniquely special partnership of lifelong learning. They guide singers through a collective and creative journey, modeling healthy, accessible and honest pedagogy for developing singers. They inspire choral educators to stretch outside the box with rehearsal strategies, programming ideas, improvisation, co-teaching, and crafted experiences to honor and balance tradition and innovation in these fast-paced times.
In addition to bringing Nation to stage, Takach and Hagen were co-clinicians at the University of Memphis Honor Choir and the American International School of Muscat Choral Festival in Oman. In 2018 they presented a program of original music with Minnesota’s VocalEssence, and they traveled to Seattle, Washington to facilitate a workshop of the a cappella choral oratorio that they co-composed, This is How You Love. Each summer Takach and Hagen serve in residence at the CORO Composer’s Institute and have been performers and presenters at the Southern and Central/North Central ACDA Conferences, Iowa Choral Directors Association Annual Symposium, the Music Celebrations International Dublin Choral Festival, the Choral Colloquium at Montana State, and the International Championship of High School A Cappella.
Jocelyn Hagan
Tim Takach
Interest Sessions
Helping Every Singer Find THEIR Best Place in Your Choral Program
Joy Paffenroth and the Kaukauna High School Bel Canto Choir, Presenters
Friday, January 12, 1:20 - 2:00 pm, St. Mary’s Sanctuary
Does having a traditional “hierarchy” of choirs actually make your program stronger? Is the competition to get into the “top” choir in your program good for your students? Or, does it create a feeling of defeat and less-than for those who don’t make it into that ensemble? Are morale and confidence elevated or deflated?
This session, led by Joy Paffenroth and the Kaukauna High School Bel Canto choir, will be a candid discussion with some of the singers regarding their thoughts on this new structure, as well as a performance by the ensemble. Instead of using the traditional model of auditioning for choirs at Kaukauna High School, the students now go through a process of guided self-selection. This has actually strengthened the program in various ways and helps EVERY student feel they belong. This session isn’t just for directors of large high school programs, but for every director who wants to lift their singers to believe they are exactly where they are supposed to be - singing at their best level with everyone in the room.
How Singing Sustains Us: Wellbeing Benefits for Singers and Leaders
Dr. Jenny Hutton, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Friday, January 12, 4:40-5:30 pm, St. Mary’s Community Room
Researchers have found that when individuals sing in choirs, they experience numerous benefits to health and wellbeing. Group singing can produce increased positive emotions, stronger mental health, and greater physical health. Perhaps most powerfully, singing can strengthen wellbeing by helping individuals feel more connected to fellow choir members, to their communities, and to the larger world.
At this session, you will learn how to increase the benefits singers can experience from group singing. What repertoire, warm ups, rehearsal strategies, and approaches to performance might enhance the experiences of the singers you work with? Further, how can attending to the benefits of group singing help you feel more rewarded and sustained by your work as a leader? This session will offer concrete, research-based tools for all choral educators to sustain their wellbeing while harnessing the unique benefits of singing for their choristers.
Jennifer C. Hutton serves as an Assistant Professor in Choral Music Education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she teaches graduate and undergraduate music education courses and leads the university’s auditioned treble choir. For over two decades, she taught choral and general music to individuals of all ages in public-school, independent-school, and community settings. As a researcher, she studies connection during choral singing, culturally responsive vocal pedagogy, and teacher–student relationships in music classrooms. She received her PhD in Music Education from Temple University and is certified as an Estill Master Trainer through Estill Voice International.
Purpose Drive Warm-Ups: Building Healthy Choral Tone
Dr. Jo-Michael Scheibe, USC Thornton School of Music
Saturday, January 13, 8:35-9:30 am, Lawrence University Harper Hall
Well crafted warm-ups are a crucial tool in planning an effective and productive rehearsal. This presentation will explore the purposes of various warmups as they relate to rehearsal elements, including physical and mental focus, breathing, vocalization, tuning, and the importance of singer placement within the ensemble.
Jo-Michael Scheibe chaired the Department of Choral and Sacred Music at the USC Thornton School of Music from 2008-2020 and continued to teach and conduct as a full-time professor in the department until the end of December 2022, and was awarded the title Professor Emeritus of Choral Music. Scheibe served as National President of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) (2011-2013), Western Division President (1991-1993), and National Repertoire and Standards Chairperson for Community Colleges (1980-1989). He serves as a member of the board of the International Federation for Choral Music (2020-2023).
