Hawley Ades

Hawley Ades was an American, choral arranger, born in Wichita, Kansas in 1908. He died March 26, 2008, at the age of 99, three months shy of his 100th birthday. He was the son of two professional musicians; choral director Lucius Ades, and concert pianist and teacher Mary Findley Ades.

Hawley Ades graduated from Rutgers College in 1929. He was hired as a staff arranger for Irving Berlin's publishing company, where from 1932 to 1936 he made hundreds of stock arrangements for the leading dance bands of the day, including special arrangements for Raymond Scott and Paul Whiteman.

In 1937, he was hired as a choral arranger for Fred Waring's very popular group, The Pennsylvanians, and was a mainstay for the next 38 years. Fred Waring often introduced Ades on concert tours by saying that "more people play and sing his arrangements than those of any other arranger in history."

David Angerman

David Angerman is the Director of Choral Arts at Regents School of Austin. Additionally, he has been the Director of Music and organist at Bethany Lutheran Church, Austin, Texas, since 1980. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education Degree and Master of Church Music Degree from Baylor University and a Master of Music Degree in Organ Performance from the University of Texas in Austin. As a composer, his published works include choral and handbell music as well as organ and piano solos. He has written the music for several youth and children's musicals, and co-authored, along with Joseph Martin and Mark Hayes, Keys For the Kingdom, a piano method for Christian students, published by Shawnee Press.

Gwyn Arch

Gwyn Arch MBE founded the Reading Male Voice Choir in 1971 and was the Musical Director until 2015. He was Director of Music at Bulmershe College of Higher Education until his retirement in 1985. A Composition Fellow of Trinity College , London, and a Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music. He has composed hundreds of songs and choral works, particularly arrangements for both mixed and male voices. He is one of the most frequently performed arrangers of male choir music in the country. He examined for the Associated Board for ten years. Gwyn was awarded the MBE for services to music in Berkshire in the 2006 Queens Birthday Honours List

Dr. Betty Bertaux

Betty Bertaux, founder/director of the Children's Chorus of Maryland, was regarded as an authority on vocal and musical development in children. A former faculty member of the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore and Holy Names College in Oakland, California, she has been professionally active for over 40 years, working with music students of all ages. Dr. Bertaux is internationally recognized and often engaged as a guest conductor and workshop clinician with children's choruses and choral conferences. Currently serving as an adjunct professor for VanderCook College of Music in Chicago, Dr. Bertaux is also internationally established and frequently commissioned as a composer and arranger of music for treble choirs. Her works are available via the Betty Bertaux Music Series with Boosey & Hawkes of New York and Alliance Music Publications, Houston.

Don Besig

Don Besig taught public school music for 31 years in western New York. His concert choral groups and show choirs earned excellent reputations for their performances at clinics, contests and community events. His teaching experience includes work at all levels. He is currently director of music at Perinton Presbyterian Church in Fairport, NY.

Recognizing a need for choral music written especially for student singers and volunteer church choirs, Mr. Besig began composing for his own choral groups. Over 350 of his original compositions and arrangements have been released by leading publishers of school and church music. More than 15 million copies of his works have been sold. He is the recipient of several ASCAP Special Awards in the category of standard music.

Alan Billingsley

Alan Billingsley is an internationally recognized arranger, composer, orchestrator and producer of all styles of music. His work is found in the educational market, commercial recordings, music for radio and television, theme park shows, corporate theatrical events, and he recently completed 10 original songs for the new Broadway-style musical On Our Way. Mr. Billingsley has enjoyed a long-term working relationship with The Walt Disney Company and its world-wide attractions and has often been featured as one of Disneyland's exclusive clinicians for "Magic Music Days".

Mike Brewer

Recognised as a leading fugure in the choral world, Mike Brewer is in demand in Britain and worldwide for vocal and conducting workshops and guest conducting of choirs. His annual tours include the USA, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Mexico, Venezuela, and, in 2010, Poland and Slovakia. He is an adviser on world music to the IFCM and assessor to Mexico's choral programme.

Mike is a consultant for over 20 prize-winning UK choirs, and serves as adjudicator in international competitions. In 2008, Mike led BBC workshops for Last Choir Standing.

