“There were a whole bunch of these women who were publishing music during their liftetime in 17th-century Italy. I find it's important that young women know that they were composers other than Hildegard and Fanny Hensel who were writing. These women's voices were buried for so many years, and yet they were writing in the same styles as their male contemporaries. We can learn about our times now by looking to the past and to think critically about who we're lifting up and whose voices we are amplifying now based on how things have progressed over history.”

Dr. Meredith Bowen is an Assistant Professor of Choral Music at Michigan State University where she teaches graduate choral literature, conducting at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and conducts the auditioned treble ensemble, Mosaic. Bowen works to expand the choral canon and amplify marginalized voices by editing, restoring, and publishing editions of historical music by women. She is an active guest conductor, presenter, and clinician and is founding singer and Artistic Administrator for mirabai, a professional women’s ensemble dedicated to amplifying women’s voices through commissioning, performing, and recording. Her editions of music by 17th-century composers are published by Boosey & Hawkes and MusicSpoke. Prior to joining MSU, Bowen was the Director of Choral Studies at Radford University in Radford, VA, taught public school in Lansing, MI, and led a variety of community choirs throughout MI. She earned her B.S. in Music Education from West Chester University, and both an M.M., and a D.M.A. in Choral Conducting from Michigan State University.

To get in touch with Meredith, you can email her at bowenmer@msu.edu or find her on Facebook (@mybowen), Instagram (@emwhybee), or TikTok (@m.y.bowen).

Email choirfampodcast@gmail.com to contact our hosts.

Podcast music from Podcast.co
Photo in episode artwork by Trace Hudson

“I remember when I performed at Carnegie Hall for the first time. It was transformative. I remember taking the stage and just being in complete awe. I looked out, and it was just incredible. When I heard the sound, it was even more incredible. I used to say that my favorite part of my job was standing right at the stage door and watching every choir singer come and take the stage for the first time. They would look out and just be in complete awe. Now that I’m production manager, my new favorite part of my job is when conductors come off the stage and I get to tell them, ‘turn around, go back, they’re still clapping for you.’” - Eric Spiegel

“Living abroad gave me a whole new perspective and appreciation for my home country. It taught me a lot about other cultures and how to work with different people and have a certain cultural sensitivity and sensibility. I could not recommend it enough. We’re trying to grow and enhance the kinds of international opportunities that we provide. It’s such a collaborative, educational experience that goes way beyond one or two concerts. We know for many people who travel with us, it might be their first time in Europe. We try to make sure that it’s special in every possible way that we can.” - James Redcay

A native of Allentown, Pennsylvania, James Redcay joined MidAmerica Productions in April of 2015. A graduate of New York University, Redcay spent years in New York City as an accomplished pianist, composer and teacher, performing and composing for numerous concerts and institutions. During this time Redcay also held the position of Composer-in-Residence at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ. After graduating from NYU, Redcay moved abroad to Macao, where he taught music at the Conservatory of Macao and created and managed large-scale arts and entertainment programs and daily operations for Sands China Ltd., a subsidiary of Las Vegas Sands. After six fruitful years, Redcay relocated to the United States and now resides in Michigan.

Eric Spiegel holds a Master of Music Education degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as well as a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Miami Frost School of Music, with experience teaching middle and high school vocal/general music. As a performer, Eric has sung and acted in choirs, jazz groups, a cappella ensembles, and musicals across the United States and around the world. Eric conducted the Brooklyn, NY chapter of HaZamir: The International Jewish High School Choir for seven seasons, including in performances at David Geffen Hall and Jazz at Lincoln Center, and has served as MidAmerica Productions’ head of production for concerts at Carnegie Hall since 2023.

To get in touch with James & Eric, you can visit midamerica-music.com or find MidAmerica on Facebook (@midamerica.productions) or Instagram (@midamericaproductions)

Email choirfampodcast@gmail.com to contact our hosts.

Podcast music from Podcast.co
Photo in episode artwork by Trace Hudson

"Every single workshop I give is all about excellence, singing well, singing properly, and achieving the very best we can achieve. Why do we it? We don't do it because we'll be paid millions and millions of pounds. It's not cash-motivated. We do it because there is a higher purpose, a higher calling that makes us do it. I got offered a graduate scheme at university, so I could have been a corporate sellout. I'd probably arguably work less hours than I do in music, but I didn't do that. I don't have any regrets, because on an evening, I go home, I look myself in the mirror, and I can say to myself, 'we did some good stuff today.'"

Caius Lee is the Director of College Music at Worcester College, Oxford, where he leads the internationally acclaimed College Choir and Boys’ Choir, alongside the Jericho Youth Choir and the All Sorts Community Choir. He oversees an extensive portfolio of collegiate, community, and outreach initiatives under the Music at Worcester banner, including the groundbreaking Oxford Choral Experience and New Instrument learning scheme. Furthermore, he is a guest lecturer for the Institute of Sacred Music at St Stephen’s House and the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM).