Ensembles under his leadership sang at seven national ACDA conventions, two national conventions of the National Association for Music Education (formerly MENC), the National Conference of the National Collegiate Choral Organization, and the World Choral Symposium in South Korea. Scheibe collaborated with Luciano Pavarotti, José Carreras, the Rolling Stones, Sir Elton John, the Eagles, and Kenny Loggins, and has prepared choruses for Helmuth Rilling, Sir Colin Davis, Michael Tilson Thomas, James Judd, Carl St. Clair, Jeffrey Kahane, and Jamie Martin. Recordings of his ensembles are available on the Albany, Cane, Naxos, Arsis, and ANS labels.
Music publishers Walton, Colla Voce, Hal Leonard, Santa Barbara Music, and Pavane distribute the Jo-Michael Scheibe Choral Series internationally. Scheibe edited and co-authored Teaching Music Through Performance – Choir Volume 4, and Teaching Music Through Performance – Choir Volume 5.
Scheibe is an award recipient of the US Fulbright Scholar in Ireland for the 2023-2024 academic year. He received his DMA from USC (1985) and earned his BA and MM degrees from California State University at Long Beach, named a Distinguished Graduate.
Auditioned Choirs
Green Bay Preble Concert Choir | Kimberly Meader, director
Friday, January 12, 3:00 PM | St. Mary’s Sanctuary
The choral program at Preble High School (PHS) is part of a comprehensive music program and consists of 4 curricular choirs and 2 extra-curricular a cappella ensembles. Concert Choir is the top PHS auditioned mixed choir of 28 voices.
In addition to performing with the curricular ensembles, choral students at PHS have numerous opportunities for enriching experiences including collaborating with exceptional musicians in the Greater Green Bay and Fox Valley region, performing at regional and national athletic events, and participating in the award winning musical theatre program. PHS choral students also participate in the WSMA Honors Project, Solo & Ensemble, and WCDA Honor Choirs and events.
Kimberly Meader is in her 23rd year of teaching music in Northeast, WI. She is excited to return to Preble High School where she is in her second year teaching choir.
A triple certified music educator, Mrs. Meader has taught band, choir, and general music at all levels. Active in the Wisconsin State Honors Project, she served as the Flute/Oboe coach for both the Middle and High School bands. An accomplished pianist and flutist, she is in demand as a collaborative pianist in northeastern Wisconsin for solo, ensemble, and commercial capacities. She is an active member of WMEA, NAfME, ACDA and WCDA.
In 2022, she served as a guest conductor for the University of Tennessee at Martin Honor Band Festival and in 2023, was the guest conductor of the Tennessee All-West Middle Blue Honor Band.
Ms. Meader attended UW-Oshkosh under the mentorship of Dr. Carl Chapman and earned a Master of Music Education from UW-Milwaukee. She and her family live in Green Bay, WI.
Verona High School Concert Choir | Heather Thorpe, director
Friday, January 12, 3:30 PM | St. Mary’s Sanctuary
Concert Choir is the auditioned choir at Verona Area High School.Comprised of 10-12 grade students, this ensemble performs in at least five concerts per school year with many invitations to perform around the community. Choirs at VAHS hold a tradition of excellence within the choir classroom, creating a diverse and inclusive space where each singer plays a vital role. Music is approached comprehensively to explore musical styles, cultures, languages, and genres, and strives for each singer to grow and flourish to their fullest potential. Students are motivated to learn and immerse themselves in their pieces in various ways, including sectional group work led by students, classroom discussions, and cultivating background knowledge about composers. Studying each piece's themes and texts allows students to make personal connections and explore the human experience with the music. We are honored to perform at the WCDA Convention and so excited to share what we’ve been working so hard on this year.
Heather Thorpe is a proud graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she received her music degree and vocal performance certificate. She has done extensive graduate work in choral conducting and educational policy. Heather is currently in her ninth year as the vocal and general music teacher at Verona Area High School, where she works with three curricular performance choirs and two extra-curricular Vocal Jazz/A Cappella ensembles, teaches piano, adaptive music, musical theater, and is the music director of the all-school musical. Before working at VAHS, Heather taught middle-level choir and general music for 19 years at Badger Ridge Middle School. A passionate music educator in VASD for over 25 years, the choirs and ensembles she has worked with have performed all over the Verona Area Community, performed on the Overture Center Stage, have opened for the Wisconsin Singers, joined Stuart Stotts and Tom Pease on their album "Everyone Started Out Small," appeared on Wisconsin Public Radio’s "Higher Ground with Jonathan Overby", performed in the Wisconsin State Capitol for the annual Music in Our Schools Month Celebration and much more. In addition to teaching, Heather is the children’s and youth choir director at the First Unitarian Society of Madison. The choir has grown under her direction from one choir to three, ranging from ages 4 to 18 years. In addition to directing the choirs, Heather is a featured soloist in the Madison area.
