Sounds of a New Generation

Ms. Stefanini has been a music educator and conductor for over 23 years and serves as the K-8 General Music/Choral teacher and Director of Fine Arts at Charlotte Preparatory School. In addition to teaching at Charlotte Prep, her diverse experiences range from teaching general music and chorus at private schools in NYC, NY and Trieste, Italy, as well as public schools in Massapequa, Long Island and Charlotte, NC. Ms. Stefanini is a National Board Certified Teacher who holds a post-master’s degree in Education Administration from UNC Charlotte, and a master’s degree in music education from New York University with certifications in Orff and Kodály methods. Her awards and honors include the New York State Parent Teacher Association lifetime achievement award (2006), Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District Teacher of the Year (2011), Top 5 Music and Arts Music Teacher of the Year (2016), and Veterans of Foreign War Teacher of the Year (2015 and 2019). As a vocalist, Ms. Stefanini has performed with the Charlotte Oratorio Singers, Carolina Voices, and continues to adjudicate vocalists for NYSSMA’s (NY State School Music Association) School Music Festival. Her choruses have performed at the Peninsula Yacht Club, Biltmore House, Carnegie Hall (2016 and 2020), and in Italian cities such as Trieste, Sorrento, and Venice. She has been a presenter at numerous state education conferences, and mentored teachers from universities such as Hofstra, Adelphi, SUNY Binghamton, and UNC Charlotte. “I teach because I had great teachers. Their passion to devote their time and talent to ensure I had access to a variety of experiences and opportunities ignited my passion to pay it forward to future generations.”

The Charlotte Preparatory School chorus is excited to be back at DCINY Carnegie Hall. Our 26 students are in grades 6-8 and have performed at The Biltmore House in Asheville, NC, Peninsula Yacht Club in Lake Norman, NC, sporting events including the Charlotte Hornets, Charlotte Knights, and Charlotte Checkers, and twice at Carnegie Hall with DCINY (2016, 2020).

Ms. Stefanini has been a music educator and conductor for over 23 years and serves as the K-8 General Music/Choral teacher and Director of Fine Arts at Charlotte Preparatory School and in 2020, was named North Carolina State Teacher of the Year by the Veterans of Foreign War. In addition to teaching at Charlotte Prep, her diverse experiences range from teaching general music and chorus at private schools in NYC, NY and Trieste, Italy, as well as public schools in Massapequa, Long Island and Charlotte, NC. Ms. Stefanini is a National Board Certified Teacher who holds a post-master’s degree in Education Administration from UNC Charlotte, and a master’s degree in music education from New York University with certifications in Orff and Kodály methods. Her awards and honors include the New York State Parent Teacher Association lifetime achievement award (2006), Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District Teacher of the Year (2011), Top 5 Music and Arts Music Teacher of the Year (2016), and Veterans of Foreign War District Teacher of the Year (2015). As a vocalist, Ms. Stefanini has performed with the Charlotte Oratorio Singers, Carolina Voices, and continues to adjudicate vocalists for NYSSMA’s (NY State School Music Association) School Music Festival. Her choruses have performed at the Peninsula Yacht Club, Biltmore House, Carnegie Hall (2016 and 2020), and in Italian cities such as Trieste, Sorrento, and Venice. She has been a presenter at numerous state education conferences, and mentored teachers from universities such as Hofstra, Adelphi, SUNY Binghamton, and UNC Charlotte. “I teach because I had great teachers. Their passion to devote their time and talent to ensure I had access to a variety of experiences and opportunities ignited my passion to pay it forward to future generations.”

The Charlotte Preparatory School chorus is excited to be back at DCINY Carnegie Hall. Our 26 students are in grades 6-8 and have performed at The Biltmore House in Asheville, NC, Peninsula Yacht Club in Lake Norman, NC, sporting events including the Charlotte Hornets, Charlotte Knights, and Charlotte Checkers, and twice at Carnegie Hall with DCINY (2016, 2020).

