VT-ACDA Officers

President Frank Whitcomb 12 Stone Drive Colchester, VT 05446 802.878.7494 FACM [@] aol.com Frank Whitcomb has taught in the Burlington Public Schools in Vermont for 10 years, teaching classes in AP Music Theory and Music Literature. He also conducts the Concert Chorus and the select 16 voice Madrigal Singers, and has also acted as rehearsal accompanist or orchestra conductor of the annual musical productions at Burlington High School. Prior to teaching at Burlington, Frank taught for 21 years at Colchester High School in Colchester, Vermont. Frank has been very active in music organizations over the years and was for many years the manager of the Champlain Valley District Choral Festival. He has managed the Vermont All State Music Festival Chorus and Orchestra and has managed the New England Music Festival Chorus for eight years. He has been active as an accompanist for many young musicians and presently acts as the long standing accompanist for the Colchester Community Chorus. Presently, Frank is serving the first of four years as President of the New England Music Festival and his second as President-Elect of the Vermont chapter of the American Choral Director’s Association.

Past-President Donna Costes PO Box 1051 St. Albans, VT 05478 802.524.9063 dcsing2 [@] hotmail.com Donna Thompson Costes, currently in her second year as Vermont ACDA president, is also enjoying her 50th year as church organist and choir director, and her role as President and CEO of Champlain Music, Inc. a retail business in its tenth year. During her 35 years as a music educator in St. Albans, Vermont, her students were well-represented in All-State, New England and ACDA Honor choirs. She served as Vermont All- State Festival Chairperson, as executive board member of VMEA and several terms as Vermont ACDA President and Treasurer. She received her education at Boston University School for the Arts, Florida State University and was privileged to attend many seminars with the finest choral conductors in the country including Allen Lannom, Robert Shaw, Robert Page, David Willcocks, Rodney Eichenberger, Dale Warland and others. In addition, she served the community as conductor of the Champlain Chorus, Champlain Voices for high school students, and Champlain Children’s Chorus.

Treasurer Allyson Ledoux 360 Accorn Lane Shelburne, VT 05482, 802.985.2403 allysings [@] aol.com Allyson Ledoux has been a Vermont music educator for more than thirty years. She is a graduate of the University of Vermont, Lesley University and received her Kodaly Certification from the Hartt School of Music. Ms Ledoux has inspired young singers throughout her career to achieve their goals as fine vocalists and choral singers and is proud to have sponsored many of them at numerous festivals and honors choirs. She is often asked to adjudicate students as part of the Allstate Music Festival and has been an invited guest conductor at various district music festivals. Allyson presently teaches at Charlotte Central School. Allyson has served her music colleagues in many capacities. She is past-president of the Vermont Choral Directors Association and is presently the conference chair for the Vermont Music Educators Association. She also serves as the VT-ACDA treasurer and membership chair and the chair of the VMEA District III. Allyson was the 2006 recipient of the Vermont Music Teacher of the Year award. She resides in Shelburne with her husband, Bill.

Secretary Karen Jordan 244 Upper Meadow Lane Charlotte, VT 05445 802.425.6497 akkcjordan [@] aol.com Karen Jordan is now in her tenth year as choral director at Vergennes Union High School where she leads the middle school chorus, high school concert choir and select choir. In addition, she teaches piano and voice classes as well as music theory and history. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Mount Holyoke College and went on to earn a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music. She has appeared as soprano soloist with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, New Hampshire Symphony, the Burlington Choral Society and the UVM Concert Choir and the Monadnock Music Festival. Ms. Jordan has been active as an adjudicator at district and state level festival auditions and has served as an adjunct vocal instructor at the University of Vermont, Notre Dame College and Brevard Community College.

Vermont Repertoire & Standards Chairs

"The Choral Repertoire and Standards Committee shall seek to improve the quality of choral performance and literature in the United States" ~Article XIII, Section 4, ACDA Bylaws

Children and Middle School Choirs Susan Cherry 49 Frost Ave. St. Johnsbury, VT 05819 802.748.2538 cherrysam [@] kingcon.com Susan Cherry lives in St. Johnsbury, VT and has been teaching general and choral music as well as theater in the St. Johnsbury School District for over twenty five years. She recently went on sabbatical to continue her research in new techniques of integrating the arts into all subject areas. In addition to teaching, however, she has written children’s musicals; taught voice, piano and guitar privately in her home; directed the Lebanon Community Chorus in New Hampshire; and played the organ for several services each weekend. She is a frequently requested guest conductor at children’s and middle school music festivals around New England. Susan holds a Master of Music Education degree from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ and has conducted workshops for various music and arts conferences around Vermont and New Hampshire. In addition to her interests in music, Susan volunteers for the American Field Service Intercultural Programs. She has been recognized as UVM Teacher of the Year, Outstanding Music Educator by the Vermont Alliance for Arts Educators, serves as the Repertoire and Standards Chair for Children’s and Middle School Music for the Vermont Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association and is the General Music Chair for the Vermont Music Educator’s Association.

