Candidates for the OCDA Board of Directors
President
Dara Gillis received her Bachelors and Masters degrees in vocal music education from Ohio University in 1993 and 2002 respectively. She is currently in her eighteenth year as a music educator. Mrs. Gillis is in her ninth year as director of choirs at Delaware Hayes High School, Delaware, Ohio. Under her direction, the choirs at Hayes High School have received consistent superior ratings in class A and AA at both district and state level OMEA adjudicated events. She is an active adjudicator for the Ohio Music Education Association. She has served as East Central Region Chair for OCDA and is currently membership chairperson for the organization. In the spring of 2007, under Mrs. Gillis’s direction, the Delaware Hayes High School Symphonic Choir performed as the featured ensemble at the National Youth Choir Festival at Carnegie Hall in New York City. In April of 2011, the Hayes Symphonic Choir will once again perform in New York City at both the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and at Avery Fisher Hall as part of the Distinguished Concerts International Concert Series under the direction of Eric Whitacre. Mrs. Gillis lives with her husband Mark in Delaware.
Robert Jones directs University Chorale and Choral Union at the University of Dayton. His other duties include teaching vocal music education courses and supervising vocal music student teachers. In addition to his public school experience, Dr. Jones has served as an adjudicator, guest conductor, clinician, and baritone soloist in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions of the country. He completed his M.M. in Vocal Performance at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and his DMA in Choral Conducting at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida.
Dr. Jones is an active conductor and educator in Dayton and the surrounding region. He is artistic director of MUSICA!, a professional chamber ensemble that has recorded two CDs, Great Day and Reflections on American Spirituals. MUSICA! recently performed at the 2010 ACDA Central Division Conference in Cincinnati. He is also Minister of Music at Grace United Methodist Church. During the year, the choir presents special musical programs featuring traditional choral repertory, and contemporary Christian and world music anthems. Finally, Dr. Jones is Historian and Assistant Newsletter Editor and past Collegiate Repertory and Standards Chair of the Ohio Choral Directors Association.
Prior to UD, Dr. Jones taught music education courses and conducted University Singers and Chamber Singers at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. In addition, he directed the ASU Madrigal Feast, served on the staff of the North Carolina Summer Institute of Choral Art and was coordinator of the North Carolina High School Honors Choir for several years.
His articles and music reviews have appeared in several professional journals, including the American Choral Directors Journal. A published composer and arranger, he was employed as a choral editor for Plymouth Music Company of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida while attending the University of Miami.
Dr. Jones is an active conductor and educator in Dayton and the surrounding region. He is artistic director of MUSICA!, a professional chamber ensemble that has recorded two CDs, Great Day and Reflections on American Spirituals. MUSICA! recently performed at the 2010 ACDA Central Division Conference in Cincinnati. He is also Minister of Music at Grace United Methodist Church. During the year, the choir presents special musical programs featuring traditional choral repertory, and contemporary Christian and world music anthems. Finally, Dr. Jones is Historian and Assistant Newsletter Editor and past Collegiate Repertory and Standards Chair of the Ohio Choral Directors Association.
Prior to UD, Dr. Jones taught music education courses and conducted University Singers and Chamber Singers at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. In addition, he directed the ASU Madrigal Feast, served on the staff of the North Carolina Summer Institute of Choral Art and was coordinator of the North Carolina High School Honors Choir for several years.
His articles and music reviews have appeared in several professional journals, including the American Choral Directors Journal. A published composer and arranger, he was employed as a choral editor for Plymouth Music Company of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida while attending the University of Miami.
Secretary
Loren C. Veigel served thirty-one years in secondary choral music education. He received a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Mount Union College, where he studied choral music with Cecil “Pop” Stewart and Bruce Browne; and a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from the University of Arizona, where he studied with Maurice Skones.
Mr. Veigel taught at Waynedale High School, Jackson High School, Lancaster Sr. High School, and served fifteen years as director of vocal music at Massillon Washington High School. His choirs compiled a record of success in adjudicated events, including more than twenty-five AA state superior ratings.
An interest in travel has pervaded Loren Veigel’s career. His choirs have performed in many states, as well as Ontario and Quebec. As a director with the Ohio Honors Chorale, Veigel conducted in many European tours, culminating in four tours by the Massillon Washington Advanced Choir.. Mr. Veigel now serves as the Ohio representative for Witte Travel and Tours of Grand Rapids, Michigan, allowing him to work with many performance organizations preparing for tours.
