Arrangers

Hawley Ades

Hawley Ades was an American, choral arranger, born in Wichita, Kansas in 1908. He died March 26, 2008, at the age of 99, three months shy of his 100th birthday. He was the son of two professional musicians; choral director Lucius Ades, and concert pianist and teacher Mary Findley Ades.

Hawley Ades graduated from Rutgers College in 1929. He was hired as a staff arranger for Irving Berlin's publishing company, where from 1932 to 1936 he made hundreds of stock arrangements for the leading dance bands of the day, including special arrangements for Raymond Scott and Paul Whiteman.

In 1937, he was hired as a choral arranger for Fred Waring's very popular group, The Pennsylvanians, and was a mainstay for the next 38 years. Fred Waring often introduced Ades on concert tours by saying that "more people play and sing his arrangements than those of any other arranger in history."

He became one of the most prolific choral arrangers of the 20th Century. His arrangements - published by Waring's Shawnee Press - are still very popular throughout the USA, especially with high school and community choirs.

In 1966, Ades authored the textbook "Choral Arranging" - a standard in the field. He retired from the Waring organization in 1975, but continued to write and analyze music almost to his death.

Jay Althouse

Jay Althouse received a B.S. degree in Music Education and an M.Ed. degree in Music from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, from which he received the school's Distinguished Alumni award in 2004. For eight years he served as a rights and licenses administrator for a major educational music publisher. During that time he served a term on the Executive Board of the Music Publishers Association of America. For twenty years Jay was a choral editor for Alfred Music Publishing, but now he writes and arranges full time.

As a composer of choral music, Mr. Althouse has over 600 works in print for choirs of all levels. He is a writer member of ASCAP and is a regular recipient of the ASCAP Special Award for his compositions in the area of standard music. Jay has also co-written several sognbooks, musicals and cantatas with his wife, Sally K. Albrecht, and also compiled and arranged a number of highly regarded vocal solo collections, including Folk Songs for Solo Singers, Volumes 1 and 2. He is the co-writer of two best-selling Alfred books The Complete Choral Warm-up Book and Accent on Composers. Most recently, he completed three reproducible texts for the music classroom: Ready to Read Music, 60 Music Quizzes, and One-Page Composer Bios. All are available from Alfred.

Morgan Ames

Morgan Ames is a unique presence in the Los Angeles music scene.

Try this for diversity: she apprenticed with Quincy Jones for three years. She recently sang pre-records for the 2010 Oscar Telecast and for Queen Latifah during the pre-game of the 2010 Super Bowl ("America the Beautiful"). Before that, in the same vein, with Celine Dion ("God Bless America") for the 9/11 telethon, and LeeAnn Rimes for the 2002 Olympics Opening Ceremony. She conducted singers on stage for Paul McCartney at a Green Peace concert at the Hollywood Bowl ("Hey Jude").

Or try this: she has written songs with Johnny Mandel, Bob James, Dori Caymmi, Tom Scott, Dan Hartman, more (see ORIGINAL SONGS). She co-wrote Baretta's Theme ("Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow") with Dave Grusin, now a popular ringtone. Her songs have been recorded by Diane Schuur, Shirley Horn, Roberta Flack, Barbara Mandrell, Bob James, Phyllis Hyman, Eric Gale, Peggy Lee, Djavan, etc., not to mention sampling. She has performed with Chaka Khan, Mariah Carey, John Williams and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, the Doobie Brothers, Whitney Houston, Johnny Mathis, more.

Dr. Betty Bertaux

Betty Bertaux, founder/director of the Children's Chorus of Maryland, is regarded as an authority on vocal and musical development in children. A former faculty member of the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore and Holy Names College in Oakland, California, she has been professionally active for over 40 years, working with music students of all ages. Dr. Bertaux is internationally recognized and often engaged as a guest conductor and workshop clinician with children's choruses and choral conferences. Currently serving as an adjunct professor for VanderCook College of Music in Chicago, Dr. Bertaux is also internationally established and frequently commissioned as a composer and arranger of music for treble choirs. Her works are available via the Betty Bertaux Music Series with Boosey & Hawkes of New York and Alliance Music Publications, Houston.

Mike Brewer

Recognised as a leading fugure in the choral world, Mike Brewer is in demand in Britain and worldwide for vocal and conducting workshops and guest conducting of choirs. His annual tours include the USA, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Mexico, Venezuela, and, in 2010, Poland and Slovakia. He is an adviser on world music to the IFCM and assessor to Mexico's choral programme.

Mike is a consultant for over 20 prize-winning UK choirs, and serves as adjudicator in international competitions. In 2008, Mike led BBC workshops for Last Choir Standing.

Mike became musical director of The National Youth Choirs of Great Britain in 1983 and is deeply passionate about the choirs. Mike's recordings with NYC senior choir and with Laudibus, the 18 voice chamber choir, have won many awards. Mike Brewer's books for Fabermusic include the best-selling 'Kickstart your Choir', 'Warm ups', 'Improve Your Sightsinging (with Paul Harris)' and 'Finetune your Choir'. Hamba Lulu, his set of African songs is performed worldwide, and has over 100 versions on You Tube to date. Mike wrote the song and prepared conductors for the Olympic.

Mark Brymer

For almost 20 years, Mark Brymer has been a leading choral writer/arranger for the educational choral music market. With literally hundreds of original choral works, musical reviews, medleys, and copyrighted arrangements, Mark sells over 500,000 copies of music annually through Hal Leonard Corporation.