She is an award-winning educator and mentor, receiving the Herb Kohl Fellowship for excellence in education, and was recognized as an outstanding teacher in the national magazine Teaching Music. She has been on the conducting staff of Madison Children’s Choir, Madison Boychoir, and Madison Youth Choirs. Heather is a member of VoiceCare Network, served on the WCDA Board as the Southwest Rep, has been a vocal coach with the WSMA State Honors Project, and has served on the NextDirection Committee and the Comprehensive Musicianship through Performance Committee. She is a member of WCDA, ACDA, WMEA, and NAFME.
When not busy working with musicians of all ages, she and her husband, Scott, enjoy spending time with their three kids at various music events, karate events, and general family fun.
Indian Trail High School & Academy Chorale | John Choi, director
Friday, January 12, 4:00 PM | St. Mary’s Sanctuary
The Chorale is the premier flagship mixed choral ensemble at Indian Trail High School and Academy in Kenosha, WI. Chorale is one of five sections of curricular choirs at Indian Trail that rehearse daily. Since its inception in 2010, the 60 member ensemble has performed in numerous festivals and tours across the United States. On six separate occasions, the choirs have traveled to Europe performing at esteemed venues including the Basilica of St Peter in the Vatican City; Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi-Assisi, Italy; Basilica of Santa Maria in Maggiore-Rome Italy; Church of St Rocco-Venice, Italy; Sant Agnese in Agone-Rome, Italy; American Cathedral-Paris France; Bayeux Cathedral-Bayeux, France; Southwark Cathedral-London, England; St. Stephen’s Cathedral-Vienna, Austria; Salzburg Dom-Salzburg, Austria; and Evangelische Pfarrkirche-Hallstatt, Austria.
John Choi is the director of choral music at Indian Trail High School and Academy in Kenosha, WI which is composed of Chorale (Audition Mixed), Cantare (Auditioned Treble), Concert Choir (Mixed), and Treble Choir; additionally, Choi co-directs the KUSD Madrigal Choir. Choi has served on the board of directors as the South Central District Representative for the Wisconsin Choral Directors’ Association from 2008-2012 while also serving on the planning committees for the WCDA state conferences in 2006-2010 and 2013, as well as the NCACDA regional conference in 2012. He is the 2008 recipient of the Outstanding Young Choral Director Award given by the Wisconsin Choral Directors’ Association. Moreover in 2023, Choi was recognized as a KUSD SPARK award winner; SPARK staff are recognized for their ability to impact academic achievement through relationships, innovation, instruction, communication, and professional learning and ethical practices.
John received his BA in Music from Carroll University (formerly Carroll College) in Waukesha, WI, under the guidance of Dr. Mark Aamot and his MME Choral Conducting Emphasis from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with Dr. Sharon Hanson.
In addition to his duties as a choral educator, Choi has served as an assistant football coach. During this time, he was awarded the 2011 and 2017 Southeast Conference assistant coach of the year. In 2017, Choi was also awarded the Southeast Regional assistant Coach of the year. Currently, he serves as an adviser for the Indian Trail High School and Academy chapter of the National Honor Society.
Oshkosh Chamber Singers | Herb Berendsen, director
Saturday, January 14, 10:50 AM | Lawrence University Memorial Chapel
The Oshkosh Chamber Singers was founded to provide the Oshkosh area with quality performances of significant choral music and to increase the cultural and educational quality of life of the community.
The group was formed in 1985 when the choirs from the Algoma Boulevard United Methodist Church and the First Congregational Church combined to perform Bach's St. John's Passion. Several of the musicians involved wanted to continue to perform works that were beyond the capabilities of any single church choir.
In its thirty-plus years, OCS has performed a wide range of serious choral literature, both religious and secular. In 1990, the group performed its first holiday service of "A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols" at Trinity Episcopal Church. This has become an annual event, at which community leaders are asked to participate as readers. Beginning in 1984, two performances were given on the same day, and the concert has been recorded for broadcast on public radio.