Mr. Veigel’s life has also included church and collegiate work, serving on the staff of five churches, most notably St. Paul’s Lutheran of Massillon, where he continues to play services. He also founded the Walsh University Chorale, serving there for more than five years, and is presently employed by the University of Akron, where he works with vocal music student teachers and teaches graduate music education.
Professional organizations have included: the American Choral Directors Association (several board positions); Ohio Music Education Association (Dist. Pres., adjudicator, site host, 2009 All-State Choir Chair); and, the American Guild of Organists.
Mr. Veigel taught at Waynedale High School, Jackson High School, Lancaster Sr. High School, and served fifteen years as director of vocal music at Massillon Washington High School. His choirs compiled a record of success in adjudicated events, including more than twenty-five AA state superior ratings.
An interest in travel has pervaded Loren Veigel’s career. His choirs have performed in many states, as well as Ontario and Quebec. As a director with the Ohio Honors Chorale, Veigel conducted in many European tours, culminating in four tours by the Massillon Washington Advanced Choir.. Mr. Veigel now serves as the Ohio representative for Witte Travel and Tours of Grand Rapids, Michigan, allowing him to work with many performance organizations preparing for tours.
Mr. Veigel’s life has also included church and collegiate work, serving on the staff of five churches, most notably St. Paul’s Lutheran of Massillon, where he continues to play services. He also founded the Walsh University Chorale, serving there for more than five years, and is presently employed by the University of Akron, where he works with vocal music student teachers and teaches graduate music education.
Professional organizations have included: the American Choral Directors Association (several board positions); Ohio Music Education Association (Dist. Pres., adjudicator, site host, 2009 All-State Choir Chair); and, the American Guild of Organists.
Loren C. Veigel is running unopposed for this office.
SC Region Chair
Michael G. Martin wears many hats, including composer, arranger, and Director of Choral Activities at Hilliard Darby High School.
As former assistant conductor/accompanist of The Ohio State University Men’s Glee Club, Martin’s for eighteen years, his passion continued to grow deeper and resulted in the development of numerous choral groups within the educational and community environment. After writing his first major composition at the age of 17, Martin pursued a college career at The Ohio State University, earning both a Bachelor of Music Education degree and a Master of the Choral Arts in Conducting, studying with James Gallagher, Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt and Maurice Casey. This pathway provided an opportunity to study with and serving as accompanist for the late Robert Shaw, as well as an invitation to study at the Robert Shaw Choral Festival Chorus in France in 1994. He has also performed and conducted major concerts throughout Germany, Austria, England, and France.
He has also studied choral music with James Gallagher, Dr. Ann Howard Jones of Boston University, Eric Whitacre, Dr. Eph Ely, Keith Hampton, Dr. Donald Neuen, and Dr. Craig Jessop from Utah State University.
A published composer, Martin has compositions published with Alliance Music, Houston, Texas, Lawson Gould and Alfred Publications, Miami Florida.
Martin’s career has spanned many facets, both in and out of the classroom. As a graduate teaching assistant and visiting professor at The Ohio State University, Martin served as conductor of the Symphonic Choir, Chorale and Men’s Glee, as well as instructor for undergraduate vocal pedagogy courses and conducting classes. Martin’s civic responsibility has involved his creativity in arranging and conducting choirs for citywide celebrations, televised broadcasts and weekly worship services with the community. He has also served as adjunct professor and clinician throughout the Great Lakes region, former repertoire chair for Ohio Choral Directors Association, and member of ACDA, MENC, and ASCAP.
As former assistant conductor/accompanist of The Ohio State University Men’s Glee Club, Martin’s for eighteen years, his passion continued to grow deeper and resulted in the development of numerous choral groups within the educational and community environment. After writing his first major composition at the age of 17, Martin pursued a college career at The Ohio State University, earning both a Bachelor of Music Education degree and a Master of the Choral Arts in Conducting, studying with James Gallagher, Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt and Maurice Casey. This pathway provided an opportunity to study with and serving as accompanist for the late Robert Shaw, as well as an invitation to study at the Robert Shaw Choral Festival Chorus in France in 1994. He has also performed and conducted major concerts throughout Germany, Austria, England, and France.
He has also studied choral music with James Gallagher, Dr. Ann Howard Jones of Boston University, Eric Whitacre, Dr. Eph Ely, Keith Hampton, Dr. Donald Neuen, and Dr. Craig Jessop from Utah State University.
