Our National Family

Dr. Allan Laiño, American Prize winner, is the fourth Artistic Director of the Congressional Chorus. As a second-generation Filipino-American with wide-ranging musical influences, he aims to reshape the landscape of American choral artistry by creating an environment in which all voices can flourish. Laiño has prepared choral ensembles for the National Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Marin Alsop, BSO Pops and Jack Everly, NSO Pops and Steven Reineke, Piedmont Symphony Orchestra, Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience, and the Josh Groban Live National Tour. In 2018, he debuted on the Kennedy Center stage as a choral conductor, collaborating with The Philip Glass Ensemble and The Washington Chorus in tribute to honoree Philip Glass at The Kennedy Center Honors. He returned to lead TWC in a choral feature for the NSO Pops holiday concerts. As Assistant Conductor for TWC, he stepped in on short notice to finish choral preparation and serve as substitute chorus master for the world premiere of Lera Auerbach’s ARCTICA with the NSO and Teddy Abrams. As Co-Conductor of the Sunday Night Singers in 2012, he earned First Prize at the World Choir Games in the Mixed Chamber Choir Champions Division. He is the 2018 winner of The American Prize—Community Chorus Division, and was a finalist in two categories for the 2020 The American Prize in Composition.

As Co-Artistic Director of DC-based professional ensemble, Bridge, Laiño produced, edited, directed, and sang in America, You’re Beautiful, a short film that merged spoken word and choral music to examine racism in America. The film was selected for the Queens Underground International Black and Brown Film Festival. As a Principal Associate Conductor and Artistic Coordinator with the National Children’s Chorus, Dr. Laiño conducts ensembles in the Senior Division, and supervises a nationwide musicianship program. Laiño served on the choral conducting faculty for the Rome School of Music, Drama, and Art at The Catholic University of America from 2016–2021. He directed the University Singers, who performed annually with the CU Symphony Orchestra under his baton for The Annual Christmas Concert for Charity at the National Shrine, a televised program broadcast worldwide to over 140 countries on EWTN. He is a former member of the Choir of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the resident professional chamber choir for which he has also guest-conducted in Masses. He has sung with groups such as Bridge, the Yale/Norfolk Music Festival Chamber Choir, Chantry, The Trinity Chamber Orchestra, the Sunday Night Singers, the Horizon Chamber Choir, and the Pacific Chorale.

Dr. Laiño was a Diversity Fellowship recipient at the University of California, Irvine, earning his Master of Fine Arts degree in choral conducting in 2009 and Bachelor of Arts degree in voice in 2006. He moved to the DMV in 2012 to pursue his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral conducting (2015) at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Dr. Kristen Simpson was originally trained as a licensed civil engineer before pursuing advanced music degrees in choral music to facilitate a career change to music. She has taught courses at Santa Ana College, Texas State University and the University of Southern California. Prior to joining the NCC, Simpson was the assistant director and collaborative pianist at Villa Park High School, director of music at La Canada United Methodist Church, director of the Ebell Chorale, and co-conductor of choir at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA).  In addition to her work as a conductor, Dr. Simpson is well-known for her keyboard skills and has performed as a collaborative pianist at division and national conventions for the American Choral Directors Association, as well as for the undergraduate and graduate student conducting competitions at the 2015 American Choral Directors Association national convention. In addition to her work with the NCC, Simpson serves as assistant conductor Tonality, a professional choral ensemble based in Los Angeles that focuses on using music to encourage conversations on social justice topics. She also performs with Tonality as a collaborative pianist and completed a term serving on its Board of Directors. Most recently she prepared singers for a collaboration with Kronos Quartet for Michael Abels’ At War With Ourselves, and participated in a private performance for the Second Gentleman of the United States as well as administrators of the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Simpson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from Cornell University, a Master of Music degree in choral conducting from Texas State University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral music from the University of Southern California. While at Cornell, Simpson was one of two students selected as a chimesmaster to play the Cornell Chimes and continues to serve on its alumni advisory council to shape the future of this 150+ year musical tradition on campus.

Dr. Kurt Cereske is a passionate music educator who truly believes and promotes the philosophy of Hungarian composer, educator, author, and philosopher, Zoltán Kodály.

Originally from Michigan, Kurt received his Bachelor of Arts degree in science of education from Martin Luther College in 1990, and a Master of Music degree in music education in 1992 from Michigan State University. After teaching for five years in Wisconsin, Kurt accepted the position of music director and teacher at St. Paul’s First Lutheran Church and School in North Hollywood, California.

Under his leadership, Kurt’s Kodály-based program at St. Paul’s grew to three children’s choirs, three hand bell choirs, a tone chime choir, and a concert band, as well as offering instrumental and voice lessons. He also served as the head organist and adult choir director for the church.