In 2015, Herb Berendsen retired after teaching 33 years in the public schools. He taught in Mission, South Dakota, Neenah, Ripon, and most recently at Oshkosh West High School.
Since 2011, Herb has directed the MacDowell Male Chorus of Appleton, WI, celebrating it’s 90th year in 2024! He also directs the Oshkosh Chamber Singers, the Accordo Choir in the Green Bay Boy and Girl Choir organization.
Herb is a proud member of the National Association for Music Education as well as the American Choral Directors Association. Through his involvement in these organizations, he has had the opportunity to work with some of the top conductors in the world. Herb also has chaired and co-chaired the NextDirection project, a national Choral Leadership Conference for High School and Collegiate students for 10 years, and has also served as the TB R&R Chair for WCDA. Herb is active as an accompanist, clinician, and voice coach.
Herb has been married to his wife, Madeline for 38 years, has 3 children, and 5 grandchildren!
Viterbo University Concert Choir | Dr. James Wilson, director
Saturday, January 14, 11:15 AM | Lawrence University Memorial Chapel
The Viterbo University Concert Choir is an integral part of the strong musical tradition of Viterbo University. They were a finalist in the International Choral Competition at Tours, France, and won a second-place national prize in the Johnny Mann Great American Choral Festival. In 2022, they were invited to sing Josef Haydn's Missa St. Joannis de Deo for High Mass at the prestigious Dom Cathedral in Salzburg, Austria. They have served as the symphonic choir for multiple masterworks with the La Crosse Symphony orchestra, including Orff's Carmina Burana, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, and Haydn's The Creation. The Concert Choir's biennial international tours have featured performances at some of the world's finest venues in Austria, Germany, France, Hungary, and Italy.
The Viterbo University Concert Choir is all-auditioned, comprised of roughly 50 singers, and is open to all students at the University.
The Conservatory for the Performing Arts is home to a new generation of young artists destined for careers in theatre, music theatre, vocal performance, music education, and dance. Cultivating individual identity and a proud sense of self are central to our approach. Through our cross-disciplinary programs, our student-centered faculty strive to inspire innovative and ethical artists who create, challenge, and promote change through the performing arts.
Dr. James Wilson is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Music Department at Viterbo University where he directs the Concert Choir, 9th Street Singers, and Viterbo Choral Arts. Wilson also teaches conducting, choral methods, vocal literature, and serves as the artistic director for the annual A Viterbo Christmas performances. This fall, he accepted the role of Assistant Conductor and Chorus Master for the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra’s 125th Anniversary season. He has conducted in numerous venues throughout the United States and Europe, including the Cathedral of Notre Dame, the Abbey at Mont Saint Michel, St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, St. Peter’s Kirche in Vienna, and the Salzburg Cathedral.
Prior to his coming to La Crosse, Wilson served as Professor of Music and Director of Choirs at Wesley College, a private liberal arts college located in Dover, Delaware. For ten years he served as Artistic Director of the Delaware Choral Society, an organization of 100 singers with whom he performed works including Handel’s Messiah, Orff’s Carmina Burana, and Haydn’s The Creation. In 2014, Wilson founded and directed the music nonprofit organization The Kent Chamber Choir, Delaware’s premier all-auditioned community choral ensemble.
Wilson’s education includes a B.M. in voice performance from The Hartt School, a M.M. in choral conducting from Boston University, and a D.M.A. in choral conducting from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His teachers and mentors include Ann Howard Jones and Peter Eklund.
Midwest Choral Artists | Bob Demaree & Jason Troxel, directors
Saturday, January 14, 11:45 AM | Lawrence University Memorial Chapel
Midwest Choral Artists, based in Madison, WI, is a hand selected ensemble comprised of music educators, professional musicians, and skilled amateurs. Its members travel from all around central Wisconsin to rehearse, some as far as Platteville and Fond du Lac.
Midwest Choral Artists was formed around the love of two things: choral music and the bond that is created through that music. The members of this group were hand-picked by the directors not only for their outstanding musicianship, but because they share a mindset that choral music is a personal pillar, holding strong through the ebbs and flows of life.
Bob Demaree conducts the UW-Platteville Chamber Choir and the Singing Pioneers bass choir, and teaches conducting and choral literature. Annual choral area events include the High School Choral Festival, choir tour, and performances of major choral/orchestral works.
