 |
| Dale Warland |
The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts, David (Volosin) Katz, chief judge, is honored to announce the winners and runners-up of
The American Prize in Conducting, 2021, in the choral division, the Dale Warland Award in Choral Conducting. Congratulations!
The American Prize Dale Warland Award in Choral Conducting celebrates the artistry of one of the greatest choral conductors of his generation. Dale Warland has made an indelible impression on contemporary choral music, nationally and internationally. In a quarter-century with The Dale Warland Singers (DWS), he shaped an all-professional a cappella ensemble lauded for its exquisite sound, technical finesse, and stylistic range. From that platform, Warland offered stunning performances of traditional repertory and premiered commissioned works on national and international stages. On July 4, 2021, Dale Warland was the recipient of The American Prize National Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement. The American Prize is delighted to share the legacy of this legendary artist through the re-naming of the choral conducting award in his honor. For more about this special award and its designee, please visit Dale Warland Award.
Complete listings of finalists and semi-finalists in The American Prize competitions may be found elsewhere on this blog. Please use the chronological tool in the right-hand column to find specific results.
Please make us aware of any misprints: theamericanprize@gmail.com
The American Prize Dale Warland Award in Choral Conducting, 2021 (professional chorus division)
The American Prize winner:
Jon L. Culpepper
Dallas Chamber Choir
Dallas TX
 |
| Jon Culpepper |
Jon L. Culpepper, a first generation Vietnamese-American, is the founding artistic director and conductor of The Dallas Chamber Choir, co-winner of the 2019-2020 American Prize in Choral Performance, Professional Division, and based out of Dallas, Texas. The professional choir has been lauded by TheaterJones for presenting programs characterized by “engaging cultural blends, [e]bbing in and out of moments of high intensity and tender introspection,” with a sonority that “pours out like honey, with a protracting thickness of texture.”
Under Jon’s leadership, DCC released their first professional recording of the Mozart Requiem (2019), performed Brahms’ four-hand piano transcription of his Ein deutsches Requiem, and performed at the 2019 Texas Choral Directors Association Convention as the selected honor choir and at the 2021 American Choral Directors Association National Convention. The GRAMMY®-winning Houston Chamber Choir featured DCC’s live performance of Kim André’s Flight Song on their weekly podcast With One Accord (episode 97, 2021 January).
Prior to DCC, Jon served as music director at churches in Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth since the age of 16 leading chamber choral and orchestral ensembles. As a vocalist, Jon has performed as chorister and soloist with several professional ensembles; however, his professional activities are not limited to music. Jon has nearly two decades of combined professional experience leading organizations in information technology, biopharmaceutical, and other industries and business endeavors, and he holds certifications from industry organizations such as the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy cum laude from the University of Dallas.
The American Prize 2nd Place:
Benedict Sheehan
The Saint Tikhon Choir
Waymart PA
 |
| Benedict Sheehan |
Composer and conductor Benedict Sheehan has been called “a rising star in the choral world” (Catholic Sentinel). He is Director of Music at St. Tikhon’s in Pennsylvania, and Artistic Director of The Saint Tikhon Choir. Benedict has become one of the most sought-after clinicians in Orthodox sacred music in America. He appears frequently as a guest conductor with Portland-based ensemble Cappella Romana. He is also in high demand as a composer. His works have been performed by the Grammy-nominated Skylark Vocal Ensemble, the Grammy-nominated PaTRAM Institute Singers, Cappella Romana, the William Jewell Choral Scholars, Te Deum, the Pacific Youth Choir, and many others. His “story score” to two classic fairy tales, Once Upon A Time, was released in 2020 by Skylark, and his new work Gabriel’s Message was recorded in 2020 by The Oxford Choir. His music is published by Oxford University Press, Artefact Publications, Musica Russica, and others. https://www.benedictsheehanmusic.com
The American Prize 3rd Place:
Dan Wells
Voices in the Woods
Jenkintown PA
 |
| Dan Wells |
Dan Wells is an educator, conductor, and author based in Pennington, New Jersey. A graduate of Westminster Choir College, Dan holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education and a Master of Arts in Teaching degree. Dan currently serves as Director of Choral Activities at Delaware Valley Regional High School as well as Music Director for the Winter Musical. In addition; Dan serves as artistic director of Voices in the Woods, a professional chamber choir dedicated to commissioning and recording works by under-represented composer minorities. As an author, Dan has collaborated with James Jordan on three publications (Conductor as Prism, 2017, The Moral Acoustic of Sound, 2018 & Silence Into Light: A Conductors Guide, Forthcoming 2020) and with Frank Abrahams and Ryan John on Becoming Musical (2017, all published by GIA Publications).