Mike became musical director of The National Youth Choirs of Great Britain in 1983 and is deeply passionate about the choirs. Mike's recordings with NYC senior choir and with Laudibus, the 18 voice chamber choir, have won many awards. Mike Brewer's books for Fabermusic include the best-selling 'Kickstart your Choir', 'Warm ups', 'Improve Your Sightsinging (with Paul Harris)' and 'Finetune your Choir'. Hamba Lulu, his set of African songs is performed worldwide, and has over 100 versions on You Tube to date. Mike wrote the song and prepared conductors for the Olympic.

David L. Brunner

David L. Brunner is acclaimed as one today's most active and versatile conductors and composers. His wide and varied expertise embraces all ages in professional, university, public school, community, church and children's choruses. Dr. Brunner is Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at the University of Central Florida, where he conducts the University Chorus and Chamber Singers, teaches courses in conducting, and coaches composition students.

Bob Chilcott

Described by the Observer newspaper as "a contemporary hero of British choral music", Bob Chilcott has always been immersed in the choral tradition of his country. He sang as a chorister and choral scholar at King's College, Cambridge, and after singing professionally in London and also as a member of the vocal group the King's Singers for 12 years, he became a full-time composer in 1997. He has embraced his career with energy and commitment, not only producing a large catalogue of music for all types of choirs, but also working with singers and choirs in more than 30 countries.

Keith Christopher

Keith Christopher is actively involved in music as a composer, arranger, orchestrator and producer. His musical roots go back to Wylie, Texas, where he grew up playing trumpet in band, accompanying in church, and singing in the church youth choir. After high school, he studied music theory and composition and conducting. He holds a Master of Music in Composition from Southern Methodist University where he was a Graduate Assistant in the music theory and choral departments. His composition teachers include Francis W. McBeth, Newell K. Brown, and Simon Sargon.

His music has been performed worldwide by choirs, orchestras, and bands at places including the National Christmas tree lighting, Hollywood Bowl, All-State concerts, and many other symphony and concert halls and festival stages.

Jim Clements

Having spent much of his life singing in church choirs, it is unsurprising that Jim's musical language is heavily influenced by the sound of composers who wrote music for liturgical use - particularly the English trio of Howells, Walton, and Britten - and that the majority of his output is original choral settings of texts appropriate for use in church services.

He has also written a huge number of vocal arrangements for various ensembles, including the BBC (CBBC: Do Something different), Gabrieli Consort, Neil Cowley Trio, Ingenium Ensemble, Sir Tom Jones (Spirit in the room: Charlie Darwin), The King's Singers, Manchester Chamber Choir, Tim Minchin ('Not Perfect', BBC Comedy Prom, 2011), Millfield Camerata, Papagena, VOCES8, and Worcester Cathedral Chamber Choir.

Jim has also been commissioned to write orchestrations for numerous artists, including the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, and Heritage Orchestra

Emily Crocker

Emily Holt Crocker, founder and artistic director of the Milwaukee Children's Choir is recognized nationally as a leading expert in children's choirs. The Milwaukee Children's Choir has received acclaim for performances with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra, the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra, the American Choral Directors Association, the Chiba People's Festival in Japan and the Canterbury (England) International Children's Choir Festival.

As a composer, Ms. Crocker's works have been performed around the world and she has received ASCAP awards for concert music since 1986. She is well known for her work in developing choral instructional materials and is an author of Experiencing Choral Music, choral textbook series for grades 6-12, published by McGraw-Hill/Glencoe. As a guest conductor, she led the Midwinter Children's Choral Festival in Carnegie Hall in 1999 and 2001 and has conducted the Milwaukee Symphony Pops Orchestra and the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra in performances with the Milwaukee Children's Choir. In 2002 she was awarded the Excellence in Youth Music award from the Civic Music Association of Milwaukee.

Robert DeCormier

Robert De Cormier was the acclaimed music director of the New York Choral Society for 17 years. Under his leadership the group became renowned for its high standard of excellence in choral singing and unique variety of programming.

As Music Director Emeritus, he guest conducted a performance of the Verdi Requiem in 1990, the Berlioz Requiem at St. Paul's Cathedral, New York City in 1992 and the premiere of a commissioned work, the Missa Iona in 1993 at St. Bartholomew's in New York City. During the 1995-96 season he conducted the operas, Brundibar and The Emperor of Atlantis in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and at Merkin Concert Hall in New York.