Since 1995, Demaree has had eight separate choirs chosen to appear at state or regional ACDA or NAfME conferences a total of 19 times. He has participated in over a dozen commissioning projects with composers such as Ivo Antognini, Susan LaBarr, Eric Barnum, and Eric Whitacre. In October of 2009, he conducted the WMEA High School Mixed Honors Choir and then was asked to lead the WMEA High School Treble Honors Choir in October of 2017.
He was a founder, artistic director, and singer in the Heartland Singers from 2002 to 2012. From 2009-2018, Dr. Demaree served as the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Dubuque Chorale. In the fall of 2018, he co-founded the 36-voice Midwest Choral Artists with Jason Troxel. In 2019, WCDA named Demaree recipient of its highest honor, the Morris D. Hayes Lifetime Achievement Award. He has been named a recipient of the Alliant Energy/Underkofler Award for Teaching Excellence, a Distinguished Alumnus of the Indiana University Singing Hoosiers, the Phi Kappa Phi Excellence in Teaching Award, the Excellence in Service to Students Award from the National Society of Leadership and Success and UWP's Outstanding Advisor to a Student Organization Award. He has served terms as President of the North Central Division of ACDA and of WCDA.
Jason Troxel graduated from UW-Platteville in 2000 with a comprehensive music degree. He was active in both the vocal and instrumental departments, being a member of most ensembles at one time or another. He also formed several groups: Diabolus in Musica, a men’s sextet specializing in Renaissance music, and the Troxtet, a small choir made up of students conducted by Jason. After college, he was also a founding member and conductor of the Heartland Singers, an ensemble largely made up of choir directors who missed singing. More recently, Jason was a member of the Dubuque Chorale. In 22 years of teaching, Jason has taught all ages and levels of general, instrumental, and vocal music. He currently teaches 7-12 instrumental and vocal music at Riverdale schools in Muscoda, WI.
WCDA All-State Choir Concerts
Friday, January 12 | Lawrence University Memorial Chapel
7:30-8:00 | Collegiate All-State Choir Performance | Dr. Jo-Michael Scheibe, Conductor
Saturday, January 13 | Lawrence Warch Center Somerset Room
2:15-2:45 | All-State Vocal Jazz Performance | Matt Falker, Conductor | Jed Scott, Conductor
Saturday, January 13 | Lawrence University Memorial Chapel
4:00-4:30 | Children’s All-State Choir | Evan Bruno, Conductor
4:40-5:10 | Bass Clef All-State Choir | Christopher Kiver, Conductor
5:20-5:50 | Middle Level All-State Choir | Alex Gartner, Conductor
6:00-6:30 | Treble Clef All-State Choir | Erin Plisco, Conductor
Evan Bruno | Children's All-State Choir Conductor
Evan Bruno is an accomplished music educator and choral conductor who has spent the last decade working with youth from across Chicago to bring them together through music. Since 2022, Evan has served as Artistic Director for Anima – Glen Ellyn Children’s Chorus in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. From 2011 to 2022, Evan was with Uniting Voices (formerly Chicago Children's Choir), most recently serving as Faculty Director for the organization, overseeing an artistic staff of 13 conductors who work with nearly 5,000 young people across Chicago in 80 schools and 13 communities.
Born and raised in Williamsburg, VA, Evan Bruno began his professional music career at the age of 10 when he joined the Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums as a fifer. Over eight years, Evan learned the importance of authenticity in music-making and the value of high-quality extracurricular music programs for youth. This unique experience continues to inform his teaching today.
While with Uniting Voices, Evan worked in over twenty schools, co-opened the Englewood Neighborhood Choir and opened the Bucktown Neighborhood Choir, and assisted in the preparation of choruses for performances with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Ravinia Music Festival, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. His choral tours have brought youth from Chicago to all regions of the country, including New York, New Orleans, Phoenix, and Portland, and he has built partnerships with youth and collegiate choirs across the nation. From 2014 to 2022, he served as the Conductor of the Lincoln Park/DePaul Neighborhood Choir, a SSAA program that nearly doubled in size under his direction and has more than 200 singers and three different choirs, including a national touring ensemble.
Evan’s choirs perform music from the Renaissance period to modern choral compositions. He is also passionate about the authentic performance of music outside the Western Classical Canon to help youth understand the world around them and be best prepared to become the next generation of just leaders.