The American Prize Dale Warland Award in Choral Conducting, 2021 (college/university chorus division)
The American Prize winner:
Catherine Sailer
University of Denver Lamont Chorale
Denver CO
 |
| Catherine Sailer |
Catherine Sailer is Director of Choral Studies at the University of Denver Lamont School of Music, conductor of The Evans Choir, and Associate Conductor of the Colorado Ballet Orchestra. Collaborations as conductor/chorus master include the New York Philharmonic, Dallas Symphony, Aspen Music Festival Orchestra, Colorado Symphony and Chorus, Milwaukee Symphony and Chorus, Shanghai International Choral League, Rhineland-Pfalz International Choir (Germany), Lund Musika Akademiska Kor (Sweden), Madrigal Vocale (Brazil) and Central City Opera. Honors include winning Chorus America’s Robert Shaw Fellowship, First place in Choral Performance and Outstanding Commitment to New Music award by the American Prize, and Second Place in the Barenreiter International Choral Competition. Sailer is an active guest conductor and pedagogue, and has served as ACDA state president and ICEP exchange fellow to China.
The American Prize 2nd Place:
Jennifer Sengin
Georgia State University Women's Chorus
Atlanta GA
 |
| Jennifer Sengin |
Jennifer Sengin is the Associate Director of Choral Activities at Georgia State University where she directs the Women’s Chorus, Choral Union, and teaches conducting, graduate choral literature, and undergraduate choral methods. Under her direction, the Women’s Chorus recently performed at the Georgia Music Educators Association Conference in January 2020. She currently serves as the R&R Chair for Youth and Student Activities on the GA-ACDA Board and as Faculty/Administrator of the Choral Music Experience course at Michigan State University. In addition, Dr. Sengin sings in the professional women’s choir, mirabai, under the direction of Dr. Sandra Snow. An active guest conductor, clinician, adjudicator, and presenter, Dr. Sengin recently provided sessions at the Georgia Music Educators Conference, Florida Music Educators Conference, and at the Mirabai Women’s Leadership Retreat in Orlando, Florida. She holds degrees from The College of New Jersey (BM), Ithaca College (MM), and Michigan State University (DMA).
The American Prize 3rd Place (there was a tie):
Maria Hagan
University Chorale at Indiana University
Bloomington IN
 |
| Maria Hagan |
Maria Hagan, DM, is Music Director at Coralville United Methodist and Chorus Director at Allen College. Hagan holds a DM in Conducting from IU-Jacobs School of Music, a Masters in Sacred Music/Choral Conducting from Emory University, and a Bachelors in Sacred Music/Voice from Westminster Choir College. As Associate Instructor at Indiana, Hagan directed the All-Campus Choir, was Assistant Chorus Master for the University Chorale’s performance of Beethoven’s Ninth, and taught conducting. Previously, Hagan served as Music Director at St. Paul Catholic Center in Bloomington, and Director of Choral Activities at Andrew College in Georgia. Hagan also sings with the semi-professional choir Vocal Artists of Iowa. A rising conductor, Hagan was awarded second place in the 2015 ACDA Graduate Competition, was a conducting fellow at the 2016 Chorus America Conference and Norfolk Conducting Institute, and the 2017 Princeton Festival. Hagan currently resides in Iowa with her husband and their two children.