He has conducted the Vermont Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in performances of the Mozart C Minor Mass, the Verdi Requiem, Vaughan Williams's Dona Nobis Pacem, Haydn's Creation, Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, Carl Orff's Carmina Burana and the Brahms Requiem.

Lisa DeSpain

Lisa DeSpain is a New York City based composer of jazz and theater. Her awards include the 2000 ASCAP/IAJE Commission Honoring Duke Ellington, an NEA Jazz Fellowship, and an Aaron Copland Fellowship. She studied jazz piano under Eliane Elias and Ellis Marsalis and jazz composition under Manny Album. She currently serves as Music Director for 60's pop icon, Lesley Gore. Ms. DeSpain specializes in training young voices for the theater. She serves as vocal coach for the Harlem School for the Arts and at Professional Performing Arts School. Her students appear in Broadway productions such as Mary Poppins, The Lion King, and Hairspray. She is the editor and creator of Alfred Music Publishing's new series of Broadway Anthologies for the teen and young voice titled Broadway Presents!

Rollo Dilworth

Rollo Dilworth is assistant professor of music, director of the bachelor of music education program, and director of the choral program at North Park University, Chicago, IL, where he has taught since 1996. In 2003 the University honored him with the 2003 Zenos Hawkinson Award for Teaching and Campus Leadership. Dilworth has a bachelor of science in music education from Case Western Reserve University; a M.Ed. from University of Missouri-St. Louis; and a D.M.A. from Northwestern University.

In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Dilworth serves as conductor of the North Park University Gospel Choir and the University Choir. He is an oft-published composer of choral music, with emphasis in the areas of spirituals and gospel inspired works.

He is an award-winning composer and his work has taken him to the continents of Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. In addition to his research in African-American music, he also serves as Minister of Music at Martin Temple African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in Chicago.

Walter Ehret

A graduate of the Julliard School of Music and Teachers College, Columbia University, Walter Ehret served as an adjunct faculty member of Hofstra University, Manhattanville College, and Teachers College of Columbia University. During the past forty years he taught instrumental and choral music in several New Jersey and New York school systems and retired after serving as District Coordinator of Music for the Scarsdale, New York public school system.

Choral groups under his direction have performed at Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, state music association conventions, divisional meetings of MENC and the first American Choral Directors Association National Conference.

Joyce Eilers

Joyce Eilers was recognized as one of the top choral composers in the country, with hundreds of compositions and arrangements in her catalog, best-selling methods for teaching sight-singing, and for her mentoring of young composers. She received her Bachelor of Music degree in 1963 from Oklahoma City University and a Master of Music degree from the University of Oregon in 1967, where she specialized in Music Education.

She taught in the Oklahoma public schools and in Oregon and Washington for ten years at both elementary and secondary levels and was an instructor at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington.

She was a popular visiting lecturer and clinician, appearing before many state music education conventions and universities including University of Oregon, Oregon State University, University of Idaho, Boise State University, University of Michigan, Ohio State University, University of Kansas City-Missouri, University of North Dakota at Grand Forks, and Arizona State University.

Roger Emerson

With over 900 titles in print and 30 million copies in circulation, Roger Emerson is the most widely performed composer/arranger of popular choral music in the world today. His works include the choral arrangements of Josh Groban's You Raise Me Up, Seasons of Love, from RENT, Defying Gravity from WICKED, Joyful, Joyful from SISTER ACT, Don't Stop Believin' from GLEE, as well as best selling choral arrangements, Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel, O Sifuni Mungu, and Riversong. Mr. Emerson has been the recipient of ASCAP's Standard Award for 20 years running and his works have been performed at the White House, Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. In addition to his work as a composer/arranger, he has appeared at numerous MENC and ACDA conferences throughout the United States and Canada and is on the teaching staff of College of the Siskiyous in Northern California where he conducts the vocal jazz program and teaches guitar.

Tom Fettke

Tom Fettke holds degrees from Oakland City College and California State University at Hayward. He holds a California Lifetime Music Credential in Secondary Music. For a number of years he taught vocal music in California's public school systems. He was a church choir director and minister of music in churches large and small for over 30 years. He was also Director of Choral Activities and Supervisor of Music for the Redwood Christian School System in Castro Valley, California.