Before coming to the National Children’s Chorus, Kurt taught Kodály-based musicianship and sight singing courses for the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus. While receiving his Kodály training from the Kodály Association of Southern California (KASC), an affiliate chapter of the Organization of American Kodály Educators (OAKE), he served on the board of KASC as Vice-President, President, Past President, and as the Certification Coordinator for KASC’s Music Education Institute. He also further promotes the Kodály philosophy by teaching pedagogy courses for both KASC’s Music Education Institute at Azusa Pacific University, and also for the West Texas Kodály Initiative in Lubbock, Texas. Kurt has given professional presentations at both regional and national conferences, and also for music educator workshops in California, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Washington. Additionally, he has proudly served on the OAKE Board, promoting, guiding, and representing Kodály educators on the national level.

Kurt has recently completed his Ph.D. degree in fine arts music education at Texas Tech University. While managing a full curriculum of classes, he also teaches undergraduate music education courses for both elementary and choral classroom settings.

Dennis O’Neill has appeared for the major opera companies of the world, specializing in the Romantic Italian repertoire and Verdi in particular. His long relationship with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden covers over two hundred performances centered around the great Verdian roles.

At the Met he has appeared in La Traviata, La Bohème, Aida, Rigoletto, Cavalleria Rusticana, and Pagliacci and as a frequent guest at the Bavarian State Opera, in Un Ballo in Maschera, Il Trovatore, Der Rosenkavalier, Tosca, Lucia di Lammermoor, Simon Boccanegra, Aida, and Otello with Zubin Mehta.

For the Vienna State Opera he appeared in La Bohème, Madama Butterfly, Turandot, La Traviata, Un Ballo in Maschera and Il Trovatore; and most recently on tour to the Bolshoi with La Scala and Muti. He also has a very long relationship with the Welsh National Opera.

Dennis O’Neill was appointed Commander of the British Empire for services to Opera and many other acknowledgements include the prestigious Honorary Membership of the Royal Academy of Music, the Order of Saint John, and the Verdi Medal of the Amici di Verdi.

He is deeply involved with the training of young singers giving master classes around the world. He is a visiting professor at various institutions including the Royal Academy of Music and serves on juries of several international competitions.

Visit https://mcculloughbaritone.com/

Dylan F. Thomas is the Co-Founder of Valley Opera & Performing Arts in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, currently in its 17th season, where he has directed unique and groundbreaking productions of countless operas and concerts.

For the Pacific Symphony in Costa Mesa, CA, Thomas has written and directed numerous shows for the Family Musical Mornings series, including A Halloween Spooktacular, Superheroes!, and scripted introductions to Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel and Mozart’s The Magic Flute. He also wrote and directed a Casablanca-themed show for the Pacific Symphony’s prestigious annual Gala.

Mr. Thomas directed the semi-staged concert Opera Under the Stars at Orange County’s Opera Pacific which featured superstars Ana Maria Martinez, Quinn Kelsey, and Christian Van Horn performing operatic favorites with the Opera Pacific Orchestra under the baton of Maestro John DeMain. Thomas worked as the resident outreach stage director at Opera Pacific, where he staged the educational outreach show entitled Fun With Opera, and directed The Tinker of Tivoli for their Opera Camp program, for which he also acted as Program Director.

Mr. Thomas directed a new production of Pagliacci at Opera Fairbanks in Alaska, where he collaborated with Music Director, Gregory Buchalter, who also conducts at the Metropolitan Opera and around the world. Mr. Thomas is one of the creators of a brand new American Opera entitled Marie’s Orchard, for which he conceptualized the story, penned the libretto, and directed the world premiere production.

As a singer and actor, Thomas has performed extensively in the operatic, musical theater, jazz, and theater genres. Notable opera roles include Cavaradossi (Tosca), Alfred (Die Fledermaus), Alfredo (La traviata), Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly), and Don Jose (Carmen). For ten months during 2006, Thomas was engaged as a performer in three different variety shows at Universal Studios in Osaka, Japan. There he performed not only opera repertoire, but musical theater and jazz as well. He was the tenor soloist in the holiday spectacular, A White Christmas Carol, seen by upwards of 40,000 people each performance, in addition to an operatic street theater show, and various holiday jazz shows.

Lauded for her “soaring lyric soprano capable of heart-stopping soft effects”(Philadelphia Magazine), Italian-American Ashley Milanese is quickly emerging as an exciting young presence in the operatic world with appearances at The Metropolitan Opera, Teatro Regio Torino, Komische Oper Berlin, Opera Phildelphia, Mostly Mozart Festival, Opera Omaha, New Orleans Opera, Ljubljana Festival, Adelaide Music Festival, and more.

