Children's Choir Repertoire & Standards Leadership

National Chair: Robyn Lana (lanarr@uc.edu)

Robyn Reeves Lana, Founder/Managing Artistic Director of the Cincinnati Children’s Choir, Ensemble-in-Residence at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, has conducted the program at state, regional, and national conventions, and in hosting national and international children’s choir festivals. Level III Orff certified, she teaches music at Montessori Academy of Cincinnati and has presented at regional and national conferences.  Regularly serving as a clinician and guest conductor, she has led many state and regional honor choirs. National publications include American Choral Director’s Association’s Choral Journal, Choristers Guild's The Chorister, and Chamber Music America's CMA Matters. 

Central Division Chair: Emily Ellsworth (ellse@earthlink.net)

Emily Ellsworth has served as Artistic Director of ANIMA – Young Singers of Greater Chicago (formerly the Glen Ellyn Children’s Chorus) - since 1996. Under her direction, Anima has received the 2009 Dale Warland Singers Commissioning Award, the 2008 Margaret Hillis Award for Artistic Excellence from Chorus America, the 2001 ASCAP award for Adventurous Programming, and the Library of Congress’ 2000 Local Legacies Award.  Ms. Ellsworth has also served on the music panel for the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, D.C. and is the editor of Boosey & Hawkes’ Opera Workshop series.  She currently serves ACDA as the Central Division R&S Chair for Children’s and Community Youth Choirs.

Eastern Division Chair: Debbie Mello (dmello@nac.net)

Founding and Artistic Director of the Children’s Chorus of Sussex County, Deborah Mello is the recipient of the Master Teacher Award from the New Jersey Music Educators Association, the Governor’s Award for Arts in Education, and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Master Teacher Collaborative Award, sponsored by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.  A former National Chair of the American Choral Directors Association National Committee for Children’s Choirs, Debbie currently serves the American Choral Directors Association as Eastern Division Children’s Choir Chair for Repertoire and Standards.  Deborah has conducted regional and honor choruses in several states including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Louisiana, Maine, Kentucky, Virginia, and New Mexico.  She has taught numerous workshops on elementary music education and choral singing with children in the United States and as an Artist/Teacher for Doreen Rao’s Choral Music Education courses in England, Sweden, Scotland, Ireland and Wales.  In May 2007, Deborah and her husband, Joseph, each received the Inaugural Distinguished Music Educator Award from Yale University.  Deborah, in conjunction with composer, Jill Gallina, has published 2 music collections, All-American Sing Along Songs, and Songs Boys Like To Sing that can be used in schools, churches and community programs.  Recently retired as Director of Choral Activities at Randolph High School, Deborah teaches the Choral Methods course for music majors at Seton Hall University and is also the director of the Junior Choir at Christ Episcopal Church in Newton.

North Central Division Chair: Karen Bruno (brunok@lawrence.edu)

Southern Division Chair: Selina Midkiff (selina@wvacc.org)

Selina Midkiff is the co-founder and artistic director of the Appalachian Children' Chorus and for three years served as its marketing and development director as well. Holding a bachelor's and master's degree from West Virginia University, Selina has studied children's choral techniques and conducting with such renowned conductors as Henry Leck, Barbara Tagg, Doreen Rao, Sandra Murphy, Janet Galvan, Joan Gregoryk, David Brunner, Lee Kesselman, Ann Howard Jones and Stephen Cleobury. She has been awarded the Artistic-Teacher Certification from Doreen Rao's Choral Music Experience Institute. In May, 2004 Midkiff participated as a conducting fellow in the first ever Chorus America Choral Orchestral Conducting Workshop for the Youth and Children's Choir Conductor.
As an experienced singer herself, Ms. Midkiff has performed leading roles in operas, oratorios, and musical theater throughout West Virginia. She is a member of the National Choral Directors Association, the Music Educators National Conference, the West Virginia Division of the Orff Schulwerk Association and this year serves as ACDA R & S chair for community choirs. In 2006, Ms. Midkiff was appointed to the Governor's Commission on the Arts.