The American Prize 3rd Place (there was a tie):
Jeremy D. Jones
Miami University Men's Glee Club
Oxford OH
 |
| Jeremy Jones |
Jeremy D. Jones, Associate Professor, Naus Family Faculty Scholar, and Fisher-Holoviak Endowed Professor at Miami University, conducts the Men’s Glee Club, Collegiate Chorale, and teaches choral conducting. Appearances include the National Collegiate Choral Organization National Conference (2019); American Choral Directors Association National Conference (2019); Regional ACDA Conferences (2014, 2018); and Intercollegiate Men’s Choruses National Seminars (2012, 2014, 2016). In 2014 he conducted the Men’s Glee Club at the Concours Européen de Chant Choral in Luxembourg, where the group won the First Place and Overall Grand Champion awards. Representing the International Conductors Exchange Program, he debuted in Beijing, China in 2014 at the Forbidden City Concert Hall. His Swedish debut in 2016 featured the Glee Club’s Schola Cantorum with Swedish male ensemble Ars Veritas. His recording, Old and New Worlds, with Schola Cantorum and Ars Veritas centers on Gregorian Chant and was released on the Centaur Records label in 2020.
The American Prize Dale Warland Award in Choral Conducting, 2021 (community chorus division)
The American Prize winner:
Lisa Graham
Metropolitan Chorale
Brookline MA
 |
| Lisa Graham |
Lisa Graham is in her sixteenth season as Music Director of the Metropolitan Chorale. Under her leadership, the Chorale’s membership has grown in size to more than 100 members who hail from communities throughout Greater Boston. She has shaped the Chorale’s programming to include contemporary, American, and lesser-known works, alongside the masterworks of the repertory. She has enhanced the reputation and reach of the Chorale through collaborations with acclaimed vocalists and instrumentalists, as well as established composers of our day. In a review of her appearance conducting with the Boston Pops, Broadway World praised Dr. Graham as “a spellbinding maestro, balletic in her direction … a great connection with her performers on stage." In addition to her role as Music Director for the Metropolitan Chorale, she is the Evelyn Barry Director of Choral Programs at Wellesley College, and a founding member and Lifetime Honorary Member of the National Collegiate Choral Organization.
The American Prize 2nd Place:
Tom Trenney
Plymouth Choir/ Cantorei
Lincoln NE
 | | Tom Trenney |
Tom Trenney is blessed to serve as Minister of Music to First-Plymouth Church in Lincoln, Nebraska and as Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choirs at Nebraska Wesleyan University. He is Artistic Director of the Abendmusik Concert Series and Conductor of sounding light—a professional choir he founded in 2003. In the past four years, Tom’s choirs have been honored to perform for state, regional, and national conventions of the American Choral Directors Association.A graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Eastman School of Music, Tom is grateful for the inspiration of his teachers and mentors – especially Anton Armstrong, David Davidson, Craig Hella Johnson, (Mister) Fred Rogers, William Weinert, Anne Wilson and Todd Wilson. His choral compositions are published by Augsburg Fortress, Beckenhorst Press, Choristers Guild, E.C. Schirmer/Galaxy, Morningstar, Musicspoke, Pavane, and G. Schirmer, and he is a conductor with Perform International and Manhattan Concert Productions.
|
The American Prize 3rd Place:
Ryan Brandau
Princeton Pro Musica, Westminster Kantorei
New York NY
 |
| Ryan Brandau |
Ryan James Brandau is a conductor based in New York City. Presently, he is the Artistic Director of three ensembles: Amor Artis a 40-voice chamber choir and baroque orchestra specializing in Renaissance, Baroque, and Contemporary music; Princeton Pro Musica, a 100-voice symphonic chorus and orchestra; and the 100-voice Monmouth Civic Chorus. Equally at home leading choruses and orchestras, Dr. Brandau has established a reputation for incisive interpretations and dynamic, uplifting performances. His repertoire spans the Renaissance and Baroque, contemporary music, and the full cannon of large-scale choral-orchestral masterworks. While on faculty at Westminster Choir College, he prepared choruses for the Philadelphia Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, and New York Philharmonic. As an orchestral and choral arranger, he has created many works for his own and others’ vocal, chamber, and orchestral ensembles. Each December thousands of audience members around the globe enjoy his beautifully-crafted, stirring holiday arrangements.