In the 2021-22 season, Ms. Milanese returned to Teatro Regio Torino as the High Priestess in Aida, covered Johanna in Opera Omaha’s production of Sweeney Todd and joined the roster of The Metropolitan Opera where she made her debut as Pit Singer – Soprano 2 in Dean’s Hamlet. In 2022-2023, Ms. Milanese recently made her New Orleans Opera debut as the Sandman in Hansel and Gretel and joins On Site Opera as Giorgetta in Il Tabarro in the spring of 2023.

During the 2020-2021 season, she was scheduled to make her role debut as Mimi in La bohème with Teatro Regio Torino (COVID19) where she instead sang Giannetta in L’elisir d’amore and Annina in La traviata.

In her 2018-2019 season, Ms. Milanese joined Komische Oper Berlin’s touring production of Barrie Kosky’s Die Zauberflöte where she sang Erste Dame in Perth (Western Australia), Adelaide (Australia), Auckland (New Zealand), and the Mostly Mozart Festival (New York City). This coincided with a full season as an artist-in-residence with Teatro Regio Torino where she sang the roles of Ines in Il trovatore, Giannetta in L’elisir d’amore, Cugina in Madama Butterfly and Lisa in La sonnambula while also covering Elvira in L’italiani in Algeri and Carlotta/Vespina in Agnese. Additionally, she had the opportunity to perform as Annina in La traviata at the Ljubljana Festival.

Ms. Milanese’s other North American performances included Frasquita in Carmen, Erste Dame in Die Zauberflöte and Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro with Opera Philadelphia where she was an emerging artist from 2016-2018. Additional operatic credits include Dede (A Quiet Place), Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro), Italian Singer (Capriccio), Manon (Manon), Yvette (La rondine), Zerbinetta (Ariadne auf Naxos) and Soeur Constance (Dialogues des Carmélites).

Passionate about contemporary music, Ms. Milanese has collaborated with many composers including Kevin Puts, Rene Orth, Tobias Picker, David T. Little, Daniel Schnyder and Nico Muhly. She has had the opportunity to cover lead roles in multiple operatic premieres including Lola in David Hertzberg’s The Wake World and Bess McNeil in Missy Mazzoli’s Breaking the Waves. Ms. Milanese was also the original Chan Parker and Aveline Mortimer in Opera Philadelphia’s workshops of Charlie Parker’s Yardbird and Elizabeth Cree, respectively.

Symphonic performances include operatic selections with the National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic/Wolf Trap Opera and Mainline Symphony Orchestra, Faure’s Requiem with Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with Allentown Symphony Orchestra.Ms. Milanese participated in summer festivals and programs including Wolf Trap Opera Studio and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. She was named a winner of the 2018 Opera Foundation competition, receiving the Amber Capitol Scholarship and the residency with Teatro Regio Torino. She has also received awards from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions including being named a winner in the 2017 New Orleans and Puerto Rico district finals.

Ms. Milanese studied at The Juilliard School and Curtis Institute of Music where she completed her Bachelor of Music, Master of Music and her Artistic Diploma.

Anastasia Charakidou is a renowned young singer and songwriter with a dual degree of Bachelor of Music, Performance, and Songwriting from Berklee College of Music, who has quickly become one of the most sought-after singers in Greece and the Mediterranean after winning first place at the New Talent Festival in 2014. She is a markedly versatile singer, honored for her performing skills in various styles, including Pop, ElectroPop, R&B, Soul, Rock, and Gospel.

With the accompaniment of her guitar and keyboard, Anastasia became an internationally recognized songwriter who composes original songs with rare sounds inspired by her early life in the Greek Islands. As a professional musician and songwriter, certified in performing arts, Anastasia has a rich wealth of knowledge in music theory and composition as well as the creativity and discipline to break down barriers.

Born in the province of Drama, Greece, Anastasia grew up in the Mediterranean on the island of Rhodes. At 11 years old, her journey began in her natural talent and expression, and she would stop at nothing to fulfill her musical dreams. At 16, Anastasia moved to London and later Athens following her musical passion. At 17, Anastasia moved to Boston for a summer scholarship program she won from Berklee College of Music. Then at 19, she fully immersed herself in music studies at Berklee. Now based in Los Angeles, Anastasia works in the music industry as a recording artist, writer, performer, and teacher. Sacrifices and obstacles encountered at such a young age of pursuing a career in music inspired not only original songwriting skills but also created the tools, tricks, and professional training she brings to her students today.

Always learning and open to discovery, Anastasia brings new ideas and techniques to her teaching, adapting the many ways of learning music to her varying students. Her students get to experience and share her joy in supporting them in their musical journeys and accomplishing their goals.