A published composer, Martin has compositions published with Alliance Music, Houston, Texas, Lawson Gould and Alfred Publications, Miami Florida.
Martin’s career has spanned many facets, both in and out of the classroom. As a graduate teaching assistant and visiting professor at The Ohio State University, Martin served as conductor of the Symphonic Choir, Chorale and Men’s Glee, as well as instructor for undergraduate vocal pedagogy courses and conducting classes. Martin’s civic responsibility has involved his creativity in arranging and conducting choirs for citywide celebrations, televised broadcasts and weekly worship services with the community. He has also served as adjunct professor and clinician throughout the Great Lakes region, former repertoire chair for Ohio Choral Directors Association, and member of ACDA, MENC, and ASCAP.
Jeanne Wohlgamuth has taught choral and instrumental music for 29 years. She is currently in her seventh year as Fine Arts Department Chair and Director of Choirs at Dublin Jerome High School where she directs five co-curricular and two extra-curricular choirs.
She received her bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell and a k-8 classroom teaching and reading endorsement from Central Michigan University. She has studied the Kodály Philosophy at Capital University and has attended the Lifespan Voice Education Network and Doreen Rao’s Choral Music Experience Workshop.
In addition to her public school teaching, Jeanne is on staff with the Columbus Children’s Choir where she directs the Santa Maria Choir. Jeanne is an instructor in the Master’s program in Music Education at the Kodály Summer Institute at Capital University where she teaches secondary choral methodology and folk song research. Jeanne has been a guest conductor for several local and regional honors choirs throughout the state of Ohio.
Jeanne’s choirs have consistently received superior ratings at district and state music competitions as well as being chosen to perform at the 2003, 2006 and 2008 OMEA State Conferences.
Jeanne currently serves as National Children’s Choir Coordinator for the Organization of American Kodály Educators (OAKE) and Treasurer for the Tri-City Kodály Music Educators (TRIKE). She is a past Secretary of the Organization of American Kodály Educators. Jeanne is the recipient of the Teacher of the Year award at Dublin Jerome High School and Wright Elementary, the Golden Shamrock Award for Excellence in Education from Dublin Schools and The Community Champion Award presented by the Dublin Chamber of Commerce.
She received her bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell and a k-8 classroom teaching and reading endorsement from Central Michigan University. She has studied the Kodály Philosophy at Capital University and has attended the Lifespan Voice Education Network and Doreen Rao’s Choral Music Experience Workshop.
In addition to her public school teaching, Jeanne is on staff with the Columbus Children’s Choir where she directs the Santa Maria Choir. Jeanne is an instructor in the Master’s program in Music Education at the Kodály Summer Institute at Capital University where she teaches secondary choral methodology and folk song research. Jeanne has been a guest conductor for several local and regional honors choirs throughout the state of Ohio.
Jeanne’s choirs have consistently received superior ratings at district and state music competitions as well as being chosen to perform at the 2003, 2006 and 2008 OMEA State Conferences.
Jeanne currently serves as National Children’s Choir Coordinator for the Organization of American Kodály Educators (OAKE) and Treasurer for the Tri-City Kodály Music Educators (TRIKE). She is a past Secretary of the Organization of American Kodály Educators. Jeanne is the recipient of the Teacher of the Year award at Dublin Jerome High School and Wright Elementary, the Golden Shamrock Award for Excellence in Education from Dublin Schools and The Community Champion Award presented by the Dublin Chamber of Commerce.
SW Region Chair
Anthony Nims has been Director of Choral Activities at Lakota West High School since 2006. His five choirs have consistently earned superior ratings at OMEA Adjudicated Events, and the 65-voice Chorale and 21-voice Chamber Choir have performed such large works as Haydn’s Creation, Carmina Burana by Orff, the Fauré Requiem, the Mozart Requiem, Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem, Handel’s Dixit Dominus, and Bach’s Magnificat. The Lakota West Chorale has twice been invited to perform on the CCM Feast of Carols at the University of Cincinnati. As part of choir trips to New York City, Chorale has performed full concerts at Westminster Choir College to high acclaim. Nims holds the Master of Music degree in choral conducting from Westminster Choir College, where he studied with Joseph Flummerfelt, James Jordan, Andrew Megill, and Tim Brown. As a choral singer, Nims has performed under such renowned conductors as Lorin Maazel, Charles Dutoit, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Alan Gilbert, Neeme Järvi, Helmuth Rilling, and Anton Armstrong. His Bachelor of Music degree in music education is from Ohio Wesleyan University.