Commercially, Mark heads a full service music production and live theatrical show production company, WOW! ENTERTAINMENT, INC. whose clients include, Six Flags Theme Parks(7 different parks), New Orleans' Jazzland Theme Park, Carnival Cruise Lines and the Dixie Stampede Dinner/Arena Attraction (3 locations).

Some of Mark's commercial music production credits include, co-writing and producing the opening and end title song, "Digga Digga Dog" for Disney's feature film, "102 Dalmations" starring Glen Close. This song is also featured on the movie soundtrack. Mark also produced and arranged three top selling children's records, "Have Yourself A Looney Tunes Christmas," "Frosty The Snowman," and "Looney Tunes Kwazy Christmas" for RHINO Records. In 1997 the Gospel Music Association honored Mark with a nomination for a DOVE Award for musical of the year, "Majesty Of Christmas."

Anna Callahan

Anna Callahan is an award-winning arranger and a captivating performer. She has played trumpet and sung in various ensembles ranging from small combos and big bands to tight-harmony vocal jazz groups. Hers is a lifelong dedication to jazz: she wrote and arranged her first jazz composition for big band in high school, where she also won state awards for both vocal jazz and classical trumpet playing.

Teena Chinn

Teena Chinn's strength as a stylist has made her well known in the pop choral field. Her abilities as a keyboardist and her music theory background from Indiana University have added to her rapid growth as a pop arranger. Currently Teena is a full-time minister of music at Fenton United Methodist Church in Fenton, Michigan.

Randy Crenshaw

Randy Crenshaw has been variously described (only partly tongue-in-cheek) as "the Swiss Army knife of L.A. session singers," due to his wide range of available vocal sounds and styles, as "a utility infielder in the ballgame of music", and as "the Zelig of music" (you have to be a Woody Allen movie buff to get that last one). He has also been described as "jack of all trades, master of none", but that was from a jealous fellow singer, so who cares! Randy has earned degrees from Willamette University's College of Music, Salem, Oregon (a Bachelor of Music in trumpet performance) and from Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts (a Diploma in Commercial Arranging). Randy's professional background includes orchestral and big-band trumpet playing, playing a variety of Renaissance and pre-Baroque wind instruments at the Oregon Shakespearean Festival, singing country music, arranging for and singing with such groups over the years as Boston-based oldies/doo-wop a cappella quintet No Strings Attached, the Berklee Vocal Jazz Choir, a cappella vocal jazz quintet Terra Nova (1987 Hennessy Jazz Search grand prize winners), a cappella world beat/R&B sextet Wahoo Do-Re (formerly Vocal Nation), contemporary Christian vocal group Haven (from the radio broadcast "Haven Today"), and acclaimed a cappella vocal jazz quartet Just 4 Kicks (with four CDs released to date on their own Kickboyz Records label).

Anders Edenroth

Born 1963 in Stockholm. As a kid I was very nice, careful and quiet. Over the years I've become less careful and sometimes annoyingly verbal but still pretty nice, I think. Now I've got kids of my own who I usually try my songs out on. Among the songs from the latest CD their definite favorite is 'Big Bad World', mostly because of the little musical reference in the intro that they recognize as 'Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf', from 'The Three Little Pigs'.

I live in the southern part of downtown Stockholm (Soder) and become more and more attached to that section of town with each passing day. Everyone in the world should, at sometime in their life, get to live in Soder. I like to buy groceries at Soderhallarna, but only interesting groceries. I buy boring groceries like mineral water and diapers over the internet and that makes me feel like a clever and modern guy. If I wasn't a musician I would probably be an inventor because I enjoy finding solutions to small, everyday problems. Every once in a while I come up with some incredible solution to a problem that one day I will collect into a little book that could be called 'Incredible Inventions' or 'Practical Problem-Solving' or even, quite humbly 'Totally Ingenius'."

Walter Ehret

A graduate of the Julliard School of Music and Teachers College, Columbia University, Walter Ehret served as an adjunct faculty member of Hofstra University, Manhattanville College, and Teachers College of Columbia University. During the past forty years he taught instrumental and choral music in several New Jersey and New York school systems and retired after serving as District Coordinator of Music for the Scarsdale, New York public school system.

Choral groups under his direction have performed at Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, state music association conventions, divisional meetings of MENC and the first American Choral Directors Association National Conference.

He was one of the nation's most prolific and respected choral editors and arrangers and has over 2000 publications in print. He was well known as a clinician, conductor and choral literature specialist, and functioned in these various capacities at over 300 workshops in some 30 states.

Roger Emerson

With over 900 titles in print and 30 million copies in circulation, Roger Emerson is the most widely performed composer/arranger of popular choral music in the world today. His works include the choral arrangements of Josh Groban's You Raise Me Up, Seasons of Love, from RENT, Defying Gravity from WICKED, Joyful, Joyful from SISTER ACT, Don't Stop Believin' from GLEE, as well as best selling choral arrangements, Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel, O Sifuni Mungu, and Riversong. Mr. Emerson has been the recipient of ASCAP's Standard Award for 20 years running and his works have been performed at the White House, Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. In addition to his work as a composer/arranger, he has appeared at numerous MENC and ACDA conferences throughout the United States and Canada and is on the teaching staff of College of the Siskiyous in Northern California where he conducts the vocal jazz program and teaches guitar.