Nicolette Holman started her singing career in jazz clubs before branching off into opera and pop. She has a Bachelor of Music and a Master of Music degree in vocal performance from California State University, Northridge. She has performed leading roles in Die Fledermaus, Orfeo et Euridice, Lakmé, Into the Woods, and for the American premiere of Li Sposi per Accidente. She has also performed at private events for both LA Opera and the Long Beach Symphony. As a recording artist, she has done studio sessions with producers including Motesart (Celine Dion/Demi Lovato), Bill Champlin (Chicago), and Preston Glass (Aretha Franklin/Natalie Cole). 

Some venues that she has had the pleasure of performing at include Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, Warner Brothers Studios (multiple events), Universal Hilton, Jonathan Club, The Edison, Arrowhead Pond Stadium, The Beverly Hilton, Beverly Hills Hotel, Monarch Beach Resort, Long Beach Hilton, Eagle Rock Cultural Concert Series, on CNN, America’s Got Talent, and feature films.

Dr. Leah Murthy is a choral conductor and music educator who endeavors to create positive change in the lives of musicians and audiences through music. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in music education at Boston University, a Master of Music degree from The Boston Conservatory and a Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance from the University of Massachusetts. In addition to conducting for the NCC, Leah is music teacher in Maryland for Anne Arundel County Schools. Leah recently presented a webinar on choral methods for the National Association for Music Education’s NAfME Academy. She has had several articles published in national professional journals, such as the featured article “Affordable Music and Movement Props” in The Chorister and “Getting the Choir Back on Track” in The American Organist. She is also a professional guest blogger for Bear Paw Creek, a prominent music props company. The Air Force moved her family to Maryland from California where she served as Music Director for St. John’s Episcopal Church in Roseville. There she founded the children’s choir, directed both the adult and children’s choirs and played the organ. Leah also served on the board of the Sacramento Chapter of the American Guild of Organists as Member-at-large. Leah has presented teacher research at the Massachusetts Music Educators Association Conference, and has been a guest speaker to The Boston Conservatory’s graduate students on Carnatic (South Indian classical) music.

Dr. Nicholas Nicassio began his professional career in Los Angeles performing with the Los Angeles Opera Chorus and the Los Angeles Master Chorale. With both organizations, he performed in concert with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the baton of renown conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Kent Nagano and James Conlon. He holds a Master of Music degree in vocal performance from the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Metropolitan Opera baritone Mark Oswald, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral conducting at Rutgers University where he was awarded a full scholarship and teaching assistantship. Dr. Nicassio was commissioned to compose music for the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus’ Young Men’s Ensemble, creating works specifically tailored for the developing male voice. These pieces have been performed in concerts and masterclasses worldwide, including a masterclass with Chanticleer and at the University of Michigan. Additionally, Dr. Nicassio has composed and arranged music for the Artes Vocales of Los Angeles and for the National Children’s Chorus. He has composed and orchestrated music for film, including the original motion picture score for the feature film When the Moon Was Twice as Big. Vocal students of Dr. Nicassio have performed on Broadway and have been accepted into major university and conservatory performing arts programs such as the Curtis Institute and the NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Dr. Nicassio began his engagement with the National Children’s Chorus as the first Associate Pianist for the New York chapter, and since then he has conducted the Prelude Level, the Debut Ensemble and the college-preparatory Scholars, performing at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.

Dr. Kurt Cereske is a passionate music educator who truly believes and promotes the philosophy of Hungarian composer, educator, author, and philosopher, Zoltán Kodály.

Originally from Michigan, Kurt received his Bachelor of Arts degree in science of education from Martin Luther College in 1990, and a Master of Music degree in music education in 1992 from Michigan State University. After teaching for five years in Wisconsin, Kurt accepted the position of music director and teacher at St. Paul’s First Lutheran Church and School in North Hollywood, California.

Under his leadership, Kurt’s Kodály-based program at St. Paul’s grew to three children’s choirs, three hand bell choirs, a tone chime choir, and a concert band, as well as offering instrumental and voice lessons. He also served as the head organist and adult choir director for the church.

Before coming to the National Children’s Chorus, Kurt taught Kodály-based musicianship and sight singing courses for the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus. While receiving his Kodály training from the Kodály Association of Southern California (KASC), an affiliate chapter of the Organization of American Kodály Educators (OAKE), he served on the board of KASC as Vice-President, President, Past President, and as the Certification Coordinator for KASC’s Music Education Institute. He also further promotes the Kodály philosophy by teaching pedagogy courses for both KASC’s Music Education Institute at Azusa Pacific University, and also for the West Texas Kodály Initiative in Lubbock, Texas. Kurt has given professional presentations at both regional and national conferences, and also for music educator workshops in California, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Washington. Additionally, he has proudly served on the OAKE Board, promoting, guiding, and representing Kodály educators on the national level.