As a teacher, Evan’s focus has been creating a space where each individual singer can express exactly who they are without concern or worry and he strives to create an inclusive rehearsal environment. His teaching and related research aim to optimize the social emotional impact of music education. Evan has been invited to present on his research and techniques to improve social emotional learning in the arts at the Kennedy Center for the Arts and to Grantmakers for Education. Evan was also a contributing author for the book “Winding It Back: Teaching to Individual Differences in Music Classroom and Ensemble Settings.”
He holds a Master of Arts in Teaching and a Bachelor of Music with a concentration in choral music education from Christopher Newport University in Newport News, VA. He also holds Level III Kodály Certification from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, TX where he has also served as an instructor of ensemble and conducting.
Matt Falker | All-State Vocal Jazz Conductor
Matt Falker is a jazz and gospel pianist, vocalist, and clinician. As a prominent jazz choir arranger, Matt now distributes his music through his publishing company, Anchor Music Publications (formerly Sound Music Publications founded by Frank DeMiero in 1988), as well as the music of dozens of other arrangers and composers in the vocal jazz community.
Matt is also the executive director of the Vocal Jazz Academy: a 501(c)(3)nonprofit dedicated to training and supporting vocal jazz educators primarily through a series of one-day jazz workshops for teachers and students around North America, and hosts an Educator Support community for hundreds of educators on Facebook.
As a full-time professor at MiraCosta College since 2006, Matt directs the Downbeat award-winning Frequency vocal jazz program, and is founder and director of the Oceanside Jazz Festival, a non-competitive vocal jazz festival hosted at MiraCosta.
As a vocalist and pianist, Matt has presented featured sets at events such as the Jazz Education Network (JEN) Conference. He directed the Jazz Immersion Choir at the 2023 ACDA National Conference, and also presented a clinic with Cedric Dent (formerly of Take 6). In 2019, he presented a performance of his singing, playing, and arranging at the International Jazz Voice Conference in Helsinki, Finland. Matt has also served as the guest conductor for many All-State Vocal Jazz Ensembles, most recently in Indiana, California and North Dakota.
Matt also arranged and scored a new musical based on the life and music of Nat ‘King’ Cole, which was premiered at Morgan State University in Baltimore.
Jedd Scott | All-State Vocal Jazz Conductor
Jed Scott (he/him) is best known for his genre- agnostic approach to composing, arranging, and conducting vocal music, combining elements of contem- porary and classic choral music with vocal jazz and contemporary a cappella.
He is an active freelance arranger and composer with a busy commission schedule and is published with several leading publishers. His music is performed throughout the United States by leading choral ensembles. He is the founder of the Michigan Choral Commission Consortium, which is dedicated to facilitating the creation of new choral music commissioned for Michigan choirs.
Jed has conducted the Rockford Aces, an extracurricular TTBB chamber ensemble, since 2008. The group has won numerous awards, including gold and silver medals at the 2012 and 2014 World Choir Games, and have been ranked among the top-50 men’s choirs worldwide by Interkultur. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor at Grand Rapids Community College, where he teaches music and conducts Shades of Blue Vocal Jazz Ensemble. He is a frequent adjudicator and guest clinician and has prepared choirs for the Grand Rapids Symphony.
Jed currently serves MSVMA as the Supervisor of the Michigan All-State Jazz Choir. He previously served on the ACDA-Michigan Executive Board and Full Board and served on the planning committee for the MSVMA Summer Conference. He is the 2015 recipient of the MSVMA Carolyn Leep Scholarship. He blogs daily about creativity, education, and music at www.jedscott.com.
Special thanks to Jed Scott for joining the 2024 WCDA All-State conductor team a short 72 hours ago!
Alex Gartner | All-State Middle Level Choir Conductor
Alex Gartner is the Artistic & Executive Director of the Pensacola Children’s Chorus (PCC). Under his leadership since 2016, PCC’s programs have expanded to include 15 unique choirs, exciting summer camps, and numerous other initiatives which spread music throughout the community through innovative means of performance, creativity, and collaboration alongside service-based nonprofit organizations.