Kimberly Moorman attended Ball State University were she earned her Bachelor's Degree in Music Education and Vocal Performance in 2002. She received a Masters Degree in Choral Music Education and a Performers Certificate from Northern Illinois University in 2007. Currently Mrs. Moorman is continuing her education with course work from Vandercook College of Music in the areas of Vocal Pedagogy and the Vocal Mechanism, Music Technology and Playing and Teaching Ukulele. Mrs. Moorman currently serves as the director of choirs at Traughber Junior High in Oswego, IL. Before beginning at Traughber, Mrs. Moorman directed the choirs at Huntley Middle School in DeKalb, IL from 2004-2014.Since beginning her tenure at Traughber, her choirs have been selected to perform at the Illinois Music Educators Conference and have consistently received superior ratings at the SD308 Fine Arts Festival, Music in the Parks Festival and Dixie Classic Competitions. Mrs. Moorman is a member of the National Association for Music Educators and the Illinois Music Educators Association and American Choral Directors Association.

The Traughber Eighth Grade Choir consists of 40 non-auditioned singers with a wide range of ability. Students are held to a high standard of vocal production, technique, repertoire and interpretation of music. Students attend class daily and perform four curricular concerts, participate in several district festivals and our annual solo/ensemble contest. The majority of the students are involved in theater both in and outside of the school, as well as many other extra curricular activities.

Paul William Stewart teaches vocal music at the Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts, previously teaching in the West Geauga Schools. He is a professional singer with Singers Companye, Cleveland Chamber Choir, and at the Westminster Presbyterian Church of Akron. He has an M.M. in Choral Conducting and a B.M. in Music Education from The University of Akron where he helped to found the award-winning a cappella group Nuance, was a soloist for the Mozart Festival in Salzburg, Austria, earned two scholarships from the Tuesday Musical Association, and sang with the Cleveland Orchestra Blossom Festival Chorus.

The Miller South Symphonic Choir is comprised of 7th and 8th grade students from our vocal music program. The group has performed in European tours, at the Walt Disney World Resort and Hershey Park, and has earned superior ratings at Ohio Music Education Association Large Group Adjudicated Events and Music in the Parks Competitions. They perform several concerts each year both at the school and all around northeast Ohio. They are one of five choirs at Miller South; the 4th and 5th Grade Rising Stars, the 6th Grade Concert Choir, and our auditioned Show Choir and Chamber Choir.

Christina Breidinger has been the choral director at Twin Valley Middle School since 2016. She happily directs four grade level ensembles and two extra-curricular, auditioned ensembles at TVMS and serves as the vocal director for the high school musical.

The representatives on stage today are some of the best and brightest from the Twin Valley choral program. We are fortunate to have a very large choral program, so these students applied and auditioned to be a part of this wonderful opportunity. Our students represent 7th through 9th grades, and choral singing is a huge part of each of their lives

Kristen Luedecke has been the Secondary Choir Director at Northland Christian School since 2017. Mrs. Luedecke has taught choir since 2003 in the Spring/Klein area, teaching choir also at Klein High School and Doerre Intermediate in Klein ISD. She has also taught several years of private voice lessons as well as directing vocals and choir at her church, Northside Christian Church, in the interim years. Mrs. Luedecke graduated with a Bachelor of Music from Howard Payne University and is an active member of TMEA, TCDA and TPSMEA. She and her husband Gary have two beautiful children, Andrew and Sophia.

Northland Christian School Middle School Choir has been in existence since the chartering of the school in 1974. The choirs are one of the finest aspects of the school, boasting forty percent of the current enrollment of grades 6-8. The brilliant choir members are multi-talented, participating in numerous activities on and off campus, such as year-round athletics, robotics, orchestra, dance, gymnastics. In recent years, the choir has sent multiple students to the TCDA Elementary and Junior High All-State Choirs and the TPSMEA Middle School Region Choir.

Mrs. Kimberley Blair is one of two choir directors at Benton Middle School in Manassas, Virginia. She attended Brigham Young University-Provo where she earned a piano scholarship and a Bachelor of Music Degree in Choral Music Education, studying under world-renowned choral director, Mack Wilberg. Mrs. Blair is very involved with choirs of all ages in her community, both as a director and accompanist. She married her high school sweetheart, Chris, in 1994. They have four children.