Kurt has recently completed his Ph.D. degree in fine arts music education at Texas Tech University. While managing a full curriculum of classes, he also teaches undergraduate music education courses for both elementary and choral classroom settings.

Mandy Algate is a passionate Kodály-inspired music educator who believes in joyful, interactive, and sequential music teaching and learning. Algate holds a Master of Music degree in music education with Kodály emphasis and a Bachelor of Music degree in music education, both from Texas Tech University. In addition, Algate earned certification in Kodály music pedagogy from Portland State University. Since 2012, Algate has served as the music teacher at Roscoe Wilson Elementary, an International Baccalaureate World School in Lubbock, Texas. In 2017, Algate helped to establish the Texas Tech University Orchestra Young People’s Concert, an annual event providing an interactive, curriculum-based symphonic concert experience to elementary aged students. Algate was a founding board member and is the current President of Kodály Educators of West Texas, a chapter of OAKE, which serves to support music teachers in West Texas by providing professional development and support opportunities. It is her goal to engage all learners in an engaging and individualized music experience which leads to a lifetime of musical enjoyment!

Kimberly Carter currently serves as music specialist at Forest Hill Elementary School in Amarillo, Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Music with a minor in Spanish from Texas Tech University and a Master of Arts in bilingual education with a minor in educational leadership from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. In addition to her career as a music educator, Carter is also a licensed Zumba instructor. Carter has served as a clinician/trainer for several school districts and educational conferences and is a proud Walt Disney World College Program alumnus.

Donna Devane is a music educator who is dedicated to creating enjoyable, well-rounded musical experiences to help grow the whole musician. She holds a Bachelor of Music and Master of Music Education (with Kodály emphasis) from Texas Tech University. Devane has experience teaching music in both the public school and nonprofit children’s chorus settings. From 2004-2011, she worked with the West Texas Children’s Chorus where she taught musicianship, co-directed the Apprentice Choir, and served as grant writer. Devane has been an instructor for Kodály-based teacher-training and undergraduate courses at Texas Tech and Portland State Universities. In addition to her experience in music education, Devane has worked as a freelance editor, specializing in academic documents and pedagogical materials. She currently lives in Austin, Texas.

Hope Jones serves the NCC as a Kodály Instructor. She is an elementary music teacher in Lubbock, Texas, and is currently in her fifth year of teaching. Hope received a Bachelor of Music degree in music education in 2018 from Winthrop University in Rockhill, South Carolina, and a Master of Music degree in music education from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, in 2021.

Laura Keverian Pitts is a native of Southern California and has spent her teaching career in both private and public schools, teaching music literacy and specializing in choral music. Her passion for choral conducting led her to study with master children’s and youth choral conductors Dr. Doreen Rao, Dr. Janet Galvan and Mr. Henry Leck. She received her Master in Music degree in choral conducting, studying with her longtime mentor, Donald Brinegar. Additional advanced musical study included Kodály pedagogy and methodology, and she was recently invited to be an instructor for the Kodály Association of Southern California certification courses. Mrs. Pitts teaches at Azusa Pacific University and Cal Poly, Pomona, focusing on aural theory, sight-singing and ear-training, and music education courses. A lifelong singer, Mrs. Pitts formerly performed with the Los Angeles Master Chorale and is currently performing with the Donald Brinegar Singers, with whom she is a founding member.

Dr. Jeremy Dittus enjoys a career as a pianist, theorist, and Dalcroze Education Specialist. An avid recitalist, he has performed solo and chamber programs and presented Dalcroze masterclasses throughout the United States, Europe, and Southeast Asia. He currently directs the Dalcroze School of the Rockies Dalcroze Academy teacher-training center at the Metropolitan State University of Denver. He also serves on the faculty of Hope College in Holland, Michigan where he teaches Dalcroze Eurhythmics for undergraduate music majors. He currently serves on l’Collège de l’Institut Jaques-Dalcroze. Dr. Dittus is the founder and director of the Dalcroze School of the Rockies in Denver, Colorado. The DSR offers Eurhythmics, Rhythmic-Solfège, and Advanced Dalcroze Courses for ages 4-18, adult enrichment classes, full-time study toward the Dalcroze Certificate/License, in addition to post-License/pre-Diplôme courses. He recently has published books on Dalcroze Education: Embodying Music, Moving Sound, and five books that correspond to the Rhythmic-Solfège youth program in place at the Dalcroze School of the Rockies.