He is in considerable demand as a guest conductor, clinician and workshop leader. Tom is also a composer, arranger and producer of music and recordings for the contemporary Christian church. His published works and recordings number in the hundreds. His classic choral work The Majesty And Glory of Your Name is sung by thousands of church and school choirs throughout the world.

Dr. Lynne Gackle

Lynne Gackle is the Director of Choral Activities at Baylor University and holds the Mary Jane Gibbs Professor of Music Chair. She conducts Baylor Bella Voce, Baylor Concert Choir, teaches choral conducting, choral literature and serves as the Director of the Ensemble Division. Prior to her Baylor appointment, Lynne taught at the University of South Florida, University of Mississippi and the University of Miami (FL). She received her education from LSU (BME) and the University of Miami (MM/PhD) in Coral Gables, FL. She is an active clinician and conductor and has held various positions within the American Choral Directors Association, including President, Southern Division and ACDA-Florida and currently serves as the National President.

Jill Gallina

Dr. Michael and Jill Gallina have achieved national prominence as award winning composers of musical plays and choral music for youth in elementary, middle, junior and senior high schools. Their clever creations in story and song have consistently won awards from the Parents Choice Foundation , American Library Service and ASCAP. Their music has been featured and performed on the Disney Channel, The World's largest Concert, PBS, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Sing for the Cure, The New York Philharmonic, The Boston Pops, and in a documentary on children's rights for the United Nations. In addition, the Gallinas are recipients of the Stanley Austin Alumni Award from the College of New Jersey for their many accomplishments in the field of composition.

Greg Gilpin

Originally from the "Show-Me" state of Missouri, Greg resides in Indianapolis, IN. He is a graduate of Northwest Missouri State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Vocal Music Education, K-12'.

Greg is a well-known, ASCAP award-winning choral composer and arranger with hundreds of publications to his credit. He is also in demand as a conductor for choral festivals, all-district and all-state choirs and is a member of MENC and ACDA. As Director of Educational Choral Publications for Shawnee Press, Inc., Greg oversees creation of the educational music products for this distinguished publisher.

At home in Indianapolis, Greg is busy as a studio musician and producer in the recording industry. These projects include commercial jingles, CD projects, Broadway and Disney. He has worked musically with Ray Boltz, Bill and Gloria Gaither, Sandi Patty, David Clydesdale as well as principal pops conductor, Jack Everly and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

Mary Goetze

During her tenure at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Mary Goetze was instrumental in founding the Music in General Studies program and in creating and teaching such courses as Z100. She founded two choral programs that have continued past her retirement in 2007--the International Vocal Ensemble and the Indiana University Children's Choir.

Now as professor emerita, she continues to compose for choral groups, write articles and books, and travel to present lectures, workshops, and conduct honor choirs.

Ruth Morris Gray

Ruth Morris Gray is an active music teacher, composer, arranger, choral conductor, and pianist. She is Chair of the Performing Arts Department at Rosemead High School in Rosemead, CA, where she directs four choirs and teaches AP Music Theory and Piano. Previously, Ruth taught piano for five years at The Master's College, in Santa Clarita, CA. She has been involved in directing adults and children of all ages in church music for over 25 years.

Ruth received her Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance and Composition from Biola University in 1983. She continued her in composition at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she earned her M.A. degree in Music Composition in 1986. In 2004, Ruth received her single subject in music from California State University, Northridge. Ruth is active in several professional organizations including: ASCAP, ACDA, and Southern California Vocal Association.

Ruth lives with her husband Doug and their three children in Southern California.

Marty Hamby

Marty Hamby dedicated his life to music ministry as a teenager. He followed that calling by completing a Bachelor of Music in Sacred Music from the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, and serving his home church, Woodland Park Baptist, as minister of music. For many years, he served on the music staff of First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Florida. He and his wife, Mitzi, were blessed with twin daughters in 1998, and they returned to Tennessee where Marty worked as a free-lance musical arranger with several Christian music publishers in Nashville. During this time, he also served area churches as interim minister of music. In 2011, Marty felt God calling him, once again, to full-time church ministry. He currently serves as the minister of music at First Baptist Church, Roanoke, Virginia.