Caius began his musical career as a chorister at Bradford Cathedral aged 11, later becoming the Cathedral Organ Scholar at 15. At 17, he joined Leeds Cathedral, concurrently holding the Idlewild Conducting Scholarship and the Cathedral Organ Scholarship. He was appointed Assistant Organist a year later, serving as the Diocesan Organist and Director of Music for the annual Lourdes pilgrimage.

Caius read Music at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, as the Neville Burston Organ Scholar. During his time at university, he founded the Addamus Choral Programme (formerly the Florence International Singing Programme). Addamus facilitates several annual courses and has performed at prestigious venues including Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral, Saint-Sulpice, Florence Cathedral, and the Vatican. Most recently, the programme launched the inaugural Italian Choral Programme, providing aspiring young professionals with the opportunity to perform at the Vatican, Florence Cathedral, Milan Cathedral and the Pantheon under the tutelage of a distinguished faculty, including Bob Chilcott, James Jordan, and Lorenzo Donati.

To get in touch with Caius, you can find the Addamus Choral Programme on Facebook (@addamuschoralprogramme) or Instagram (@addamus_official) or email him at caius.lee@worc.ox.ac.uk.

Email choirfampodcast@gmail.com to contact our hosts.

Podcast music from Podcast.co
Photo in episode artwork by Trace Hudson

“Burnout is when you reach a point where there is no mystery in the music making anymore and you’re just redoing what you’ve always done. You’re reheating it. Self-exploration should be the goal of every musician. The idea of staying connected to sound through listening and really fantasizing is essential. You have to believe there’s magic in the room, and then magic happens. What a gift it is to share music with other people in that room at that time.”

GRAMMY-nominated conductor James Jordan is recognized and praised throughout the musical world as one of America’s pre-eminent conductors, writers and innovators in choral music. He was described as a “visionary” by The Choral Journal, which cited his book Evoking Sound as a “must read.” His more than 60 books explore both the philosophical and spiritual basis of musicianship, as well as aspects of choral rehearsal teaching and learning. His latest book, The Conductor's Triangle, will be released in January 2026. He served as director of the Westminster Conducting Institute for 12 years and is Director of the Choral Institute at Oxford to be held this summer at Worcester College Oxford. He is also Conductor and Artistic Director of The Same Stream Choir and conductor of The Nexus Choral Artists.

He is founder of The Choral Academy, an online resource offering courses in Pedagogy, Conducting and Private Conducting Study. He has also created The Evoking Sound Virtual Classroom that houses his lectures and teaching as a resource, with contributions by Simon Carrington, Weston Noble and others.

James Jordan holds a BM from Susquehanna University, a MM in choral conducting and a Ph.D in the Psychology of Music from Temple University where he was a student of Edwin Gordon. He is a conducting student of the legendary teacher Elaine Brown. He holds several conducting certificates from Chorstudio Wilhelm Ehman earned in St. Moritz, Switzerland. He has attended the Laban Institute of Movement Studies in New York. He was a finalist in the Stokowski Conducting Competition sponsored by The Philadelphia Orchestra.

James Jordan’s research beginning in 1980 regarding applications of Laban to rhythm pedagogy and conducting are pioneering. His books regarding the Application of Music Learning Theory to the Choral rehearsal have revolutionized choral teaching and Learning. His most recent book on this subject, Intonational Solfege (GIA) presents an approach for teaching Intonation skills to choirs. Dr. Jordan is exclusively published by GIA Publications.

James Jordan has been the major author regarding the application of vocal technique to the choral rehearsal. He was a student of Frauke Haasemann and has continued and advanced her work. He explores connections into voice science in the book, The Anatomy of Tone and most recently in the extensive text, Essentials of the Choral Warm-Up (GIA).

Dr. Jordan has recorded over 20 CDs with the Westminster Williamson Voices, The Same Stream, and The Westminster Choir. James Jordan is also one of the hosts of the nationally syndicated radio program Sounds Choral on WWFM.org.

Dr. Jordan’s career and publications have been devoted to innovative educational changes in the choral art which have been embraced around the world. His residencies, master classes and guest conducting have taken him throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and China.

To get in touch with Jim, you can visit thechoralacademy.com, email him at jevoke@mac.com, or find him on Instagram (@wckonductor) or X (@jevoke).

Email choirfampodcast@gmail.com to contact our hosts.