Tom Fettke

Tom Fettke holds degrees from Oakland City College and California State University at Hayward. He holds a California Lifetime Music Credential in Secondary Music. For a number of years he taught vocal music in California's public school systems. He was a church choir director and minister of music in churches large and small for over 30 years. He was also Director of Choral Activities and Supervisor of Music for the Redwood Christian School System in Castro Valley, California.

He is in considerable demand as a guest conductor, clinician and workshop leader. Tom is also a composer, arranger and producer of music and recordings for the contemporary Christian church. His published works and recordings number in the hundreds. His classic choral work The Majesty And Glory of Your Name is sung by thousands of church and school choirs throughout the world.

Greg Gilpin

Originally from the "Show-Me" state of Missouri, Greg resides in Indianapolis, IN. He is a graduate of Northwest Missouri State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Vocal Music Education, K-12.

Greg is a well-known, ASCAP award-winning choral composer and arranger with hundreds of publications to his credit. He is also in demand as a conductor for choral festivals, all-district and all-state choirs and is a member of MENC and ACDA. As Director of Educational Choral Publications for Shawnee Press, Inc., Greg oversees creation of the educational music products for this distinguished publisher.

At home in Indianapolis, Greg is busy as a studio musician and producer in the recording industry. These projects include commercial jingles, CD projects, Broadway and Disney. He has worked musically with Ray Boltz, Bill and Gloria Gaither, Sandi Patty, David Clydesdale as well as principal pops conductor, Jack Everly and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

Mary Goetze

During her tenure at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Mary Goetze was instrumental in founding the Music in General Studies program and in creating and teaching such courses as Z100.

She founded two choral programs that have continued past her retirement in 2007--the International Vocal Ensemble and the Indiana University Children's Choir.

Now as professor emerita, she continues to compose for choral groups, write articles and books, and travel to present lectures, workshops, and conduct honor choirs.

Jester Hairston

Actor, Musician. An arranger, composer, traveling choir leader, actor and story teller, his career took him all over the world. Best remebered for his TV role as Rolly Forbes on the TV show "Amen." The grandson of slaves, he was born in 1901 in Belews Creek, North Carolina. A star athlete in high school and college, he graduated as a Cum Laude music major from Tufts University and then furthered his studies at Julliard School of Music in New York.

In 1936 he came to Hollywood with Hall Johnson to help with arranging the chorous music for "Green Pastures." In 1937 he became a founding member of the Screen Actors Guild. In 1943 he formed his own choir and arranged the choral background music for many of Hollywood's outstanding films, among them "Carmen Jones." As an actor he played a number of character roles on television and motion pictures. He played on "Amos and Andy" for 15 years and also played 'Wildcat' on the 1970s TV show "That's My Mama." He died in Los Angeles one year before reaching his 100th birthday.

Nicholas Hare

Nicholas Hare was born in 1940 to keen amateur musicians, and his first musical experiences were probably in the womb! He was a chorister (head chorister in 1954) at St George's Chapel, Windsor, under Dr William Harris; he was fortunate to be in the choir for three major Royal services: the funerals of Queen Mary and George VI, and Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation in 1953. In 1954 he won a music scholarship to Marlborough College, Wiltshire, where he studied piano, organ and violin, and in 1959 was awarded a scholarship to Corpus Christi College, Oxford.

At Chester's he worked on numerous projects ranging from the Chester Books of Motets and Madrigals to editing new works by living composers such as Lennox Berkeley, Geoffrey Burgon, Magnus Lindberg, Witold Lutoslawski, Peter Maxwell Davies, Michael Nyman and Kevin Volans, overseeing the production of new scores and orchestral material for many first performances. He oversaw the production of new editions of established works by Manuel de Falla, Igor Stravinsky, Lennox Berkeley and others. By contrast he was closely involved in many educational projects, contributing arrangements of his own as listed on this website.

Mark Hayes

As a beginning piano student of ten years of age, Mark Hayes had little idea of the foundation he was laying for his future career in music. From those inauspicious beginnings in northern Illinois, his career has blossomed into international tours to Europe, the Far East, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Brazil. Now an internationally known writer, his music can be found in the music libraries of the finest churches and universities in the country, and he is in increasing demand for choral clinics and concerts.

Two exceptional piano teachers who encouraged Mark to develop improvisational skills within the first year of lessons guided his early musical training. His musical talents grew through the support of his family and through playing at church and school events. He earned a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance, magna cum laude from Baylor University, but his degree was only a small part of what he gained from those four years. During his college years his dream to become a composer and arranger of contemporary Christian and sacred music was born and nurtured.

Moses Hogan

Moses George Hogan, born in New Orleans, Louisiana on March 13, 1957, was a pianist, conductor and arranger of international renown. A graduate of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) and Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio, he also studied at New York's Juilliard School of Music and Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Mr. Hogan's many accomplishments as a concert pianist included winning first place in the prestigious 28th annual Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Competition in New York. Hogan was recently appointed Artist In Residence at Loyola University in New Orleans. Hogan began his exploration of the choral music idiom in 1980. Hogan's former New Orleans based Moses Hogan Chorale received international acclaim.

The Moses Hogan Singers made their debut in 1998 on the EMI record label with the acclaimed soprano Barbara Hendricks. Hogan was commissioned to arrange and perform several compositions for the 1995 PBS Documentary, THE AMERICAN PROMISE, whose soundtrack was released separately by Windham Hill records under the title VOICES.