The American Prize Dale Warland Award in Choral Conducting, 2021 (high school chorus division)
The American Prize winner:
Mark Lawley
Willard HS Chamber Choir
Willard MO
 |
| Mark Lawley |
Mark Lawley is in his 36th year as a choral conductor and enjoying his 20th year as the choral director at Willard High School. He has served as the president of Southwestern Division of ACDA, Missouri Choral Directors Association and South Central Missouri Music Educators Association. He currently serves MCDA as HS Choir Repertoire and Resources Chair as well as serving National ACDA on the National Standing Committee on Education and Communication. He earned his Bachelor's degree and certificate recital award in piano from Evangel University followed by a Masters degree in conducting from Missouri State University. He is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda, NAfME, ACDA, MSTA, MCDA and MMEA.
Lawley is the founder of Springfield Summer Singers, Springfield Gospel Chorus, Springfield-Drury Girls Choir (now named Girls Choir of Springfield) Drury University Chamber Choir Festival, Boys Choir of Springfield Choral Festival and served on the founding board of Boys Choir of Springfield. He thoroughly enjoyed his post as artistic director of both Boys Choir of Springfield and Springfield-Drury Girls Choir both of which gave invitational performances at MMEA in 2013 and 2015 respectively. Choirs under his direction have given 8 invitational performance at MMEA. Six of those performances were with Willard HS Choral Ensembles. He enjoyed sharing the Willard Choirs in invitational performances at National ACDA in 2003 and 2007, Southwestern ACDA in 2008 and National NAfME in 2000.
He is the recipient of the Luther T. Spayde Award, South Central Outstanding District Director Award, 2020 WHS Impact Award, the 2018 National Federation of State Schools Associations Music Educator of the Year Award, Willard Teacher of the Year, Willard HS Teacher of the Year, Missouri Fine Arts Academy Award for excellence in teaching and in celebration of contribution to students’ lives, the 2012 Drury Faculty Member of the Year Award, the 2016 Drury Faculty Member of the Year Award, Nobel Foundation Award for excellence in teaching and Lifetime Membership Award from National PTA.
Lawley’s path has been peppered with excellent music teachers and remarkably gifted colleagues. His life has been enriched by a loyal companion in his wife of over 30 years, LORI! She is the glue that holds us all together. They have 3 children Devin, Drew and Brooke whom they admire immensely. Their spouses Ruthie and Meghan have brought more love into the Lawley family. All of their worlds have been turned upside down by the miraculous gift of 5 Granddappers Hudson, Gavin, Harrison, Jaden and Nolan.
The American Prize 2nd Place:
Matthew Swope
Winter Park HS Choirs
Winter Park FL
 |
| Matthew Swope |
Matthew Swope serves as Director of Choral Activities and Performing Arts Department Chair at Winter Park High School where he oversees a program consisting of eight curricular choirs and two contemporary a cappella groups. Mr. Swope has also served on the voice faculty of Rollins College. A native of Pennsylvania, Mr. Swope received the M.M. in Voice Performance & Pedagogy and B.A. degrees in Music and in Classics & Ancient Mediterranean Studies from The Pennsylvania State University. He was the 2013 recipient of Penn State’s “Outstanding Alumni Music Educator Award.” Choirs under Mr. Swope’s direction have performed for the ACDA Southern Region, Florida American Choral Directors Association, Florida Music Education Association, National A Cappella Convention, and International Championship of High School A Cappella Finals. He was a founding member of the Simon Carrington Chamber Singers. Mr. Swope serves on the boards of Florida ACDA and the A Cappella Education Association.