Dr. Jared Ballance is a dedicated teacher and performer. He has studied, performed, and taught extensively on five instruments. He earned a Bachelor of Music degree and a Master of Music degree in cello performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, a Master of Music degree in music theory pedagogy from the Eastman School of Music, and a Doctor of Musical Art degree from the Eastman School of Music. He holds the internationally recognized Dalcroze License from Carnegie Mellon University and the Dalcroze Certificate from Juilliard. He studied cello with Richard Aaron, Desmond Hoebig, and Alan Harris, viola with Jeffery Irvine, plus studies in violin, piano, and viola da gamba. Dr.Ballance has taught Dalcroze workshops at Eastman, ENCORE, Hochstein School of Music and Dance, Oakwood University, and Samford University for adult professional musicians, graduate and undergraduate performance majors, professors, music education, music theory, and general education students, as well as teenagers and children. He studied Dalcroze Eurhythmics and pedagogy with David Brown at CIM, with Dr. Robert Abramson and Daniel Cataneo at Juilliard, with Dr. Stephen Moore and Dr. Annabelle Joseph at Carnegie Mellon University, and with Anne Farber and Lisa Parker at Longy. He earned the Dalcroze Certificate from the Juilliard School of Music and earned the Dalcroze License from Carnegie Mellon University. He has performed chamber music with members of the Cleveland Orchestra, was the cellist of the Samford String Quartet, and the Brandywine Trio, and currently performs as a member of the Ballance Duo. Dr. Ballance is co-director of Ballance Talent Education. He has taught cello at ENCORE School for Strings, the University of Rochester, Samford University, Oakwood University, and given master classes at Andrews University, the Eastman School of Music, and at cello workshops. He has registered Suzuki pedagogy training with Tanya Carey, Edmund Sprunger, Gilda Barston, Dr. Beth Cantrell, Carey Cheney and Jean Dexter. Dr. Ballance has taught music theory and aural skills courses for performance and education majors at Eastman. He specializes in developing comprehensive musical skills and healthy physical performance techniques on all instruments. He was previously professor of cello, chamber music, and music theory at Samford University and Oakwood University. Dr. Ballance enjoys running and hiking, including a recent backpack trip on the Wonderland Trail, making a complete circuit around Mt. Rainier.

Molly Porterfield is a pianist, composer and teacher in Portland, OR. Her training includes a Dalcroze Certificate from Dalcroze School of the Rockies (Denver); a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from Marylhurst University (Marylhurst, OR); a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lewis and Clark College, and a Diploma Cum Laude from Berklee College of Music. While in Portland, Molly has served on the faculty of the Portland Youth Philharmonic, Metropolitan Youth Symphony, and the Oregon Suzuki Institute. Her previous teaching experience on the east coast includes work as lecturer at Mt. Holyoke College & Smith College, dance accompanist at Harvard Summer Dance, Joy of Movement, and Mark Morris during summer residencies. Molly has also served as a member of the faculty at Fieldston Lower School, Bronx, New York. Molly studied Dalcroze with John Colman, Lisa Parker, Anne Farber, Bob Abramson, Ruth Alperson, Julia Black, Stephen Moore, Marta Sanchez, Virginia Mead, faculty of Dalcroze School of the Rockies and The Dalcroze Academy. As a composer, she has worked with Weiden+Kennedy Interns.

Dr. Laura Wiebe is a versatile singer, conductor, and pianist and an experienced music educator. A native of the Twin Cities, Laura has served as a music professor and studio teacher at numerous institutions throughout the Midwest. Laura’s singing career embraces diverse styles, ranging from performances with symphony orchestra to intimate jazz collaborations. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral conducting and pedagogy from the University of Iowa, and received the Dalcroze Professional Certificate from the Dalcroze School of the Rockies in 2020. Laura currently serves as music director at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Columbia, Missouri, and as editor of Recorded Sound Reviews for the ACDA Choral Journal.

Dr. Allan Laiño, American Prize winner, is the fourth Artistic Director of the Congressional Chorus. As a second-generation Filipino-American with wide-ranging musical influences, he aims to reshape the landscape of American choral artistry by creating an environment in which all voices can flourish. Laiño has prepared choral ensembles for the National Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Marin Alsop, BSO Pops and Jack Everly, NSO Pops and Steven Reineke, Piedmont Symphony Orchestra, Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience, and the Josh Groban Live National Tour. In 2018, he debuted on the Kennedy Center stage as a choral conductor, collaborating with The Philip Glass Ensemble and The Washington Chorus in tribute to honoree Philip Glass at The Kennedy Center Honors. He returned to lead TWC in a choral feature for the NSO Pops holiday concerts. As Assistant Conductor for TWC, he stepped in on short notice to finish choral preparation and serve as substitute chorus master for the world premiere of Lera Auerbach’s ARCTICA with the NSO and Teddy Abrams. As Co-Conductor of the Sunday Night Singers in 2012, he earned First Prize at the World Choir Games in the Mixed Chamber Choir Champions Division. He is the 2018 winner of The American Prize—Community Chorus Division, and was a finalist in two categories for the 2020 The American Prize in Composition.