Mac Huff

Mac Huff is entering his third decade as one of the leading arrangers and composers in the music industry.

His academic background includes degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Texas-Austin, as well as summer study at the Aspen Music Festival and doctoral work at the University of Southern California.

Mac is also an accomplished pianist, musical director, performer, teacher and clinician. Over the years he has composed, arranged and musical directed award winning shows for ABC-TV, NBC-TV, The Walt Disney Co., Hallmark, Inc., Colleco, Inc., Canon, Dow Inc., the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Six Flags Show Productions, Union Station Main Stage Shows (Indianapolis), JB Robin Co. (Los Angeles), Howard Lanin Productions (New York) and TMJ Productions (Las Vegas) among others. In addition, he is in demand as a lecturer and as a guest artist for various music festivals and workshops throughout the world.

Derric Johnson

As a Musician... he has written 150 original songs, 23 cantatas and 2800 musical arrangements, published 32 books of choral collections and has been involved in producing 84 recorded albums on twelve labels.

As a Creator... he founded and directed THE RE'GENERATION, a touring ensemble of singers who traveled for twelve years, logging over a million miles, performing to more than 12,000,000 people in 6,000 concerts.

As a Speaker... he is recognized as a Staley Foundation Lecturer, is often featured in National and International Conventions with his inspirational and motivational delivery.

As An Educator... for six years he held the position of Artist in Residence / Director of Music Ministries at George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon.

As an Author... he has written nine books, including EASY DOESN'T DO IT; LISTS... THE BOOK; EXCELLENCE IS NEVER AN ACCIDENT; THE WONDER OF CHRISTMAS and TAKE ME TO A SONG...

Hall Johnson

Composer, author, conductor and arranger, educated at the Knox Institute, Atlanta University, Allen University, USC, the Hahn School of Music, the University of Pennsylvania and the New York Institute of Musical Art. He also studied with Percy Goetschius and was awarded an Honorary Music Degree from the Philadelphia Musical Academy. In 1925, he formed the Hall Johnson Choir, appearing in concerts, films, theater, radio, television and recordings. He arranged and directed the music for the Broadway production of "Green Pastures" (in which his choir appeared), and wrote the Broadway stage score for "Run, Little Chillun". In 1936, he organized the Festival Negro Chorus of Los Angeles, and appeared in the International Festival of Fine Arts in Berlin. In 1951, he toured Germany and Vienna through the auspices of the US State Department, and won the New York City Citation in 1962. He was also a member of the New York City Citizens Advisory Commission for Cultural Affairs.

Keith Lancaster

The heavenly sound of a cappella music is more popular now than ever and today's a cappella music - created by harmonizing voices unaccompanied by instruments - owes much to singer, songwriter, arranger, and producer Keith Lancaster. For more than 14 years he has been shaping the sound of the innovative all-vocal group, ACAPPELLA, first as lead singer and producer, then continuing as producer of ACAPPELLA and the youth-oriented group, AVB. THE ACAPPELLA COMPANY began as a dream in the mind of young Keith Lanceaster. Unusually gifted by God with exceptional musical range in his voice, and a unique ability to compose the parts a cappella - at age nineteen. His album "Prime Time" brought such songs as "A World of Evil" and the chartbuster "Go Tell John" into homes - and hearts - of many. His last release "The Reason" has received extensive airplay. As the founder of THE ACAPPELLA COMPANY, Keith heads up producing the mist unique and diverse a cappella projects recorded, using the finest all-vocal techniques, technology, and vices a available. Perhaps Keith's most lasting contribution to the world of Christian music are the lyrics and melodies of some of this decade's finest Christian songs. Christian author and reviewer for Release music magazine, Latayne Scott, has said of Keith that "he is the rising star of Christian music composers. He will set the standard for excellence well into the next century."

Philip Lawson

p>Philip Lawson is one of the most sought-after arrangers for a cappella ensemble. He accepts regular commissions for arranging and composing and now has a catalogue of over 100 published works.

He has for over sixteen years sung first baritone for The King's Singers and is now the group's principal arranger, with ten arrangements featured on the Grammy Award-winning CD "Simple Gifts" (winner in the Best Classical Crossover Album of 2009). Since replacing founder member Simon Carrington in 1993 he has given well over 1,000 concerts with the group, made many CD/DVD recordings and taken part in choral workshops and masterclasses worldwide.

Prior to joining The King's Singers Philip was Director of Music of a school in Salisbury, Wiltshire in the UK where he was in charge of two choirs for whom he wrote much music, and was also a baritone Lay Clerk in the choir of Salisbury Cathedral singing eight services a week. He also arranged music and played piano for a local jazz band.

John Leavitt

John Leavitt is a Kansas native, born and raised in Leavenworth, Kansas. He completed doctoral work in Choral Conducting at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music. His undergraduate work is in Music Education from Emporia State University.

After graduation, Dr. Leavitt moved to Wichita, Kansas where he worked in television for five years. At Wichita State University he pursued a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance with significant study in composition.

While in Wichita he directed the parish music program at Immanuel Lutheran Church and served on the faculty at Friends University where he won the faculty award for teaching excellence in 1989. In the fall of 1992 Dr Leavitt accepted a one-year teaching appointment with Concordia College in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada where he was Director of Choral Activities and Assistant Professor of Music.