Nicholas Hare

Nicholas Hare was born in 1940 to keen amateur musicians, and his first musical experiences were probably in the womb! He was a chorister (head chorister in 1954) at St George's Chapel, Windsor, under Dr William Harris; he was fortunate to be in the choir for three major Royal services: the funerals of Queen Mary and George VI, and Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation in 1953. In 1954 he won a music scholarship to Marlborough College, Wiltshire, where he studied piano, organ and violin, and in 1959 was awarded a scholarship to Corpus Christi College, Oxford.

Benjamin Harlan

Benjamin holds Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from Baylor University and the D.M.A. degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas. His career includes vocational church music ministry and positions on seminary faculties in Fort Worth, Texas and New Orleans, Louisiana. His interest in writing stems from his work as a practicing church musician, having served over a dozen congregations. Benjamin Harlan is a frequent clinician and has a special interest in congregational singing. He and his wife, Connie, have three grown children: Katie, Emily and Christopher.

Mark Hayes

As a beginning piano student of ten years of age, Mark Hayes had little idea of the foundation he was laying for his future career in music. From those inauspicious beginnings in northern Illinois, his career has blossomed into international tours to Europe, the Far East, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Brazil. Now an internationally known writer, his music can be found in the music libraries of the finest churches and universities in the country, and he is in increasing demand for choral clinics and concerts.

David Lantz III

David Lantz III is a prolific composer and arranger of sacred and secular choral music, with approximately 700 published compositions with many major publishers throughout the USA. He has written for choir, piano, orchestra, symphonic band, jazz ensemble and chamber groups since 1981. In addition, he is also an accomplished music editor and engraver, church choir director, and regularly performing bassist/pianist/vocalist in the pop and jazz idioms. Having taught music to every grade from K through college, he is recently retired from nearly 32 years of full time public school teaching. He resides in northeastern Pennsylvania with his wife, composer Marti Lunn Lantz.

Craig Hella Johnson

Renowned as one of the most influential voices in choral conducting in the United States, Craig Hella Johnson brings a depth of knowledge, artistic sensitivity and imagination to his programs. Founder and Artistic Director of the Grammy Award-Nominated choral ensemble Conspirare, Johnson has assembled some of the finest singers in the country to create a world class, award-winning ensemble committed to creating dynamic choral art.

In addition to his work with Conspirare, Johnson also serves as Music Director Laureate and Conductor of the Victoria Bach Festival, an annual event that draws musicians and critical praise from around the country. Of Johnson's performance of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, Mike Greenberg of the San Antonio Express-News wrote: "Through all the amazing ebbs and flows of dynamics, the radiant balances, the seamless connection of episodes, the theatrically astute tempo relations, the unified structural arc, the music shone forth with organic naturalness. Nothing sounded fussed over. Everything just sounded right."

Derric Johnson

As a Musician... he has written 150 original songs, 23 cantatas and 2800 musical arrangements, published 32 books of choral collections and has been involved in producing 84 recorded albums on twelve labels.Derric founded and directed "ReGeneration" a touring ensemble of a cappella singers who traveled for twelve years, logging over a million miles, performing to more than 12,000,000 people in 6,000 concerts.

As a Consultant... he has served Church and Parachurch Ministries, has been a specialty writer for Radio City Music Hall and for seventeen years served as a Creative Consultant for Walt Disney World where he has arranged and produced Epcot Center's The Voices of Liberty, America's premier a cappella stylists

Philip Kern

Philip Kern is Associate Professor of Music and chair of the Performing Arts Department of Marian University, Indianapolis. At Marian, Philip is an instructor of music theory, choral arranging, and the history of musical theater. He has been composing and arranging choral music since 1994.

Phil recieved a B.A. in Music Education from Marian in 1979 and a Masters of Fine Arts degree from the Musical Theater program at New York University in 1986. While in New York, he played keyboards for Cats, Grand Hotel, Some Americans Abroad, and Nunsense. He also served as Associate Conductor for Anything Goes, staring Patti LuPone at the Lincoln Center. On the road, Philip has played for Cats and Phantom of the Opera. During the summers of 1992 and 1994, he was musical director for the "Hot Summer Nights" series at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati.