Benton Middle School is a public school located in Manassas, Virginia, and is part of the Prince William County school system. Of the approximately 1400 6th-8th grade students who attend Benton Middle School, more than 1200 participate in the choir, orchestra and band programs. The choral program boasts over 500 members and consistently ranks as one of the top middle school choral programs in Virginia. This concert marks our second choral Carnegie Hall engagement. Choir directors, Mrs. Blair and Mr. Fitch, along with the Benton Middle School staff, send their congratulations and best wishes to our amazing singers participating in this Carnegie Hall/DCINY choral event!

Lizette Ochoa is the Head Choir Director at Fossum MS in McAllen, Texas. She received her Bachelors in Music Education from UT-Pan American in South Texas, and her Master's in Choral Conducting from Andrews University in Southwest Michigan. Ms. Ochoa's teaching career has included both High School and Middle School levels, as well as a Music Minister. Her choirs consistently receive Superior ratings at UIL contest every year, as well as place in Region and All-State Choir Competitions. She and her son, Zechariah, reside in South Texas.

The Fossum Varsity Mixed Choir is an auditioned group comprised of the most talented and hard-working students in the Choir program. Many have placed in the Region Choir and have received Superior Ratings at Solo & Ensemble. The dedication of these student's extends beyond the choir room as they are high achieving academically, participate in Academic UIL events, One-Act play, serve in Student Council, National Junior Honor Society and on many of the sports teams at Fossum. We are thrilled to be a part of this amazing opportunity with DCINY at Carnegie Hall.

Charzetta Shelbie Pittman graduated from Murray State University in Murray, KY where she received a bachelor of music in education. She is the choir director at Hickory Ridge Middle School in Memphis, TN. During the four years that she has been the director, she has reinvigorated the music program. Her students have participated in numerous festivals and competitions and have performed in various venues around the nation. Outside of directing school choirs, Pittman has also been the music director for numerous professional musicals including "Dreamgirls" where she received an award for "best music director" from Broadway World. Pittman is not only an accomplished director, she is also a gifted vocalist. She has performed with artists such as Beverley Knight (platinum selling soul singing artist in the United Kingdom and star of the musical “Memphis”), Kirk Whalum (gospel jazz saxophonist), David Bryan (keyboard player from Bon Jovi), Micah Stampley (gospel artist and actor), and many more. Pittman's love of music is infectious to everyone she encounters including family and friends. When she is not making music, Pittman enjoys playing video games with her better half.

The Hickory Ridge Middle School Concert Choir is a young program that has achieved many accomplishments despite its' youth. Students have performed in many regional honor choirs. They have performed at local festivals where they have received superior scores continuously. Students have been invited to sing at various venues in the Memphis area. Students have also competed in national competitions. This "rookie" choir is definitely a force to be reckoned with. Only time will tell what the future holds for this group of young, dedicated musicians from Memphis, TN!

Lindsey Strauss has been a Choral Director at Pennsbury High School since 2014. At PHS, Lindsey directs the 9th Grade Women’s Choir, Chorale, Women’s Ensemble, and Falconairs and is Music Director for the annual Musical Production. She is also the Artistic Director for the Pennsbury Community Chorus. Previously, Lindsey was the Choral Director at North Stafford High School in Stafford, Virginia from 2005-2014. Lindsey has served as ACDA Vocal Jazz R&S Chair for VA and PA and was awarded Teacher of the Year at North Stafford HS in 2011. Lindsey is an active choral adjudicator and clinician and recently presented sessions on Vocal Jazz and Performing Masterworks with High School Choirs at the PA ACDA Summer Conferences.

Pennsbury High School is located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The Choral Department, located at the West Campus, is composed of seven choirs spanning grades nine through twelve. The department also offers a Music Theory and Music Technology program and presents a Musical Theatre production each year. Recent performance venues include the Thomaskirche (Leipzig), Smetana Hall (Prague), and an annual concert at the Princeton University Chapel. The Women’s Ensemble is an auditioned treble ensemble that meets during the school day. The fifty member ensemble is comprised of 10th, 11th, and 12th graders.