Returning to Wichita in 1993, he now devotes himself full-time to composing and conducting. He is the artistic director and conductor of a professionally trained vocal ensemble known as The Master Arts Chorale and an associated children's choir, The Master Arts Youth Chorale.

Scott Leonard

Charles S. (Scott) Leonard is a singer with the group Rockapella, the former 'house band' on Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego on PBS (1991-1996). He was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana and attended the University of Tampa on a baseball scholarship where he was a Voice major. He briefly lived in Japan in the late 80s/early 90s and speaks fluent Japanese. Since then, he has become the main songwriter and producer of Rockapella albums.

He currently lives in Tampa Bay, Florida with his wife and two children.

Alexander LEstrange

Born in 1974, L'Estrange is active as a composer, arranger, choral workshopper and animateur, and jazz double bass player and pianist, and has carved a successful career working in a variety of musical fields and with respected musicians around the world. He has shared the stage with jazz greats John Dankworth and Kenny Wheeler, toured the world with The Swingle Singers, conducted thousands of children at the Royal Albert Hall for the Primary Proms and musically directed the National Youth Music Theatre in shows on Broadway and in Edinburgh, Japan and London.

L'Estrange works widely in choral music education. As Consultant Editor for Faber Music's Choral Basics series, he has contributed many of the arrangements of folk, pop, jazz, music theatre, African and gospel songs as well as his work Love's Philosophy and a set of jazz warm-ups You can sing but can you swing? He is in wide demand as a choral trainer and animateur presenting regularly at events for the Association of British Choral Directors, Music for Youth and Sing Up and leading singing days for county music services and schools.

Ed Lojeski

Ed Lojeski is acknowledged as one of the finest choral arrangers/directors in the business today. His arrangements have a special meaning to vocal groups and choral directors who seek material beyond the standard and ordinary. Much of his writing success derives from his own wide experience as a nationally known performer and show producer.

Mr. Lojeski has served as an accompanist and musical consultant for movie productions such as Where The Boys Are, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Hello Dolly and Shaft and on TV films for Mannix, Medical Center, Gunsmoke and Mystery Movie of the Week. Mr. Lojeski has also written shows for Robert Goulet, Trini Lopez, The Nicholas Brothers and George Shearing. He has served a pianist-conductor and/or vocal coach for Elvis Presley, Johnny Mathis, Kathryn Grayson, The Lettermen, Tony Martin, Cyd Charisse, Charles Nelson Reilly and Karren Morrow. Choral groups under his direction have appeared on television and in the Hollywood Bowl.

Ed Lojeski is a prolific writer of pop choral arrangements that are designed to bring maturity of sound to the young chorus and an edge of excellence to advanced groups. Mr. Lojeski's arrangements are exclusively published by Hal Leonard Corporation.

Norman Luboff

Norman Luboff was born in Chicago in 1917. Although he trained in piano as a child and participated in choirs in high school, it was not until his college years that he began to think of music as a life-long profession. After attending the University of Chicago and Central College in Chicago, he did graduate work with the noted composer Leo Sowerby while singing and writing for some of the best radio programs in Chicago. In the mid-1940s, he moved to New York City to continue his career. With a call from Hollywood to be choral director of The Railroad Hour, a radio weekly starring Gordan McRae, Mr. Luboff entered a period of enormous artistic growth and accomplishment, including the scoring of many television programs and more than eighty motion pictures. He also recorded with America's most noted artists, including Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Jo Stafford, and Doris Day. In 1950, he formed Walton Music Corporation to make his works available in printed form.

Kerry Marsh

Kerry Marsh is a composer and arranger specializing in contemporary music for vocal jazz ensembles. In high demand as a commissioned arranger for many of the nation's top educational vocal and instrumental jazz ensembles, Marsh has a large and varied catalog of music performed regularly around the world. Kerry has published arrangements through UNC Jazz Press and Sound Music Publications.

Along with his wife and musical collaborator Julia Dollison, Kerry released his highly ambitious debut album, Vertical Voices: The Music of Maria Schneider, in March 2010 through ArtistShare. Endorsed by the Grammy-winning composer herself and funded largely through fan contributions, the album features Schneider's music as written for her jazz orchestra, but with the horn parts entirely sung, and the rhythm section consisting of Frank Kimbrough, Ben Monder, Jay Anderson and Clarence Penn (all current members of The Maria Schneider Orchestra).

Yumiko Matsuoka

Yumiko Matsuoka was born in Tokyo, Japan, and grew up there as well as in London, UK. She started studying piano at an early age, and was quickly drawn to the magic of chords. Yumiko's passion for great harmony was developed further in the high school choir, band for musical "Godspell," encounter with the music of the Singers Unlimited as well as many other composers/arrangers in a wide range of genres. Yumiko came to the US in 1986 to study at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. She founded a cappella ensemble Vox One in 1988 to realize her dream of writing for and singing in such a group. Vox One released five albums, won numerous awards, and established themselves as one of the pioneers in the world of a cappella music. Her arrangements are available through the University of Northern Colorado Jazz Press. Yumiko's arrangements are unique - she takes a song and reveals a layer of emotions that may not have been apparent in the original. Fans and performers of her music span the globe from Australia, Europe to the Americas and Japan. Yumiko is a professor in ear training at her alma mater Berklee, and keeps herself busy with workshops/coaching including the Western Wind's summer sessions at Smith College in Northampton, MA.