A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Mr. Gartner previously served as the Assistant Director of the Cincinnati Youth Choir, ensemble-in-residence at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). He is an active composer, clinician, and conductor, and his choirs have performed in esteemed concert halls across the United States and internationally in China, Italy, Costa Rica, and Ireland. A passionate educator, Gartner is a proponent of teaching people through music, a philosophy which he advocates as a presenter for many local, regional, and national conferences and professional development workshops across the country. He is the co-author of The Business of Choir: A Choral Leader’s Guide for Organizational Growth, a resource for choir directors who seek to expand the scope and scale of their choral programs.
Mr. Gartner earned his Master of Music in Music Education from the University of Florida, where he conducted research to identify successful methods to develop musicianship within the performance-driven environments among successful and respected children's and youth choirs. He earned his Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where he graduated summa cum laude and was the recipient of the 2012 John Leman Award for Outstanding Choral Leadership. He also holds a certificate in Arts & Culture Strategy from the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice. Mr. Gartner has been recognized by Pensacola’s Inweekly as a Rising Star in 2017 and as Best Community Leader in 2023.
Christopher Kiver | All-State Bass Clef Choir Conductor
Christopher Kiver is Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Pennsylvania State University where he directs the Concert Choir and Glee Club, oversees the graduate choral conducting program, and teaches classes in choral conducting and choral literature. He served for 16 years as Director of Music at the University Baptist and Brethren Church in State College, founded and directed The Orpheus Singers, and is a regular guest conductor of the Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra.
Choirs under Kiver’s direction have performed at numerous state and regional conventions of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) and National Association for Music Education (NAfME). In 2017, Kiver led a performance of Julia Wolfe’s Anthracite Fields with the Penn State University Concert Choir and Bang on a Can. He has appeared as a guest conductor, clinician and adjudicator in the United States, Australia, China, and New Zealand.
For ACDA, Kiver currently serves as President of the Eastern Region. He is a former national Repertoire and Standards chair for Men’s/TTBB Choirs, and past president of the Pennsylvania chapter.
A native of England, Kiver has received numerous prizes and scholarships including a Fulbright Award, and the 2002 Sydney World Choral Symposium Foundation Scholarship. In February 2006 he was a double Grammy Award winner ("Best Choral Performance" and "Best Classical Album") as a chorus master for the critically acclaimed Naxos recording of William Bolcom’s monumental Songs of Innocence and of Experience. Kiver was the recipient of Penn State University’s President’s Award for Engagement with Students in 2017. He is a graduate of the University of London, Florida State University, and the University of Michigan where he received the D.M.A. in choral conducting.
Erin Plisco | All-State Treble Choir Conductor
Erin Plisco is the Associate Director of Choral Studies at Missouri State University, where she conducts multiple choirs and teaches undergraduate and graduate choral conducting and literature. She is a frequent guest clinician across the United States and abroad, and has presented at state, regional, and national conferences of the American Choral Directors Association. She currently serves as the ACDA National Women’s/SSAA Choirs Repertoire and Resources Chair, the MCDA student/new teacher workshop coordinator, and is a conducting fellow for ACDA’s International Conductor Exchange Program. Choirs under her direction recently performed at the 2022 ACDA Southwestern Region Conference, the 2022 Missouri Music Educators Association Conference, the 2023 National ACDA Conference, and at Carnegie Hall. She was recently awarded the Podium Award and the Outstanding District Director Award by MCDA for outstanding performances at state and regional conferences.
Dr. Plisco completed the DMA in choral conducting from the University of Arizona, where she studied conducting with Bruce Chamberlain and voice with Elizabeth Futral. She also studied at Trinity College, University of Cambridge, where she was a recipient of the prestigious Gates Cambridge Scholarship and worked with Grammy-nominated conductor Stephen Layton. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Choral Music Education and Vocal Performance with a minor in Leadership Studies from Christopher Newport University.
Dr. Plisco has conducted choirs of all ages, most notably serving as Director of Choral Studies at Pinecrest High School (NC). Under her direction, the choirs received numerous awards at national festivals and competitions, and her chamber choir was the winner of The American Prize for high school choral performance. She has also held positions at the University of Arizona, East Carolina University, and Simpson College. Dr. Plisco is a past recipient of the Colleen Kirk Award, given by southern ACDA in recognition of her outstanding achievements as a young conductor, and has spent three summers as a choral fellow with the Yale School of Music -Norfolk Chamber Music Festival in Connecticut under the direction of Simon Carrington.
Jo-Michael Scheibe | All-State Collegiate Choir Conductor
See Dr. Scheibe's bio above.