The American Prize 3rd Place (there was a tie):
Connor Scott
Parkway South High School Choirs
Manchester MO
 |
| Connor Scott |
Connor Scott started his Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in Choral Music at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music in August 2021. There, he works as a Graduate Teaching Assistant and Associate Conductor of the Apollo Chorus. He is also the Assistant Conductor for Choral Arts Initiative of Los Angeles, California. Connor was the Choir Director at Parkway South High School in St. Louis, Missouri (2018-2021) where he directed all vocal music activities including six choirs, voice lessons, and musicals. He finished his fifth year of teaching in the Parkway School District and he was previously choir director at Northeast Middle School. Connor was awarded the South High National Honor Society Teacher of the Month Award in February 2021; the voting student members said Mr. Scott is "an amazing teacher. Everyday he brings so much energy into choir and we all appreciate it so much! He not only teaches us how to sing as a choir, but how to sing as an individual. Thank you, Mr. Scott for creating such a positive environment!” Mr. Scott and the Parkway South Advanced Chamber Choir were chosen as National Finalists for the American Prize in Choral Conducting, High School Division for 2021. The Missouri Choral Directors Association awarded him the Jeff Sandquist Presidential Award of Excellence in 2021 for his work as the statewide All-District Choir Coordinator during the pandemic.
In 2020, Mr. Scott was nominated for the Pillar of Parkway Award and the Albert Award for exceptional early career teachers in the Parkway Schools. In 2017, he earned the Outstanding Beginning Teacher Award given by the Missouri Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. Mr. Scott earned a Master's Degree from the University of Missouri Kansas City Conservatory of Music in 2020. He graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor's Degree from Webster University with Music Departmental Honors and as a Buder and Fossett Endowed Scholar. Mr. Scott won 1st Place in the Southwestern Division American Choral Directors Association Undergraduate Conducting Competition in 2016.
The American Prize 3rd Place (there was a tie):
McKenna Stenson
Chamber Ensemble
Manassas VA
 |
| McKenna Stenson |
McKenna served as the Choral Director and CFPA Vocal Director at Charles J. Colgan High School from 2016-2020. Under the direction of McKenna, the Colgan Choral Ensembles were invited to perform at venues such as the Kennedy Center Millenium Stage, the Virginia Music Educators Association State Conference, and the iHeart Radio studios as winners of the annual holiday competition. Throughout her studies she has received scholarships and awards including New Faculty Member of the Year, Choral Fellow at Michigan State University, The Ohio State University Student Teacher of the Year award and most recently was nationally recognized as a Country Music Award Foundation Music Teacher of Excellence for 2020. Stenson enjoys serving as a clinician and adjudicator for choirs throughout Virginia, most recently as the District XVI H.S Treble Choir Conductor. She has presented sessions at the Virginia Music Education Association State Conference, Next Direction Virginia ACDA, Voices United Tri-State conference and The Workshops at All Virginia Chorus
***
Congratulations!
The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts, David (Volosin) Katz, founder and chief judge, is the nation's most comprehensive series of contests in the musical and theater arts. The American Prize is nonprofit, unique in scope and structure, and is designed to evaluate, recognize and reward the best performers, composers, conductors, ensembles and directors in the United States, at professional, college/university, community and school levels, based on submitted recordings. There is no live competition.
Founded in 2010 and now celebrating its eleventh year, The American Prize has awarded nearly $100,000 in prizes in all categories since its creation. Thousands of artists representing all fifty states have derived benefit from their participation in the contests of The American Prize.
The American Prize will accept applications for the 2021-22 contest season through September 14, 2021 or with extension request. www.theamericanprize.org
, 2021: The Dale Warland Award){kind=link}
Post a Comment for "Winners: CONDUCTORS (choruses), 2021: The Dale Warland Award"