Anita Kerr

Anita Jean Grilli known professionally as Anita Kerr, was an American singer, arranger, composer, conductor, pianist, and music producer. She recorded and performed successfully with her vocal harmony groups in Nashville, Los Angeles, and Europe. In 1956, Anita Kerr's singers won a contest on the Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts national television program. Now, cut down to a quartet at Godfrey's suggestion, the group travelled to New York City two weeks out of every six to appear with Godfrey on his daily television and radio broadcasts. A few years later, Kerr and her singers performed five times a week with Jim Reeves on his national radio program at WSM. The quartet's roster at this time featured tenor Gil Wright, baritone Louis Nunley, alto Dottie Dillard, and Kerr herself as both soprano and arranger. Singers and arranger soon began contributing to between twelve and eighteen recording sessions weekly

Camp Kirkland

Over the past three decades, Camp Kirkland has emerged as one of the premier Church musicians in the nation. He is recognized as the pioneer in establishing instrumental music as a viable medium in the life of the church music program. In 1971, he began the instrumental music program at First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Florida. This program is still a model of excellence in music and effectiveness in ministry. Students and associates of Mr. Kirkland lead many of the great church orchestras around the country.

In addition to being a highly skilled and recognized educator, clinician and spokesman, Camp Kirkland has enjoyed a brilliant career as an arranger and orchestrator. He has over a thousand publications in his catalog and is an important contributor to the leading publishers of church music today. He has the reputation of being a consummate professional both in the creative process, in the recording studio, and in working with church music programs around the country. Camp's love for Christ is evident in every phase of his art. Church musicians around the world have been blessed not only by his music but also by his testimony to the faithfulness of God.

James Koerts

James Koerts serves as the worship and music pastor of Mikado Baptist Church in Macon, Georgia. Having been involved in church ministry from an early age, James maintains a passion for the local church. He enjoys leading people to worship God through his keyboard artistry and congregational worship. James is a composer, orchestrator, and arranger for church music, including works for choir, orchestra, and solo piano. Because he serves "in the trenches" as a church pianist, choir director, and music ministry administrator, he is able to relate to the various needs of choirs, instrumental groups, and soloists.

Keith Lancaster

The heavenly sound of a cappella music is more popular now than ever and today's a cappella music - created by harmonizing voices unaccompanied by instruments - owes much to singer, songwriter, arranger, and producer Keith Lancaster. For more than 14 years he has been shaping the sound of the innovative all-vocal group, ACAPPELLA, first as lead singer and producer, then continuing as producer of ACAPPELLA and the youth-oriented group, AVB. THE ACAPPELLA COMPANY began as a dream in the mind of young Keith Lanceaster. Unusually gifted by God with exceptional musical range in his voice, and a unique ability to compose the parts a cappella - at age nineteen. His album "Prime Time" brought such songs as "A World of Evil" and the chartbuster "Go Tell John" into homes - and hearts - of many. His last release "The Reason" has received extensive airplay. As the founder of THE ACAPPELLA COMPANY, Keith heads up producing the mist unique and diverse a cappella projects recorded, using the finest all-vocal techniques, technology, and vices a available.

Lloyd Larson

For over 30 years, Lloyd Larson has been an active composer and arranger for several major publishing companies of church and school music. His music compositions and arrangements number well over 1,300 published works-including choral anthems, numerous extended Christmas and Easter works, keyboard collections, vocal solo and duet collections, instrumental solo and ensemble publications, orchestrations and handbell settings. It is his work in the local church, though, which continues to be the catalyst for much of his writing. He is an active participant in his own church where he currently directs the adult choir in addition to regularly being involved in worship planning and leadership. He has been involved in church music ministry for over 35 years, serving churches in Indiana, Ohio and Minnesota.

Originally from central Illinois, Lloyd received a B.A. in music from Anderson University (IN) and a Master's degree in church music and composition from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (KY). He has done subsequent graduate work at Southern Baptist Seminary, Ohio State University and Northern Baptist Theological Seminary (IL).

Philip Lawson

For 18 years Philip Lawson was a touring member of the world-famous King's Singers, and was for most of that time their principal arranger. Having replaced founder-member Simon Carrington in 1993, he performed more than 2,000 concerts with the group and appeared on many CDs, DVDs and on radio and TV programmes worldwide. Philip contributed more than 50 arrangements to the repertoire of The King's Singers, including 10 for the 2008 CD "Simple Gifts" which went on to win the GRAMMY for Best Classical Crossover Album in 2009.

