 Simon Carrington, High School SATB Chorus
Simon Carrington has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in music, performing as singer, double bass player and conductor, first in the UK where he was born, and more recently in the USA. From 2003 to 2009 he was professor of choral conducting at Yale University and director of the Yale Schola Cantorum, a 24-voice chamber choir which he brought to national and now international prominence, attracting the interest of his successor, Masaaki Suzuki, director of the Bach Collegium Japan. During his Yale tenure he led the introduction of a new graduate voice degree for singers specializing in oratorio, early music and chamber ensemble, and, with his faculty colleagues, he guided two Yale graduate students to their first prize wins in consecutive conducting competitions at American Choral Directors Association National Conventions. From 2001 until his Yale appointment, he was director of choral activities at the New England Conservatory, Boston, where he was selected by the students for the Krasner Teaching Excellence Award, and from 1994 to 2001 he held a similar position at the University of Kansas.
Now a Yale professor emeritus, he maintains an active schedule as a freelance conductor and choral clinician, leading workshops and master classes round the world including two recorded on commercial DVD - at Westminster Choir College in the US (GIA) and at the Three Choirs Festival in the UK (Masterclass Media Foundation). He has conducted the Monteverdi Vespers in Barcelona, the Fauré Requiem in Chicago and New York, Handel's Messiah in Dublin, Rachmaninov Vespers in Victoria, Canada, and Prokofiev's Alexander Nevski in Poland. He is a regular guest conductor at the Monteverdi Choir Festival in Budapest and the Tokyo Cantat in Japan and leads annual conducting courses at the Chamber Choir Festival in Sarteano (Italy), and the Yale Summer Festival in Norfolk, Connecticut. This season he has conducting engagements in England, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Japan, South America and New Zealand as well as his customary round of performances in the US, and he gathers together his own ensemble, the Simon Carrington Chamber Singers for concerts and recordings.
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 Jonathan Reed, High School TTBB Chorus
Jonathan Reed is professor of music and associate director of choral programs at the Michigan State University College of Music.
He also conducts the State Singers, the Men's Glee Club, and teaches Ensemble Conducting and Secondary Choral Methods. During the summer, Reed teaches graduate courses in Choral Conducting and Choral Methods. In addition, he supervises the directed teaching experiences of undergraduate choral education majors. In 1999, the Associated Students of MSU presented him with the “Outstanding Faculty Award.”
Reed enjoys an active professional status as an adjudicator and clinician, conducting festivals and all-state choruses throughout the United States. In the coming year, he will conduct All-State and Honor Choruses in Texas, Indiana, Missouri and for the Northwest Division of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). As the National ACDA Repertoire and Standards Chair for Male Chorus and a board member of the Intercollegiate Male Choruses Inc., Reed is recognized across America for his leadership in men's choral music. Under his direction, the MSU Men's Glee Club has completed three European tours, and been an invited participant in the Midwest Music Conference in Ann Arbor, the 1998 Central Division Convention of ACDA in Detroit, and ACDA National Conventions in Chicago (1999) and San Antonio (2001). Most recently, the Men's Glee Club was invited to participate in America Cantat IV, one of only two American choirs invited to participate in America Cantat IV in Mexico City. |
 Sandra Snow, High School SSA Chorus
As conductor, teacher, and scholar, Sandra Snow's work spans a wide variety of ages, abilities, and musics. She holds appointments in conducting and music education at the MSU College of Music, where she interacts with undergraduate and graduate students in the areas of conducting, choral pedagogy, and choral singing. She is a past recipient of the MSU Teacher-Scholar Award.
Snow conducts the Michigan State University Women's Chamber Ensemble, a group that has appeared at consecutive conferences of the American Choral Directors Association (National Conference 2009; Central Division 2008). She has held a principal residency with the Pacific International Children's Choir Festival and made guest conducting appearances with the 2009 Texas All-State Mixed Choir, the 2010 Southern Division Honor Children's Choir, and the New Jersey All-State Women's Choir. Snow has appeared as a headline clinician at various ACDA conferences, most recently Washington, Alabama, and Kansas. Upcoming guest conducting appearances include the Missouri and Montana All-State Mixed Choirs, the Minnesota All-State Women's Choir, and interest sessions at the 2011 national conference of the American Choral Directors Association.