Edie Elkjer earned her BS in Elementary Education from the University of Texas and her Master’s Degree in Applied Voice from the University of South Dakota. In 2007, Edie formed Women of Heartsong, a women’s choir whose mission is to provide music to Austin retirement communities. In 2016, she and Susie Higley formed Music Memories Austin, a nonprofit organization, which provides musical workshops at Alzheimer’s facilities, nursing homes, and respite care programs. In 2019, Edie and Susie started Love Notes Chorus, the first choir in Austin for persons with early memory loss, their care partners, and volunteers

In 2007, Edie Elkjer began teaching at Heartsong Music which offers Music Together, a program designed to introduce the joy of music to parents and young children. She was approached by many mothers in this program who wanted to sing in an adult group. Edie was inspired to form a new group, the Women of Heartsong, celebrating women’s voices. Women of Heartsong has evolved into an intimate a cappella choir singing contemporary folk, gospel, pop, and some classics. The group’s mission is to lift up the hearts of the elderly who are confined to retirement residences and Alzheimer’s facilities.

Richard Bristow read music at Jesus College, Oxford, before completing his PGCE at the University of Southampton. Richard is currently Director of Music at Wimbledon High School in London where he oversees the music curriculum and the extensive co-curricular programme. He has significant experience as a senior examiner at A Level, specialising in composition, as well as working for various teacher training agencies to deliver student conferences and teacher courses across the UK. Richard has worked extensively with Rhinegold Education, Faber and the Philharmonia Orchestra to produce teaching resources.

A Cappella are the Senior Chamber Choir of Wimbledon High School based in London, UK. We are made up of pupils aged 15-19 and regularly sing complex music in prestigious venues including St John’s Smith Square and Cadogan Hall, London. The choir toured New York in 2015 and Barcelona in 2018, performing in the fantastic Sagrada Familia, and have produced several CDs of their performances, including Mozart’s ‘Requiem’. We are delighted to be here in NYC to be a part of this exciting international concert.

Dr. Mihoko Tsutsumi is a native of Japan. She completed her Master’s Degree in Choral Conducting at Florida State University; as well as her Ph.D. in Music Education with an emphasis in Choral Conducting under the direction of Dr. Andre Thomas. Dr. Tsutsumi joined the faculty of SUNY Oswego in fall 2013. She has been directing Festival Chorus, State Singers, Women’s College Chorus, and Opera Chorus and teaching applied voice lessons and choral conducting. She is also an active piano accompanist.

SUNY Oswego Women's College Choir is an ensemble open to all students without audition. All that required is a love of music and the willingness to share our joy of music with others. The choir performs a wide variety of music in 2-3 concerts each semester.

In founding the Munich Women’s Choir in 1989, Katrin Wende-Ehmer fulfilled a life-long dream of creating a women’s voices ensemble and has since shaped it into one of Germany’s leading women’s choirs. In addition to her studies at the Leopold Mozart Conservatory in Augsburg from 1978 to 1983, she has successfully completed numerous vocal training and conducting courses as well as professional seminars. She is a fierce promoter of lay choir music as a member of the German Federation of Young Choirs (AMJ) and the music committee of the Bavarian Choral Association. In 1998, she received a grant from the German Music Council for her choral work.

The Munich Women’s Choir conducted by Katrin Wende-Ehmer has been enriching the Bavarian choir landscape since 1989 with original choral music for female voices, a genre that hadn’t been cultivated much before. The choir is known for its warm and full sound, its diverse and compelling concert repertoire, and its performances of contemporary original compositions. The singers’ continuous vocal training plays an important role in the choir’s activities. The choir therefore works with two vocal coaches who conduct vocal training according to Katrin Wende-Ehmer’s tonal concept. In addition to giving concerts in Bavaria and abroad, the Munich Women’s Choir regularly participates in national and international competitions.

Lukas Jindrich - Choirmaster (born 1984) comes from the singers of the Bambini di Praga choir in which he started to sing at the age of five. He graduated from the Pedagogical Faculty of Charles University in Prague with a Master's Degree in Choir Conducting. Since 2004 he was the second choirmaster of Bambini di Praga. He arranged many songs for the choir and recorders. He has recorded with the Children's Choir of the Czech Radio and he has succesfully taken part in concerts, where he conducted the Prague Philharmonia. He is a founder of Cancioneta Praga, a women´s choir, which entered its first concert season in 2011. In 2013 accepted to become a guest choirmaster of the Czech Boys Choir in Hradec Králové and since 2014 he worked for two years as a choirmaster of the Czech Radio Children´s Choir.