College and University Choirs Ron Sherwin 33 French Settlement Rd Castleton State College Music Dept Castleton, VT 05735 Ronald.Sherwin [@] castleton.edu

Community Choirs Alan Rowe 276 Old Prue Rd St. Johnsbury, VT 05819 802.748.5027 arowe [@] stja.com

High School Choirs Glory Douglass Reinstein 362 Braeloch Rd. Colchester, VT 05446 802.879.5546 gdouglass [@] ejhs.k12.vt.us Glory Reinstein received her B.S. in Music Education from the University of Vermont and her Masters Degree in Music Education at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Connecticut. She presently teaches vocal/choral music as well as other music electives at Essex High School. Glory has conducted church choirs and been involved in community musical theater throughout her career. She has been an adjudicator and guest conductor throughout Vermont and Northern New York. Glory is a former President of the Vermont Chapter of American Choral Directors’ Association and the Vermont Music Educators’ Association and presently serves on both boards. Her awards include being named the 1997–1998 Vermont Music Educator of the Year, the 1998–1999 North Country Union High School Teacher of the Year, and the 2007 Vermont Arts Alliance award recipient. She sings with and is the assistant conductor for Bella Voce Women's Choir of Vermont.

Jazz Choirs Megan Larose 33 French Settlement Rd Lincoln, VT 05443 802.453.6098 mlarose76 [@] yahoo.com

Music in Worship Lori Routhier 29 Madison St. Rutland, VT 05701 802.293.2215

Newsletter Jeff Buettner Music Dept, Middlebury College Middlebury, VT 05753 517.974.5964 buettner [@] middlebury.edu Jeff Buettner is Director of Choral Activities at Middlebury College, and founding conductor of the Vermont Youth Orchestra Chorus. He has taught at Earlham, Hope and Simpson Colleges, and prepared opera and oratorio choruses for the Brevard Music Center in North Carolina, Des Moines Metro Opera in Iowa, Richmond Symphony in Indiana and children’s choir for the Cincinnati May Festival in Ohio. He has conducted and lectured at choral festivals and adjudicated solo vocal competition. Jeff’s work as an arranger and composer has led to performances by college, community and professional choruses and orchestras, including a performance at a national convention of the American Choral Directors Association. His current research on music of Ukrainian Roma (“Gypsy Choirs”) began when he was a fellowship recipient at Michigan State University, and he has presented his work at College Music Society national and international conferences. Jeff’s other recent areas of study and performances include 17th and 18th century European music, ethnic music, soul and funk. He has worked as recording engineer, producer and arranger for the Corbett Studio in Cincinnati, and as engineer and announcer at WGUC FM Cincinnati and WCAL FM Northfield, Minnesota. Jeff received his DMA from Michigan State University, where he also conducted the Collegiate Choir. He received his MM from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and BM from St. Olaf College. Jeff was appointed to the Middlebury College faculty in 2007.

Women's Choirs Dawn Willis 4 Aspen Dr 1Essex Jct., VT 05452 802.879.1218 willisdawn [@] aol.com Dawn Willis is the Vermont ACDA Women’s Chorus chair and the Music Director of Bella Voce Women’s Chorus of Vermont. She also serves as the Assistant Director of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra Chorus and as the Choir Director at the First Baptist Church in Burlington. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Music from Arizona State University and Masters degrees in Sacred Music and Choral Conducting from Southern Methodist University. Dr. Willis has served as the Director of Choral Activities at McMurry University and Iowa Wesleyan College, as well as the Director of the Arizona State University Women's Chorus. Her conducting responsibilities have included various academic and church choirs, madrigal ensembles, musical theater, youth choirs, and hand bell ensembles. In addition, she has conducted numerous festivals and workshops throughout Texas, Georgia, Arizona, Iowa, South Dakota, and Vermont and has composed and arranged sacred and secular choral music and works for handbell ensembles. In 1999, Dr. Willis conducted the New England Symphonic Ensemble and the McMurry University Choirs in a performance of Mozart’s Solemn Vespers at Carnegie Hall. She has also served as a guest conductor for the Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra, has prepared choruses for regional orchestras in Iowa and Texas, and has served as music director for collegiate and community musicals, operas and madrigal dinners.