Phil Mattson

Phil Mattson is a pianist, arranger, conductor and teacher. His curriculum and teaching led to the establishment of The School for Music Vocations at Southwestern Community College in Creston, Iowa. Currently he resides in St. Paul, MN and leads The Phil Mattson Singers, a vocal jazz/choral ensemble.

Phil has served as Director of Choral Activities at Foothill College (CA) and Gonzaga University (WA) and has taught at Pacific Lutheran University (WA) and at The Phil Mattson School (WA). His undergraduate studies in Philosophy/Religion and Music were done at Concordia College (Moorhead, MN), summa cum laude, and his graduate work in Choral Literature and Conducting at The University of Iowa as an NDEA Fellow.

Phil has written many arrangements for vocal jazz ensemble and choir. Manhattan Transfer, Chanticleer, The Real Group, The Dale Warland Singers, The Four Freshmen, Clockwork, Beachfront, Solstice, Phoenix and Clarion Chamber Chorale are among the groups who have commissioned his arrangements. In addition, he edited the arrangements of Gene Puerling for publication.

Albert McNeil

Albert McNeil is a native Californian -- born in Los Angeles. He earned Bachelors and Masters degrees at the University of California, Los Angeles, and did his doctoral studies at the University of Southern California, the Westminster Choir College of Princeton, and the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. He is presently Professor Emeritus of Music at the University of Southern California at Davis, where he was Director of choral activities for 21 years and headed the Music Education Program. He taught courses in ethnomusicology at the University of Southern California for 12 years. In 1991, he was honored by his alma mater, UCLA, as Alumnus of the Year in the area of Professional Excellence.

The McNeil Jubilee Singers ensemble is his creation, and he has dedicated himself to upholding a choral tradition of excellence with the presentation of the concert spiritual and the ever-increasing contributions of African American Composers of Concert Music, Opera, and theatre music. Under his direction, the group, now in its 36th year, has performed in 70 countries, including Eastern and Western Europe, the Middle East, and North and West Africa. During the summer of 1997 they completed their third tour of South America after numerous transcontinental tours of the U.S., Hawaii, and Canada.

Darmon Meader

Recognized in both the jazz vocal and instrumental world, Darmon is a distinguished vocalist, arranger and saxophonist. He has achieved rapid international recognition as the founder, musical director, chief arranger, composer, producer, saxophonist, and vocalist with New York Voices. As a member of New York Voices, he has released four albums on the GRP Records label. Darmon has performed and/or recorded with a variety of artists including Ray Brown, George Benson, Bobby McFerrin, Don Sebesky, Nancy Wilson, Ann Hampton Callaway, Patti Austin, Jon Hendricks, Jim Hall, Paquito D'Rivera and the Count Basie Orchestra. He has toured internationally, performing at such renowned venues as Carnegie Hall, Montreux Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival and the Blue Note Jazz Clubs in New York and Japan. Darmon completed a long awaited solo CD in early 2006.

Alice Parker

Alice Parker received professional training successively as a composer, conductor and teacher. Her work is founded on the interaction of these fields, and their extension into writing, theorizing and mentoring. It is founded upon the conviction that music is first and foremost sound, and that a paper diagram is a very imperfect medium for its transmission.

Vocal sound comes from human throats, and is infinitely variable. An inner vision of those sounds is necessary before one can evoke them through composing or performance. She knows that wonderfully musical sounds can come from amateur as well as professional singers, from children as well as adults, and from churches, schools and family groups.

Ben Parry

Ben Parry has made over forty CD recordings and his music is published by Peters Edition and Faber Music. He works regularly with young musicians as a director of the Eton Choral Courses and as Director of Junior Academy at the Royal Academy of Music.

Ben is co-Director of the professional choir London Voices, and worked with Sir Paul McCartney on his classic choral work, Ecce Cor Meum, as well as conducting and singing on the soundtracks of a number of major Hollywood films. He is presently writing an original musical with author and lyricist Garth Bardsley. He is also Music Director of the Britten-Pears Chamber Choir for Aldeburgh Music.

As a singer he has worked with Taverner Consort, Gabrieli Consort and Tenebrae and was a singer and music director with The Swingle Singers. As a conductor he has worked with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Scottish Ensemble, Royal Symphony Orchestra of Seville, Vancouver Youth Symphony, Haddo House Opera, Cumbria Youth Orchestra, London Philharmonic Choir and Philharmonia Voices.

Rudy Partin

Rudy Partin was a long-time Barbershopper and lover of a cappella harmony. With a gift for music planted deep into his soul by God, Rudy used his talents as a singer, arranger and director to bring his music to thousands, including directing his own chorus on the international stage in Barbershop competitions in the late 1980s. Such was Rudy's gift that many who knew him would tell you that he could hear a song on the radio and write it out note-perfect as the song was playing! Growing up in North Carolina, Rudy was always attracted to 'Southern Gospel' music and the exciting harmonies created by the many touring families, quartets and trios that often played in the area. Why this attraction to southern gospel music? He wasn't sure. His focus had been primarily on secular music all his life, particularly in his specialty of male four-part harmony, until his alcoholism stripped him of everything--his family, his job, and his music.

Gene Puerling

There certainly is no more influential and revered a cappella arranger than the brilliant Gene Puerling. From his auspicious beginnings as a founding member of the vocal jazz group the Hi-Lo's, with whom he recorded thirteen albums between the years of 1953-1964, Gene revealed the talent and promise that would later be fully realized with his work as director, arranger and performer with the Singers UnLimited.