John Leavitt

John Leavitt is a Kansas native, born and raised in Leavenworth, Kansas. He completed doctoral work in Choral Conducting at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music. His undergraduate work is in Music Education from Emporia State University.
BR> After graduation, Dr. Leavitt moved to Wichita, Kansas where he worked in television for five years. At Wichita State University he pursued a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance with significant study in composition.
BR> While in Wichita he directed the parish music program at Immanuel Lutheran Church and served on the faculty at Friends University where he won the faculty award for teaching excellence in 1989. In the fall of 1992 Dr Leavitt accepted a one-year teaching appointment with Concordia College in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada where he was Director of Choral Activities and Assistant Professor of Music.

Patrick Liebergen

Patrick M. Liebergen is widely published as a choral editor, arranger and composer, and is the Director of Choral Activities at the University of Wisconsin-Stout in Menomonie, Wisconsin. With music degrees from St. Norbert College in DePere, Wisconsin; the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and the University of Colorado-Boulder, Dr. Liebergen has served in a variety of positions as a leader of church and school choral groups and has appeared throughout the United States and Canada as an adjudicator and clinician. He co-authored Monograph No. 4 published by ACDA and has written articles for Choral Journal. Listed in Who's Who in America, Dr. Liebergen has won the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association Composition Competition and the anthem contest sponsored by the Twin Cities Church Musicians Association. One of his choral works was featured in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's Christmas special, which aired on radio and television stations around the country. Dr. Liebergen's well-received publications, choral collections, cantatas, vocal solo collections, and numerous choral works for church and school choirs, are published by many publishers and have been performed around the world.

Norman Luboff

Norman Luboff was born in Chicago in 1917. Although he trained in piano as a child and participated in choirs in high school, it was not until his college years that he began to think of music as a life-long profession. After attending the University of Chicago and Central College in Chicago, he did graduate work with the noted composer Leo Sowerby while singing and writing for some of the best radio programs in Chicago. In the mid-1940s, he moved to New York City to continue his career.

With a call from Hollywood to be choral director of The Railroad Hour, a radio weekly starring Gordan McRae, Mr. Luboff entered a period of enormous artistic growth and accomplishment, including the scoring of many television programs and more than eighty motion pictures. He also recorded with America's most noted artists, including Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Jo Stafford, and Doris Day. In 1950, he formed Walton Music Corporation to make his works available in printed form.

Kerry Marsh

Kerry Marsh is a composer and arranger specializing in contemporary music for vocal jazz ensembles. In high demand as a commissioned arranger for many of the nation's top educational vocal and instrumental jazz ensembles, Marsh has a large and varied catalog of music performed regularly around the world. Kerry has published arrangements through UNC Jazz Press and Sound Music Publications.

Along with his wife and musical collaborator Julia Dollison, Kerry released his highly ambitious debut album, Vertical Voices: The Music of Maria Schneider, in March 2010 through ArtistShare. Endorsed by the Grammy-winning composer herself and funded largely through fan contributions, the album features Schneider's music as written for her jazz orchestra, but with the horn parts entirely sung, and the rhythm section consisting of Frank Kimbrough, Ben Monder, Jay Anderson and Clarence Penn (all current members of The Maria Schneider Orchestra).

Yumiko Matsuoka

Yumiko Matsuoka was born in Tokyo, Japan, and grew up there as well as in London, UK. She started studying piano at an early age, and was quickly drawn to the magic of chords. Yumiko's passion for great harmony was developed further in the high school choir, band for musical "Godspell," encounter with the music of the Singers Unlimited as well as many other composers/arrangers in a wide range of genres. Yumiko came to the US in 1986 to study at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. She founded a cappella ensemble Vox One in 1988 to realize her dream of writing for and singing in such a group. Vox One released five albums, won numerous awards, and established themselves as one of the pioneers in the world of a cappella music. Her arrangements are available through the University of Northern Colorado Jazz Press. Yumiko's arrangements are unique - she takes a song and reveals a layer of emotions that may not have been apparent in the original. Fans and performers of her music span the globe from Australia, Europe to the Americas and Japan. Yumiko is a professor in ear training at her alma mater Berklee, and keeps herself busy with workshops/coaching including the Western Wind's summer sessions at Smith College in Northampton, MA.

Charles McCartha

Charles McCartha is Director of Music Ministries at the First United Methodist Church of Tallassee, Alabama where he has served since 1993. Charles has a passionate love for creating music God can use as a blessing to those who hear it. Throughout his music ministry, he has enjoyed composing and arranging a variety of styles of music.