As Co-Artistic Director of DC-based professional ensemble, Bridge, Laiño produced, edited, directed, and sang in America, You’re Beautiful, a short film that merged spoken word and choral music to examine racism in America. The film was selected for the Queens Underground International Black and Brown Film Festival. As a Principal Associate Conductor and Artistic Coordinator with the National Children’s Chorus, Dr. Laiño conducts ensembles in the Senior Division, and supervises a nationwide musicianship program. Laiño served on the choral conducting faculty for the Rome School of Music, Drama, and Art at The Catholic University of America from 2016–2021. He directed the University Singers, who performed annually with the CU Symphony Orchestra under his baton for The Annual Christmas Concert for Charity at the National Shrine, a televised program broadcast worldwide to over 140 countries on EWTN. He is a former member of the Choir of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the resident professional chamber choir for which he has also guest-conducted in Masses. He has sung with groups such as Bridge, the Yale/Norfolk Music Festival Chamber Choir, Chantry, The Trinity Chamber Orchestra, the Sunday Night Singers, the Horizon Chamber Choir, and the Pacific Chorale. 

Dr. Laiño was a Diversity Fellowship recipient at the University of California, Irvine, earning his Master of Fine Arts degree in choral conducting in 2009 and Bachelor of Arts degree in voice in 2006. He moved to the DMV in 2012 to pursue his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral conducting (2015) at the University of Maryland, College Park.

American composer Ian Krouse was born in 1956 in Olney, Maryland. Gramophone hailed him as “one of the most communicative and intriguing young composers on the music scene today,” while Soundboard described his music as “absorbing, brutal, beautiful, and harsh, all at the same time.” Though lovers of guitar music know him for his chamber music with guitar, especially his groundbreaking music for guitar quartet, and for such solo pieces as Variations On A Moldavian Hora, and Air, he has written in nearly every musical genre including opera, and his works are performed frequently and recorded by major artists worldwide. Throughout his career he has received dozens of awards, including an AT&T American Encores Grant, three opera development grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, and several from the American Composer’s Forum and Meet the Composer, as well as those from the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations and the Atlantic-Richfield Corporation. He has won the BMI Award and the Gaudeamus Festival Prize, was a semi-finalist in the Kennedy Center Friedheim Awards, and a finalist in the Barlow Competition, and Big Ten Commissioning Project. Dozens of his works have been commercially recorded on the Brain (Japan), Urtext Digital Classics, Koch, Delos, Naxos, RCM, Lisaddell, GSP and GHA labels, among others.

Early studies in guitar were with Richard Wisner, and subsequently with the late James F. Smith at USC. As a guitarist, he performed extensively and recorded with the de Falla Guitar Trio, a group he cofounded. The group’s debut LP “Virtuoso Music for Three Guitars” for the Concord Concerto label, was awarded “One of the Year’s 12 Best” for 1984 by Stereo Review. His principal teachers in composition were James Hopkins, Morten Lauridsen, and Halsey Stevens. Early studies in composition at Indiana University at South Bend with Barton McLean and David Barton were later augmented with those at USC with Earle Brown, William Kraft, and Leonard Rosenman, as well as master classes with Pierre Boulez and Witold Lutoslawski. Dr. Krouse holds a Bachelor of Music degree, and Performer’s and Composer’s Certificates from Indiana University at South Bend, as well as Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in composition from the University of Southern California. Additionally, he is Professor of Music at the University of California Los Angeles, where he served for several years as Music Department Chair.

In 2011, Dr. Krouse received one of the University of California’s highest honors, the Distinguished Teaching Award for Outstanding Contributions to University Teaching. Special mention was made of his mentorship of undergraduate students. Throughout his long career he has mentored several generations of young people, many of who have gone on to important careers in music and allied fields. Several of his students have won prestigious awards such as the Prix de Rome, and the ASCAP and BMI Awards to Student Composers, among many others. Today Professor Krouse is a seasoned and sought-after master teacher of composition, theory, musicianship, analysis, and conducting, with a thriving private studio to augment his work at UCLA. He resides in Southern California with his three children.

Giovanni Piacentini is a composer, performer, educator and advocate for the music of others. Recently praised as “paying homage to the important cultural heritage of music in the west” by Forbes Magazine, his original music has been described as “…able to encapsulate tiny, winsome worlds as if passing through a gallery of paintings” (Winnipeg free press), and as “Stunningly beautiful with accessible compositional language.”(The Clarinet Magazine). Giovanni has established himself as a significant voice in Latin American classical music.