Cancioneta Praga is a choir founded in 2010 by Lukas Jindrich. Members of the choir are from various renowned choirs from Prague (Bambini di Praga, Radost Praha and others). The repertoire includes not only old-time compositions but also music of the 20th century, as well as carols from around the world and the Czech Republic, a selection of Czech folk songs and folk songs from around the world or pop-music. Apart from its own concerts cooperates with notable Czech choirs, orchestras and musicians. Cancioneta Praga records for the television and radio and has also produced two CDs – Enchanting Christmas and The Gospel Train Is Coming. Cancioneta Praga is regularly invited to international festivals such as Young Prague, Praga Cantat and others. During its period of existence in the musical field, Cancioneta Praga has won two international festivals. The choir has been on several concert tours abroad (Germany 2011, 2014, 2018, Hungary 2015, Republic of South Africa 2016).

Ginna Franklin graduated from Campbellsville University (Campbellsville, KY) with a Bachelor’s in Music Education. She is currently in her fourth year of teaching at Adair County High School in Columbia, KY, where she teaches 9th-12th grade Women’s Ensemble, 9th-12th grade Men’s Ensemble, 9th-12th grade Voice Class, 9th-12th grade Theatre, 6th-8th grade Middle School Choir, and some 3rd-4th grade General Music. She is a Director for Woodland Bible Camp Music Week, on the Board of Trustees for the Missionaries of America Program (M.A.P) and Director of The Voice Week (M.A.P.). She loves to sing, fish, explore and travel with her husband.

The Adair County Women’s Ensemble is a newly devolved program. Fortunately, within the past year, they have been featured at Disney’s Candlelight Processional at Disney World’s Epcot (Orlando, FL), the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Sweet-Sixteen Boys Basketball Game (Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY), and the Kentucky School Board Association Conference (Louisville, KY). We are a small but mighty group.

The Ithaca College Alumni Singer's are all graduates of the Ithaca College Treble Chorus or the Ithaca College Choir. These ensembles are both led by Dr. Janet Galvan. The singers have gratuated from the Ithaca college music education and or performance program. They have joined together for this wonderful experience of singing at Carnegie Hall.

Diana V. Sáez is the newly appointed Director of Choral Activities at Towson University where she directs University Chorale, Women’s Chorus and Choral Society. Before coming to Towson, Sáez served as Visiting Choir Director at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois where she conducted the College Choir and Madrigal Choir. For 25 years, Sáez was the artistic director of Coral Cantigas, a chamber choir dedicated to increase awareness and appreciation of Latin America and Spanish choral music. Her choral music and arrangements are published by Boosey and Hawkes and by the Roger Dean Publishing Company, a division of The Lorenz Corporation.

The Towson University Women’s Chorus is one of several select vocal ensembles from the university’s department of music. Members of the choir are music majors as well as non-music majors, representing various disciplines from business to psychology. Under the music direction of Diana V. Sáez, the chorus performs a wide selection of choral music from different historical periods and genres that represent the diverse choral repertoire for women’s voices.

Marie Sato is the director of Instrumental Music at Diamond Bar High School in Diamond Bar, CA. Marie completed her Masters of Music degree with an emphasis in instrumental conducting under Dr. Mitch Fennell, at California State University of Fullerton in 2010. Marie also completed two undergraduate degrees (Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Arts) in music education and percussion performance in May of 2008 at CSUF.

For nine years, she studied percussion under Professor Todd Miller, the principal timpanist of the Pacific Symphony Orchestra. Her other teachers include Brian Mason, Naoko Takada, and Jim Lorbeer. As a performer, she has performed with the International Youth Wind Symphony at the World Association for Symphonic Band Ensembles Conference in Ohio, Cypress College Wind Ensemble, Orange Coast College Orchestra, Claremont Winds, Orange County Symphony, Orange County Wind Symphony, Pacific Brass, John Alexander’s Singers, Rio Hondo Symphony, and Pacific Chorale.