Southwestern Division Chair: Christy Elsner (christy@allegrocc.org)

Christy Elsner, a native Kansan, is the founder and Artistic Director of the Allegro Community Children’s Choir.  Celebrating its ten year anniversary, Allegro has blossomed from one choir of 38 to over 170 singers in four choirs, grades 3-12.  The choirs have performed by invitation for the South West American Choral Directors Association, Kansas Choral Directors Association, and Kansas Music Educators National Conference conventions and have toured nationally and internationally. The choirs have been the guests of the Kansas City Symphony and the Kansas City Civic Orchestra. Mrs. Elsner is an active clinician for children’s, youth, and treble choirs and frequently gives workshops on her innovative rehearsals and unusual teaching tools.   She was honored to be the guest conductor for the 2009 Louisiana All-State Children’s Honor Choir and the 2007 Missouri All-State 7/8 Honor Choir.  She will conduct the KCDA State Treble Honor Choir in February 2010.  She is the 2008 recipient of the Outstanding Middle Level Educator by the Kansas Music Educators Association.  She recently completed Level III Certification from the Choral Music Experience.  She is the current SWACDA Children’s Choir Repertoire & Standards Chair and served for seven years on the Kansas Choral Director Association’s Board as the Repertoire & Standards Children’s Choir Co-chair.  She was the 1995 recipient of the Kansas Choral Directors Association’s Award for Outstanding Young Conductor.   She graduated from the University of Kansas in with a degree in Music Education and received the Marcus E. Hahn Award for Outstanding Senior Music Education Student from the KU faculty.  Her professional memberships include MENC, Chorister’s Guild, Chorus America, and the American Choral Directors Association.  Christy and her husband, Sean, stay busy with their children:  Chandler, Chase, and Carlee.

Northwestern Division Chair: Marcia Patton (mpatton3@uwyo.edu)

Marcia has taught music at all levels (K-12) in Casper, Cheyenne, and Newcastle, Wyoming, and in Olathe, Kansas.  She is retired as choral director at Casper Kelly Walsh High School, where her choirs were chosen to perform on state and division ACDA and MENC conventions. Marcia is in her thirty-second year as director of the Casper Children's Chorale, which has appeared on state, division, and national ACDA and MENC conventions, most recently at the 2009 Regional MENC in Spokane, WA.  Her cross-generational women's choir, "Alla Breve", toured China in summer 2008, and performed for the 2010 Regional ACDA Convention in Seattle.  Marcia was honored as Outstanding Alumna from the College of Arts and Sciences, University of Wyoming.  She was featured in January of 2009 as Choral Director of Note by Choral Directors Magazine.  She is past regional recipient of the High School Activities Association Music Educator Award, and has been recognized multiple times as an influential educator for the Natrona County Schools Academic Awards. In addition to the NCSD #1 Teaching Medallion of Excellence, and National Who's Who in Education, she was the 2007 Casper "Woman of Distinction", honored with the 2005 Casper Rotary Community Service Award, a 2004 recipient of the Wyoming Governor's Arts Award, and the 2002 Wyoming Teacher of the Year.

Marcia is past president of Wyoming ACDA and has completed three terms as Northwest Division Repertoire and Standards Chair for Women's Choirs. Her presentation, "The Venus Factor", was featured on the 2007 ACDA National Convention in Miami, she has published on the Junior High/Middle School Singer in the ACDA Journal, and she has been referenced by MENC as a national chorus expert. Marcia founded the Wyoming ACDA Children's State Honor Choir, now in its 15th season.  Her musical experience as a performer and conductor has taken her to Europe, Southeast Asia, China, Brazil, Canada, and across the United States, conducting Honor Choirs in Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Montana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oregon, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming.  She is a frequent adjudicator for Heritage Music Festivals.  Marcia is on faculty with the University of Wyoming College of Education, serving as Partner School Facilitator.  She is married to Dr. Patrick Patton, director of choirs at Casper College.