Gene was born in Wisconsin in 1929. Though his family was musically inclined (various members of the family played violin, piano and clarinet) Gene himself had no formal musical training! He was a working professional musician from the age of seventeen, and simply did not have the time to devote to a formal musical education.

Jonathan Rathbone

After training as a chorister at Coventry Cathedral and choral scholar at Christ's College Cambridge, where he read mathematics, Jonathan rounded-off his musical education at the Royal Academy of Music with a second degree, specializing in singing and composition. Jonathan's compositional career includes works for theatre, film, radio, television, concert platform and the church, and a song-writing contract with Noel Gay Music. Recent large-scale commissions include Requiem for a Condemned Man - an extended work for two soloists, orchestra and choir and a 40 minute a cappella choral work for the Vasari Singers.

Jonathan Rathbone was Musical Director and arranger for the Swingle Singers (1984-96) and has worked with many of the world's leading musicians, from the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under Pierre Boulez to Stephan Grappelli and George Martin.

He is now much in demand in Europe, the USA and UK, as a freelance choral director, arranger and workshop leader. A natural communicator, Jonathan leads workshops covering anything from close harmony singing, improvisation, choral conducting, vocal arranging to choral techniques.

Dr. Russell L. Robinson

Dr. Russell L. Robinson has been on the faculty at the University of Florida since 1984, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in choral and music education and is Professor of Music and Chair of the Music Education department. Highly in demand, Dr. Robinson has made over 300 appearances as a conductor, speaker and presenter at festivals, workshops, honor choirs, all-state choirs and state, regional, national and international conferences in the US, Europe, Asia, Africa, Central America, and Australia as well as conducting venues, which include: Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Boston's Symphony Hall, the White House, Washington's National Cathedral and the Wiesbaden, Germany Kurhaus. He is a past President of the Florida Music Educators Association, Interim Associate Dean of the UF College of Fine Arts, National Collegiate Chair for the Music Educators National Conference (MENC) and MENC Choral Adviser. Dr. Robinson is a published author, composer and arranger with over 200 publications in print, including choral compositions, arrangements, articles, books, and instructional DVD's

Barry Rose

Barry Michael Rose (born 24 May 1934) is a choir trainer and organist. He is best known for conducting the choir of St Paul's Cathedral at the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales (Charles Philip Arthur George Windsor) and Diana, Princess of Wales (Lady Diana Frances Spencer) at St Paul's Cathedral in London on Wednesday 29 July 1981. Born in Chingford, England, Barry Rose grew up accompanying the choir of his local church. After a spell as organist at St. Andrew's, Kingsbury, at the age of 25 he became the youngest cathedral organist in the country when he was appointed to the position of Master of Music at Guildford Cathedral. He moved to St Paul's Cathedral in 1974 as Sub-organist and was appointed Master of the Choir in 1977. He left St Paul's in 1984 after a difference of opinion with senior members of the clergy, and became Master of the Choirs at the King's School, Canterbury. From 1971 to 1986 he was Religious Music Adviser to the BBC, a job that included booking the choirs for the weekly Choral Evensong broadcasts. He continues to work for the BBC, directing choirs and arranging music for The Daily Service. His last post was that of Organist & Master of the Choristers for St Albans Cathedral Choir, from which he retired on Christmas Day, 1997. In the Queen's Birthday Honours List announced on 13 June 1998 he was awarded an OBE for his services to cathedral music.

Jay Rouse

Jay Rouse is one of the premier choral arrangers in Christian music. He has over 350 compositions and arrangements published, including over 30 major sacred choral works, 50 best selling a cappella arrangements, a highly recognized hymn series for choir, piano and solo instrument entitled Piano Plus and a number of best selling solo piano books and recordings. Mr. Rouse is a Dove Award winning producer and has logged many hours on the road traveling in music ministry. He spent 10 plus years as musical director and accompanist for Sandi Patty. In addition to his work as a keyboard artist, composer and arranger he has been the primary producer and conductor for all of the choral and instrumental publications from PraiseGathering Music Group and Gaither Music Company over the last two decades. Jay Rouse continues to make a major impact on music for the church musician across the nation. Along with his wife Amy and two children, Londyn & Thatcher, Jay resides in Anderson, Indiana.

Daryl Runswick

Composer/performer Daryl Runswick was educated at Cambridge University and Ronnie Scott's Club. He spent his early career writing and performing jazz and pop; more recently concert pieces. He has also been involved with free improvisation and indeterminate music, one of the few (to quote John Wickes) who can claim to have worked with both Ornette Coleman and John Cage. This duality has permeated his career as an improvising pianist, singer with Electric Phoenix, bassplayer, arranger, record producer, broadcaster, educator, community animateur and film/TV composer. Head of Composition at Trinity College of Music in London for 10 years before retiring, he has searched for a synthesis of the improvising skills of jazz with the more complex structures of concert music. His one man show, Daryl Runswick in Droves, is the latest fruit of this research, synthesising every strand of his talent: composing/performing, jazz improvisation, concert music and song. Daryl sings, raps, plays keyboards, does live electronics and signal processing from a laptop and plays two new inventions of his, customised bass guitars, a high-strung fretless 'alto' and an even higher-strung 'piccolo'.

Paris Rutherford

Paris Rutherford, now in retirement from the University of North Texas, is Regents Professor Emeritus in Jazz Studies. During his tenure, he organized and developed the degree programs in Vocal Jazz Studies and in Jazz Arranging. For over thirty years, Rutherford directed the award-winning UNT Jazz Singers both in performance and in the recording studios. He also directed the premiere North Texas Vocal Jazz Summer Workshop from its inception.