Charles studied piano and organ with Dr. John W. Tamblyn and voice and vocal coaching techniques with Dr. Jeff Gilbreath, both of Auburn University. In addition, he has studied theory and composition with Dr. Jamie Henke of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, DCS. He is a member of The Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts as well as The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) and is a recipient of the ASCAP Plus award. His work has been published by Shawnee Press, Hope Publishing Co. and Abingdon Press. His anthem, "What Feast Will You Bring?" was performed at the 2011 General Assembly of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

Mary McDonald

Mary McDonald is well-known in sacred music. With a career that spans over forty years, her songs appear in the catalogs of every major publisher of church music. More than 1200 compositions through anthems, seasonal musicals and keyboard collections testify to her significant contribution to church music. No stranger to glass ceilings, her energy and charisma served her well when Mary became the first woman President of the Southern Baptist Church Music Conference. She recently retired from serving 36 years as accompanist for the Tennessee Men's Chorale, touring internationally to Brazil, England, Wales, and Italy.

Cristi Cary Miller

Cristi Miller is highly regarded across the United States as a master teacher, conductor and composer. After graduating from Oklahoma State University, she began her teaching career instructing grades 7-12. She eventually moved to the Putnam City School system in 1989 where she worked in the elementary classroom for 21 years. During her time at Putnam City, she was the co-director of the Putnam City Honor Choir. This chorus was highly regarded in their area, winning many honors at festivals and competitions.

Cristi has served as the Elementary Representative on the Oklahoma Choral Directors Association Board of Directors as well as the Elementary Vice President and President for the Oklahoma Music Educators Association. Along with her educational responsibilities, Mrs. Miller authors and co-authors a column for a national music magazine entitled Music Express! and was a contributing writer for the Macmillan McGraw-Hill music textbook series, Spotlight on Music.

David Mooney

David Mooney was born in Sligo, Ireland. He began piano studies at the age of four and at twelve won a scholarship to the Schola Cantorum at St. Finian's College in Mullinger, Ireland where he studied piano, organ, and composition. Mooney continued his studies at the National University of Ireland at Maynooth, receiving a BA in Music and French and an MA in Music. Subsequently, he completed the PhD degree in Musicology in 1999 at the University College, Dublin.

In 1988, Mooney joined the staff of Ireland's largest music institution, the Conservatory of Music and Drama at the Dublin Institute of Technology. He has lectured in piano and academic studies at the graduate and postgraduate levels and is particularly committed to teacher education. A contributor to the latest edition of the New Groves Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Mooney is currently Head of the Department of Keyboard Studies.

Jacob Narverud

Jacob Narverud is an American Composer, Arranger, and Orchestrator. Dr. Narverud is a frequent guest conductor/clinician for choral festivals and all-state choirs across the country and is the Founder/Artistic Director of the Tallgrass Chamber Choir. As a sought-after composer, Narverud has been commissioned to write new works for a variety of choral ensembles and organizations. Many of his Editors' Choice compositions are publisher best-sellers and are performed worldwide by choirs of all levels.

Brad Nix

Brad Nix is a widely-recognized composer, orchestrator, and arranger, and has written for many of the nation's major publishers. He currently serves as Choral and Keyboard Editor for the Lorenz Corporation, and has well over 200 choral pieces in print, as well as many piano folios and orchestrations.

Brad frequently travels throughout the country as a clinician for reading sessions and conferences, and his music has been heard in venues ranging from Carnegie Hall in New York City to the famed St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church in central London, as well as countless churches all over the world.

Brad received his DMA degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He and his wife, Pattie, along with their three children, are proud to make their home in Bastrop, TX.

Ryan O'Connell

Ryan O'Connell is in demand as a composer, arranger, orchestrator, music director, and conductor. His music has been heard worldwide in a variety of venues: in film, on stage, and in the concert hall. He is perhaps most widely known for his popular choral arrangements for Shawnee Press and Alfred, which continue to top sales charts around the country. He has worked with many notable artists including Bette Midler, Michael Buble, Megan Hilty, Jon McLaughlin, Marc Shaiman, Randy Rainbow, Teri Hatcher, Dane Cook, Bebe Neuwirth, and Curtis Moore, among many others.