Podcast music from Podcast.co
Photo in episode artwork by Trace Hudson

"Singing in a choir, you're trying to about five things at the same time, and sometimes you're not even doing it in the language you have spoken your entire life. Sometimes I had to just start with rhythm on one pitch and then build that step by step by step. In the process, I was always trying to teach voice. If the voice mechanism shuts down, that's where you get into problems and they stop engaging. You have to let people in rehearsals make mistakes, especially early on. It's so important. If you think rhythm, tone, rhythm-tone-text, rhythm-tone-dynamics, rhythm-tone-articulation, rhythm-tone-expression, that's six times I should have gone through that section. Then I saw that these kids were actually digging it, getting into it, and they felt that they were learning something."

For the past 40 years, Richard Zielinski has taught at five universities, worked as a music director in numerous churches, and has conducted orchestras, choruses and stage productions throughout Europe, Asia, and North America. Zielinski recently retired as the Director of Choral Activities, Chair of Graduate Choral Studies at the University of Oklahoma and as Director of Music Ministries at McFarlin Memorial United Methodist Church in Norman, Oklahoma. Prior to his appointment at the University of Oklahoma, Richard directed choral programs at University of South Florida (Tampa), Indiana State University (Terre Haute), Mercer University, (Macon, Georgia), State University of New York at Plattsburgh.

He has also served as Music Director for the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay, Elgin Choral Union (IL), Vermilion Festival Chorus (IL), and Terre Haute Masterworks Chorale (IN).

In 2005, Richard founded and serves as conductor of the Zielinski Singers. This 40-voice professional chorus combines the talents of the finest choral singers in the United States producing performances, tours and recordings of choral works by American composers.

Richard currently serves as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the 51st Classical Music Festival and Orchestra located at the Esterhazy Palace in Eisenstadt, Austria. He is also a recipient of the Gold Medal of Achievement for his artistic achievements and musical contributions in Eisenstadt, Austria as principal conductor and artistic director of the Classical Music Festival. In 2025 Zielinski was awarded the honorary badge “Meritorious for Polish Culture” from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland for his 32 years of artistic work in Poland.

In 2012, Zielinski and members of the city of Norman, Oklahoma, founded a professional orchestra, The Norman PHILharmonic. The PHIL’s mission is four-fold: to be an innovative and standard-setting orchestra, to commission new works from American composers, to collaborate with area arts programs, and to excite the youth of America about symphonic music.

Throughout his career Zielinski has collaborated with composers Norman Dello Joio, Libby Larsen, John Mackey, Michael Daugherty, Samuel Adler, Eleanor Daley, Marek Jasinski, Rosephanye Powell, Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate, James Oliverio, Stephen Paulus, Krzysztof Penderecki and has commissioned numerous works from many of these composers.

To get in touch with Rick, you can find him on Facebook (@richard.zielinski.77) or visit richardzielinski.com.

Email choirfampodcast@gmail.com to contact our hosts.

Podcast music from Podcast.co
Photo in episode artwork by Trace Hudson

“If you have opportunities to have them take over the work, you can engage them in a way with chaos circles. I love doing chaos circles when they’re teaching themselves the music. Sometimes you see students who are usually very shy really step up to the challenge of becoming leaders, You get to see students in a way that they don’t always present themselves if you can get them moving around and engaging the brain that way.”

Dr. Jenny Bent is Professor of Music and Director of Choral and Vocal Activities at Sonoma State University. With degrees from Boston University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Dr. Bent's expertise spans voice performance, choral conducting, and choral literature. Described by the San Francisco Classical Voice as “superb” with “excellent diction and well-controlled dynamics,” Dr. Bent’s choirs have earned unanimous superior ratings and command performances at festivals throughout California and have performed under her baton at such venues as Carnegie Hall in New York City and Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. Her ensemble SonoVoce was recently honored to perform at the CA All-State Music Educators Conference (CASMEC).

Recognized for her achievements as a choral educator, Dr. Bent received the 2019 CMEA Bay Section Outstanding Choral Educator Award and the 2023 CMEA Pearson/Scott Foresman/Silver Burdett Choral Educator Award. She brings over a decade of high school teaching experience, notably at the Marin School of the Arts.

Beyond her academic work, Dr. Bent contributes to the choral music community as a guest conductor, adjudicator, and conference presenter for organizations including CMEA, ACDA, and Golden State. From 2016-2023, she served on the board of the California Choral Directors Association (CCDA), and she currently holds the positions of Repertoire & Resources Collegiate Choirs Coordinator for National ACDA and Western Region Representative for the National Collegiate Choral Organization (NCCO). From 2007-2014, Dr. Bent shared her passion for choral music as a host of "The Choir Loft" on KRCB-FM. She is also a proud (and semi-obnoxious) baseball mom whose favorite moments are watching her two sons do what they love.

