Speakers & Performers

Donna Walker-Kuhne

Opening Plenary Speaker:

Acknowledged as the nation’s foremost expert in audience development by the Arts & Business Council, Ms. Walker-Kuhne has devoted her professional career to increasing access to the arts. She has raised over $20 million in earned income promoting the...

Alan Brown

Friday Morning Plenary Speaker:

Alan Brown is a leading researcher and management consultant in the nonprofit arts industry, focusing on understanding consumer demand for cultural experiences and helping cultural institutions, foundations, and agencies see new opportunities, make informed...

Craig Jessop

Closing Plenary Panelist:

Dr. Craig Jessop is Professor of Music and the founding dean for the Caine College of the Arts at Utah State University. These appointments follow Dr. Jessop’s distinguished tenure as music director of the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir and head of the...

Ann Howard Jones

Closing Plenary Panelist:

Ann Howard Jones is professor emerita of Music at Boston University. During her twenty-two years as director of choral activities, she founded and conducted the Symphonic and Chamber Choruses, supervised conducting students in the Concert Chorus and Women’s...

Mary Ann Aufderheide

Mary Ann Aufderheide has led VocalEssence as executive director since 2003 and has expanded the organization’s programs in the areas of governance, education, resource development, community partnerships, and recording projects. Prior to joining VocalEssence, Mary Ann served as executive...

Michael Boberg

Michael joined The Jewish Foundation team as its Senior Grants Officer in September 2015. His role at the Foundation includes working directly with a number of its grantees, from request inception through the evaluation and impact reporting phase of the grant making process, managing a portfolio...

Philip Brunelle

Philip Brunelle, artistic director and founder of VocalEssence, is an internationally renowned conductor, choral scholar and visionary. He has made his lifelong mission the promotion of the choral art in all its forms, especially rarely heard works of the past and worthwhile new music. Under his...

William Henry Caldwell

William Henry Caldwell is currently the resident conductor for the Martin Luther King Celebration Chorus for the Cleveland Orchestra and the Classical Roots Community Chorus for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. He also maintains a very active schedule as a lyric baritone with recent...

Roland Carter

Composer, arranger, conductor, pianist, scholar, researcher, teacher... Roland M. Carter is the UTC Holmberg Professor of American Music. During his 23-year tenure at The University of Tennessee Chattanooga, Professor Carter conducted choirs, taught classes, accompanied recitals, arranged music...

Jennifer Clarke

Jennifer Clarke is the managing director of the New York City Arts In Education Roundtable, a community of arts organizations and individuals providing arts education to New York City schools and beyond, and the largest organization of its kind in the US. Jennifer is an arts administrator,...

Beth Dochinger

Beth S. Dochinger, CFRE, has over thirty years of advancement experience in successfully raising gifts for capital projects; special initiatives through principal, major and planned giving; capital campaigns; and corporate and foundation support. She is currently senior director of development...

Ellie Elkinton

When the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia decided to transition from a singer board to a board of community leaders, Ellie served as chair to build the new board and secure the funding to hire a full-time professional executive director. She served for 11 years, and is now in her second year as...

Edwina French

Edwina French joined Pittsburgh Youth Chorus as its executive director in July of 2013.  Her experiences in arts management began in 1991 when she founded the Community Music School, a non-profit organization located in Trappe, PA. Serving as the executive director of this organization, she led...

Sandi Hammond

Sandi Hammond founded the Butterfly Music Transgender Chorus in November of 2014. She has a BA in music from Earlham College, where she was a merit-based fine arts scholar in music and also the recipient of a Ford Foundation Fellowship in choral conducting. In her early twenties she sang as a...

Wanza Jackson

Wanza Jackson began her career with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction in 1989.  She has held the following positions with the agency: personnel director, deputy warden, religious service administrator, and warden of Warren Correctional Institution. She is currently the warden...

Alecia Kintner

Alecia Kintner was recruited to join ArtsWave in Cincinnati in 2013, and in September 2014 became chief executive officer, a role she feels she’s been preparing for her whole life. Prior to relocating to Cincinnati from the Northeast, she served as deputy director of the Greater Hartford Arts...

Wendy LeBorgne

Dr. Wendy LeBorgne is a sought after voice pathologist, speaker, author, and masterclass clinician, actively presenting nationally and internationally on the professional voice, vocal wellness, and vocal athletes. Her 20-year career as a voice pathologist and singing voice specialist includes...

Ryan Luhrs

Ryan Luhrs is assistant professor of music and director of choral activities at Andrew College in Cuthbert, Georgia. He conducts the college’s premiere music ensemble, Choraliers, and teaches courses in music theory, aural skills, music appreciation, applied voice, and applied piano. Ryan holds...

Donald McCullough

Donald McCullough is an American composer who demonstrates a highly imaginative flexibility, writing works that have been critically acclaimed throughout the United States, Canada and Europe in myriad musical styles.

Composed in memory of his dear friend Jean Montgomery Riddell who died...

Mitch Menchaca

Mitch Menchaca is the vice president and chief operating officer at Chorus America. He works in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders to advance the association’s strategic plan, programs and services, membership, communications, and internal operations. He came to Chorus America...

Stephanie Nash

Stephanie Nash brings her passion of choral music to every ensemble she conducts. As conductor of the Northern Kentucky Community Chorus (NKCC) since 2013, she is proud to continue the traditions of this strong organization founded in 1980. Working with NKCC allows Stephanie to create beautiful...

John Nuechterlein

John Nuechterlein is president and CEO of the American Composers Forum, a leading national service organization based in St. Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 1975 as the Minnesota Composers Forum, the Forum has grown exponentially in the past 40 years. It offers a broad range of innovative programs...

Danny Ozment

Danny Ozment is the creator of Fund What You Love, a patronage site that allows supporters to donate small amounts to artists, ensembles, and charities on a recurring basis. He is also owner of Emerald City Productions, a full-service recording studio in Nashville. Danny is an experienced...

Dianne Peterson

Dianne Peterson, executive director of The Washington Chorus, has an extensive background in the performing arts and business management, as well as music education. Under Ms. Peterson’s leadership as general manager and executive director for 30 years, the Grammy-winning Chorus has become one...