Over the years, his jazz arranging students have been heard on recordings by the One, Two and Three O'Clock Lab Bands, the UNT Jazz Singers, and too many personal CD projects to name. Many have continued their writing at a professional level, both in the recording studios and for stage and show productions.

A sought-after clinician in vocal jazz, Rutherford has over one hundred vocal jazz arrangements in publication by Hal Leonard, Sound Music Publishing, UNC Jazz Press, and recently through Artist Share by Maria Schneider. He is also a member of the Board of Directors for the newly formed Jazz Education Network.

Deke Sharon

Heralded as "The father of contemporary a cappella," (Pitch Perfect) and "a one man a cappella revolution" (Boston Globe), Deke Sharon has his a cappella fingers in many pies, directing and performing internationally with the House Jacks, producing albums for groups like Straight No Chaser and Committed, publishing arrangements with Hal Leonard, choosing songs for BOCA, helping to run CASA, teaching workshops at festivals worldwide, and arranging, directing and producing for NBC's "The Sing Off."

Kirby Shaw

Kirby Shaw has made a major impact in choral music education and has shared his musical expertise in 45 states, Canada, Australia, the Bahamas, Sweden, the Netherlands, Italy and South Africa. He has degrees in Music Education and Choral Composition from San Jose State University and a DMA degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Washington. Dr. Shaw's teaching is infused with a sense of humor and breadth of knowledge that is transmitted in an exciting and highly contagious manner.

Kirby taught in the Mt. Shasta public schools before joining the faculty at College of the Siskiyous in California where he founded and directed the innovative and highly acclaimed COS Vocal Jazz Ensemble. He also directed similar groups at Colorado State University and The University of Missouri-Kansas City and is now directing the Jefferson State Choral Coalition at Southern Oregon University.

Audrey Snyder

Audrey Snyder, a choral composer, arranger and editor, completed her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Music Education from the University of Oregon and did additional post-graduate work in England. During her many successful years as a public school music teacher she began to write choral music for her own students, publishing her first choral piece in 1978. Since that time Audrey has published numerous original choral compositions and arrangements spanning the entire spectrum of choral music from Top 40 pop to the classics and from elementary through high school levels. Her creative work along with her arrangements and editions place her in the forefront of writers for the school market.

Widely recognized as one of the top educational choral writers today, Audrey composes music with rare beauty, simplicity and charm. She is a highly regarded educator, clinician, editor and producer.

Linda Spevacek

Over the past 2 decades Linda Spevacek has become one of the most successful composers in modern choral music. She has sold more than 7 million copies of over 700 published compositions and arrangements. Linda has continued to keep her compositions original and creative while maintaining the consistency and integrity that has given her a world-renowned reputation. Dynamic, inspiring, creative and expressive are just a few words that describe the level of excellence found in every Linda Spevacek composition, arrangement, seminar and reading session.

In addition, singers from all over the world performed her arrangements twice on the nationally televised 'MENC World's Largest Concert' on PBS. Several of her works have been premiered at annual conventions of the American Choral Directors Association, the Music Educators National Conference and on the 'Hour of Power' at the Crystal Cathedral. Linda was a featured conductor at Carnegie Hall in New York in 1999.

Her work has won repeated awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) in recognition of her outstanding achievements and success.

Ward Swingle

Ward Swingle was the product of an unusually liberal musical education. In his hometown, Mobile, Alabama, he grew up with the sound of jazz and played in one of the great Big Bands before finishing High School. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Cincinnati Conservatory and studied piano with the celebrated Walter Gieseking in postwar France. In Paris in the sixties he was a founding member of the fabled Double Six of Paris, then took the scat singing idea and applied it to the works of Bach, hence The Swingle Singers, whose early recordings won five Grammies.

When the Paris group disbanded in l973, Ward Swingle moved to London and formed an English group, expanding the repertoire to include classical and avang-garde works along with the scat and jazz vocal arrangements. The 2003 touring schedule of the Swingle Singers (who are now celebrating their 40th anniversary as a vocal group!) will include trips to Europe, North America and the Far East.

Roger Treece

Roger Treece designs musical experience: composing, arranging, producing, engineering, singing, and teaching. His work spans genres - classical, pop, jazz, commercial, world - and bridges mediums, equally comfortable in the studio or concert stage, integrating the perspective of the performer with the behind-the-scenes view of the producer.

His most ambitious project to date is the 2010 album VOCAbuLarieS, for which he was the lead architect, composing, orchestrating, recording, and editing seven extended compositions for voices, percussion, acoustic and virtual orchestra. Inspired by the improvisations of Bobby McFerrin, conceived by McFerrin's manager, Linda Goldstien, and performed by Roger, McFerrin and 50 musicians from around the world, VOCAbuLarieS has been recognized as "a masterpiece", "a glimpse of the future of choral music", "a new standard for choral recording," and has been nominated for three Grammy awards this year, including Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocals and Best Engineered Album, Classical.

Treece has conducted and performed VOCAbuLarieS with Bobby McFerrin and select musicians at the Vienna Opera House, Jazz At Lincoln Center, the Oregon Bach Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, Schleswig-Holstein, Stimmen, and Ravinia festivals and in Munich, Prague, San Francisco and London.