As a true embodiment of a Composer/Performer, Giovanni has drawn the attention and praise of the guitar world. Arkiv Magazine described Piacentini’s playing as “displaying degrees of sophistication and control that can’t help but mark him as a virtuoso.” He was invited to do a solo guitar tour of China in 2018 and has performed his own compositions in prestigious halls such as the San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts, the Museo Nacional in Mexico City and Carnegie Hall. His music has been performed by some of the world’s greatest instrumentalists like classical guitarist Eliot Fisk, the Minneapolis Guitar Quartet, the Lyris string quartet, violinists Tim Fain and Movses Pogossian among many more. He has released five albums that have earned him a feature on the prestigious British music magazine, Gramophone, a nomination for an Independent Music Award in 2020 and a feature in the L.A. Times in 2021.

Giovanni graduated summa cum laude from Berklee College of Music in Boston, earned his Master of Arts degree in composition under renowned American composer Richard Danielpour, and recently earned his PhD in music composition at the University of California Los Angeles where he served as Teaching Fellow in music theory and aural skills.

In October 2022, Giovanni premiered a concerto for guitar and orchestra dedicated and performed by legendary classical guitarist Eliot Fisk with the Orquesta Juvenil Carlos Chavez in Mexico City, Mexico. He was recently appointed Teaching Artist Fellow by the prestigious Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. He resides in Los Angeles where he teaches at Mt. San Antonio College, Elemental Music Academy, as well as the National Children’s Chorus.

Vocal coach and pianist Cory Battey hails from the Pacific Northwest, where he studied music at the University of Oregon. This past season, he joined the music staff of Palm Beach Opera as a coach for the young artist program. While there, Mr. Battey also accompanied productions and led educational outreach programs throughout the region. Currently, he is in high demand as a répétiteur around the country with collaborations in Portland Opera, Opera Omaha, Wichita Grand Opera, and Hubbard Hall Opera. Previously, Mr. Battey worked with several major opera companies throughout the country; including Sarasota Opera, Nashville Opera, Kentucky Opera, Mill City Summer Opera, and Shreveport Opera. He also served on the music staff of Opera in the Ozarks for five seasons, the last two as senior vocal coach. In addition to that, Mr. Battey has had the privilege of working with young singers at the University of Memphis, Brevard Music Center, Seagle Music Colony, and the Astoria Music Festival training programs. He recently joined the music staff of the Manhattan School of Music, in conjunction with maintaining his private coaching studio.

A native of Wilton, Iowa, Nathan Fratzke is a conductor, teacher, and freelance musician residing in Los Angeles. Nathan currently serves as choir director and leader of the contemporary instrumental ensemble at First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles, a progressive, multilingual, multicultural church located in Koreatown. Outside of his work at First U., Nathan teaches sight-singing and ear training courses with the National Children’s Chorus and is regularly contracted as a pianist, singer, and conductor for various musical events in the LA area. He completed coursework for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Music at the USC Thornton School of Music, where he served as Teaching Assistant and Assistant Conductor for both the USC Chamber Singers and USC Concert Choir, as well as Winter Gala Coordinator and Editor for the department newsletter. Nathan has also served as assistant conductor/pianist for the Los Angeles Zimriyah Chorale, an auditioned ensemble specializing in the performance of Jewish choral music. Prior to his arrival in LA, Nathan was active as a conductor in Columbia, Missouri, where he also earned a Master of Music degree in choral conducting at the University of Missouri. While at Mizzou, he taught courses in music theory and directed the Mizzou Men’s Glee, MU Summer Singers, Concert Chorale, and University Philharmonic, and worked regularly with the University Singers. Outside of his work at the university, Nathan served as assistant conductor of the Columbia Chorale, conductor of the Columbia Chamber Choir, and Director of Music at Calvary Episcopal Church, where he conducted an adult choir, children’s choir, and handbell choir. He completed his undergraduate studies at Wartburg College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in music.

Emily Mason is an award-winning composer and multi-instrumentalist residing in the Washington, D.C. area. Her music has enchanted audiences across the US and abroad, and the competitions she has won include the first place prize for Notre Dame University’s Magnificat Choir composition contest in May 2021, the Cantate Chamber Singers’ Thirteenth Biennial Young Composer’s Competition in July 2021, and she received a Special Commendation by the King’s Singers in their New Music Prize competition in October 2020. In December 2019, her setting of the famous Robert Frost poem “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening” for string orchestra and tenor was performed by Marco Panuccio and the Cincinnati Conservatory Strings in Panuccio’s Emmy® Nominated “O Holy Night” national concert tour. Emily enjoys working with the NCC as she follows her career as a composer.