To get in touch with Jenny, you can email her at bentje@sonoma.edu or find her on Facebook (@jenny.bent.5)

Email choirfampodcast@gmail.com to contact our hosts.

Podcast music from Podcast.co
Photo in episode artwork by Trace Hudson

“Middle school kids really are very concrete learners. Abstract thought isn’t there yet. Give them the ability to see ‘I’m not the only one having problems on page 10. I must be normal because everybody’s having problems on page 10.’ Or, if it is a kid who’s the only one who’s having a problem, let’s figure out what the problem is. Let the kids have some voice in helping problem-solve rehearsal issues. The teacher is the expert, but that doesn’t mean that you know everything. Sometimes a kid knows a lot of stuff, but it is just sounds different or is coming from a different angle.”

Gretchen Harrison, National ACDA Chairperson for Repertoire and Resources, is a Missouri-born, Kansas-educated, veteran choral educator, conductor and clinician.. Proud to come from a strong choral music heritage, Harrison is the middle generation of a 3-generation ACDA family. She follows in her dad’s footsteps as “teacher-mentor” with joy! She loves a rehearsal based on love, excellence, urgency, laughter, respect, high expectations, silliness and, hopefully, dark chocolate! Harrison has served ACDA as State Chair for JHMS Repertoire and Standards (KS), as the National Chair for JHMS Repertoire and Standards, then Resources, as the first Youth Choirs Coordinator and, now, as the National Chair. Harrison earned degrees from Wichita State University (BME) and the University of Missouri–Kansas City (MME) and has 60+ additional hours of study. Professionally, Harrison retired after teaching public school middle school choir for 34 years. She is the 2023 recipient of the “Harry Robert Wilson Award”, an award by the Kansas ACDA chapter to recognize lifelong achievement. She is the administrator in the Allegro Choirs of Kansas City community choir program. Harrison is married to a retired band director and mom to two wonderful humans and “Gigi” to a wonderful grandson–with another on the way. She loves her family, cooking, baking, her dog and reading.

To get in touch with Gretchen, you can email her at nationalrr@acda.org, follow the ACDA Repertoire Collective Facebook page (@RepertoireResources), or find her on Facebook (@gretchen.harrison) or Instagram (@gretchenharrison).

Email choirfampodcast@gmail.com to contact our hosts.

Podcast music from Podcast.co
Photo in episode artwork by Trace Hudson

“Going into high school, I did everything possible to avoid the performing arts. My vice principal called me into the office and said, ‘you can’t have an open period. I’m gonig to put you in choir.’ Within weeks, it became a life-changing experience for me – I discovered a community, a way to express myself. I knew by the end of my junior year in high school that this is what I wanted to do.” - Brandon Elliott

“If you are coming as a conductor to composing, you already have a resource that a lot of composers lack. You know what your singers need. You have already identified a lack in the repertoire that you’re looking for, something that you might fill as a composer. If you can get into that mindset with your own ensemble, you’ll be so ready, so prepared to take that on for other groups.” - Dale Trumbore

Dale Trumbore is a Los Angeles-based composer and writer whose music has been called “devastatingly beautiful” (The Washington Post) and praised for its “soaring melodies and beguiling harmonies deployed with finesse” (The New York Times). Trumbore's compositions have been performed widely in the U.S. and internationally by Atlanta Master Chorale, the Chicago Symphony's MusicNOW ensemble, Conspirare and the Miró Quartet, Los Angeles Children's Chorus, Los Angeles Master Chorale, National Youth Choir of Scotland, Pasadena Symphony, Phoenix Chorale, and Seraphic Fire.

Trumbore is the recipient of ACDA’s inaugural Raymond W. Brock Competition for Professional Composers, an ASCAP Morton Gould Award, and a Chamber Music America Classical Commissioning Grant. She has written extensively about working through creative blocks and establishing a career in music in essays and in two books, Composing a Living (cowritten with Brandon Elliott) and Staying Composed. Learn more about Trumbore’s music and writing at daletrumbore.com.

Dr. Brandon Elliott is a conductor, educator, and consultant specializing in creative and strategic leadership in the arts and entertainment industry. He is a Professor of Music at Saddleback College and Founder & Artistic Director of Choral Arts Initiative, an award-winning ensemble dedicated to contemporary choral music. A sought-after consultant and Fulbright Specialist, he advises on artist management, organizational change, career development, and the evolving music industry.

To get in touch with Dale, you can visit her website, daletrumbore.com, where you can also sign up for her newsletter. To get in touch with Brandon, visit his website, brandon-elliott.com, which also provides links to his social media accounts.

Email choirfampodcast@gmail.com to contact our hosts.

Podcast music from Podcast.co
Photo in episode artwork by Trace Hudson