Snow is author of the DVD " Conducting-Teaching: Real World Strategies for Success" published by GIA (2009), a resource for conductor-teachers at all levels of teaching. She edits the choral music series In High Voice published by Boosey & Hawkes and is a member of the Choral Music Experience Choral Teacher Certification Board. |
 Dr. Keith Hampton, Middle School Mixed Chorus
Dr. Keith Hampton (affectionately known as "Doc") is a conductor, composer, educator, church musician,
organ performer, adjudicator, and workshop clinician. He is the Founder and Artistic Director of Chicago
Community Chorus (CCC). In addition, he is the Director of Music of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Country
Club Hills, Illinois and president of Dr. KT Productions, Inc., Chicago, Illinois.
Classically trained as an organist and as a conductor, Dr. Hampton has taught students from nursery
through college levels, served as Director of Music at churches of various denominations and is often
sought after as a guest conductor and workshop clinician throughout the US, Germany, Trinidad,
and Africa. In October of 2010, the North Central American Choral Directors Association selected Dr.
Hampton as one of the top 25 Contemporary Composers "whose composition, Praise His Holy Name,
should be standard repertoire for choirs today and for the next 25 years."
Keith Hampton has guest-conducted the Virginia All State Honors' Choir, the Georgia All State Collegiate
Chorus, Rhode Island All-State Chorus, ACDA's Eastern Division High School Honor's Choir, Baltimore
All-County High School Chorus, and the Pennsylvania Region I & VI High School Choirs.
Dr. Hampton earned a Bachelor of Music Education Degree from Westminster Choir College, Princeton,
New Jersey; a Master of Arts Degree from Marywood University, Scranton, Pennsylvania; and a Doctor of
Music Degree in Church Music from Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois. He was twice chosen as
one of 14conductors to participate in the Oregon Bach Festival Conducting Master classes. The festival
is held at the University of Oregon under the direction of Helmuth Rilling and Thomas Somerville. He also
was chosen to conduct in an a cappella music workshop sponsored by Chorus America.
At Dr. K.T. Productions, Inc., he provides music transcriptions of Black Gospel Music with the use of
Finale by Coda Music, he has produced the CD, Celebrate (2009), and has published the book, Praise
His Holy Name … And Other Songs in the Gospel Style, for release in the spring of 2011. As a published
composer, Dr. Hampton’s arrangements of Spirituals and Gospel Songs can be found at Augsburg
Fortress Press, Choristers Guild, earthsongs Publications, Hinshaw Music and Dr. K.T. Productions. |
 Joy Ondra Hirokawa, Middle School Treble Chorus
Joy Ondra Hirokawa is the founder and Artistic Director of The Bel Canto Children’s
Chorus. She earned a Bachelors degree with honors in Music Education from Temple
University, Philadelphia, PA and a Masters degree in Choral Conducting, also from
Temple University. She has completed postgraduate work in children’s choral
conducting and is currently a DMA student in Music Education at Boston University,
nearing completion of her studies. She was a Conducting Fellow at the first Chorus
America Orchestral Conducting Workshop for Children’s Choir Directors in 2004, and
was a conducting Associate at the 2006 Chorus America Choral-Orchestral Conducting
Masterclass. Mrs. Hirokawa is a frequent guest conductor and clinician, presenting
regularly at NAfME and PMEA conferences and conducting numerous honors choirs,
including the ACDA-PA All State Middle School Honors Choir in 2007 and the ACDA-PA All State Women’s Honor Choir in 2008. Under her direction, The Bel Canto
Children’s Chorus has performed locally, nationally and internationally, and has appeared
at ACDA, NAfME, and PMEA conferences. Mrs. Hirokawa is also a published arranger,
specializing in authentic jazz arrangements for treble voices. Mrs. Hirokawa is currently
Visiting Professor of Music Education at Moravian College in Bethlehem, PA, following
20 years of public school teaching.
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