Sara Potts holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music and a Minor in Dance from Otterbein University (formerly College) and a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. While at Otterbein, Sara received the Thelma Zelner Memorial Award for Choral Excellence, was an active member of and held multiple offices in Delta Omicron Honorary Music Fraternity. She also held a two-year internship in Music Ministry at North Broadway United Methodist Church in Columbus and served as a student worker at the OCDA Summer Conference. During graduate school at CCM, Sara studied conducting under Dr. Earl Rivers and Dr. Stephen Coker and performed in Master Classes with Dale Warland, Stephen Darlington and Harry Christophers. She was also the Chancel Choir Director at Glendale Presbyterian Church.
Sara is in her fifth year of teaching and currently teaches high school choir, dance, and AP Music Theory at Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy. Her choirs at CHCA have performed the National Anthem at Reds Games, performed with the Xavier University Concert Choir and opened for Harry Connick, Jr., Kristen Chenoweth, and Lionel Richie in concert. Sara also directs the adult Chancel Choir at Sharonville United Methodist Church in Cincinnati.
An active member of ACDA and MENC, Sara is in her fourth and final year as OCDA Summer Conference Co-Coordinator, a post she shares with her husband Brian. Brian and Sara reside in Deer Park in Cincinnati and share their home with a menagerie of wonderful animals.
Sara is in her fifth year of teaching and currently teaches high school choir, dance, and AP Music Theory at Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy. Her choirs at CHCA have performed the National Anthem at Reds Games, performed with the Xavier University Concert Choir and opened for Harry Connick, Jr., Kristen Chenoweth, and Lionel Richie in concert. Sara also directs the adult Chancel Choir at Sharonville United Methodist Church in Cincinnati.
An active member of ACDA and MENC, Sara is in her fourth and final year as OCDA Summer Conference Co-Coordinator, a post she shares with her husband Brian. Brian and Sara reside in Deer Park in Cincinnati and share their home with a menagerie of wonderful animals.
NE Region Chair
Corey Fowler is currently the Director of Choirs at Grand Valley Local Schools in Orwell, Ohio where he oversees the middle school and high school choral program. He is also the Director of Music Ministry at St. Robert Bellarmine Church in Cortland, Ohio, leading a thriving music ministry program. He graduated from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio earning a bachelors degree in Music Education. While at KSU, he studied conducting with Ben Ayling and voice with Tim Culver and participated in the KSU Chorale and Ars Nova Singers. He was also the first undergraduate student conductor of the KSU Women’s Chorus and the president of the KSU Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association. As a proponent of music education and the choral arts, he is an active member of several organizations including the American Choral Directors Association, Ohio Music Education Association, and National Association of Pastoral Musicians.
In addition to his directorial pursuits, Mr. Fowler is also an accomplished bass-baritone. He currently sings with Opera Cleveland and has been seen in their recent productions, including Lucia di Lammermoor, Don Giovanni, and La Boheme. He was also the bass soloist for the Messiah with the KSU Orchestra and Chorus and the Schubert Mass No. 2 in G with Kent State Salem.
In addition to his directorial pursuits, Mr. Fowler is also an accomplished bass-baritone. He currently sings with Opera Cleveland and has been seen in their recent productions, including Lucia di Lammermoor, Don Giovanni, and La Boheme. He was also the bass soloist for the Messiah with the KSU Orchestra and Chorus and the Schubert Mass No. 2 in G with Kent State Salem.
Kathleen Milford holds degrees in music education from Kent State University and Youngstown State University and is retired from twenty-nine years teaching general and choral music in the Ashtabula Area City Schools. She has directed choirs at the First United Methodist Church in Ashtabula since 1983. In retirement she has held part-time teaching positions at Lake Catholic High School (Mentor), Kent State University Ashtabula, and currently as an assistant choir director for Crestwood Local Schools, Mantua. Kathleen is founder and artistic director of the Ashtabula County Choral Music Society which has been providing opportunities for singers over the age of ten and audiences in since 1989. She has held offices on the state Board of Directors/Trustees of both the Ohio Choral Directors Association and the Ohio Music Education Association, and is currently an OMEA adjudicator. She also very much enjoys and is honored to sing with the Wade Raridon Singers (Youngstown).