Octavo Series

Dr. Mark Stover is the Director of Choral Activities at Calvin University where he proudly serves as a part of a dynamic team of faculty, conductors, and artist-teachers. He shares his passion for people and building community through pursuing the highest levels of choral artistry. He came to Grand Rapids in 2024 from Ann Arbor, Michigan where he previously served for six years as the Associate Director of Choirs at the University of Michigan, conducting the University Choir, Michigan Youth Chamber Singers, teaching conducting, and holding the role as music director of the University of Michigan Men’s Glee Club. Prior to his time in Ann Arbor, Stover was in Northfield, Minnesota, home of Saint Olaf College, where he served on the music faculty as conductor of the St. Olaf Chapel Choir and Viking Chorus while teaching conducting and a course he designed titled, Music and Social Justice.

https://calvin.edu/people/mark-stover

Dr. John Wilson is Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities in the School of Fine & Performing Arts at SUNY New Paltz and the Artistic Director of the Riverside Choral Society. Prior to these appointments, Dr. Wilson served as the choral director at Bridgewater-Raritan High School for seventeen years. His choirs developed a reputation for excellence. The BRHS Symphonic Choir was notably featured as a performing choir at the 2020 ACDA Eastern Division Conference in Rochester, NY. Dr. Wilson’s ensembles have performed at major venues in the New York/New Jersey area under the direction of Ryan Brandau, James Jordan, Amanda Quist, Alan Raines, Lee Nelson, and Andrew Megill, a notable example being a performance of Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 in March of 2018 at Princeton University Chapel. John served as an Associate Director at the Princeton Girlchoir organization between 2015-2018, where he conducted the Cantores ensemble. This ensemble was featured in a recording of Steven Sametz’s A Child’s Requiem in 2015 which was led by the composer. From 2014-2019, Dr. Wilson served as a faculty member at the Summer High School Vocal Institute faculty at Westminster Choir College, where he conducted the Men’s Ensemble and taught a primer in conducting. John conducted the New Jersey All-State Junior High SATB chorus in 2024, Georgia All-State Middle Treble chorus in 2023, the Virginia All-State Middle School Treble chorus in 2018, and the CJMEA Region Treble Chorus in 2019, and is in demand as a clinician and guest conductor. John was the conductor of the Choral Art Society of New Jersey in the fall of 2024, and of the Westminster Community Chorus between 2014-2017. Dr. Wilson has taught undergraduate courses in conducting and music education at Rutgers University, where he earned his masters and doctorate degrees in choral conducting under the guidance of Dr. Patrick Gardner. During 2020-2021, Dr. Wilson had the privilege of leading the Rutgers University Choir. He is the most recent past-president of the New Jersey chapter of the American Choral Directors Association, and coordinated the summer conference in 2023. He lives in Princeton, NJ with his wife Clara and two children, Elliot and Henry.

Timothy Peter is a professor of music at Stetson University. He is a native of Minnesota, received his undergraduate degree from Luther College and completed his doctorate of musical arts degree at the University of Arizona. Before coming to Stetson University, he was professor of music at Luther College and served as the head of the music department. He has been a high school choral director and church musician in Minnesota, Iowa, Arizona and Florida. Having joined the faculty of the Stetson University School of Music in the fall of 2012, Peter conducts the Stetson Concert Choir, which is the university’s touring SATB ensemble, comprised of select upper-class singers.

Peter is involved in the American Choral Directors Association, having held positions as the divisional chair for repertoire and standards for college and universities and the state and divisional chair for men’s choirs. His choirs have been selected to perform at the 2017 National ACDA Conference in Minneapolis and the 2011 National ACDA Conference in Chicago and at four Divisional NC-ACDA conventions held in Minneapolis, Minn., Sioux Falls, S.D. and Madison, Wis. He was a presenter at the 2015 National ACDA Conference in Salt Lake City, UT. His off-campus teaching, adjudicating and conducting includes numerous appearances as an all-state conductor and festival clinician in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Peter has prepared choirs and orchestras for performances at Carnegie Hall in Manhattan, Singapore SAS Concert Hall, Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis, Orchestra Hall and Rockefeller Chapel in Chicago, the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, the Holland Center in Omaha, the TWA Center in St. Louis, the Overture Center in Madison, the Alamodome in San Antonio and the Seoul Foreign School Center for the Performing Arts. He has also conducted in Singapore, Germany, England, Namibia, Oman, South Africa and South Korea.

Dr. Brandon A. Boyd enjoys a versatile career as a conductor, in addition to appearing regularly as a composer-in-residence, collaborative pianist, and presenter for conferences, conventions, collegiate choirs, church choirs, choral symposiums, and festivals. He is the Director of Choral Activities and Associate Professor of Choral Music Education at the University of Missouri, where he conducts MU University Singers and Choral Union. In addition to his conducting duties at the university, he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in choral conducting and choral music education. He holds two degrees from Florida State University (Ph.D. in choral music education and M.M. in choral conducting) and earned a B.S. in music education (emphasis in piano) from Tennessee State University.

Jefferson Johnson is Director of Choral Activities at the University of Kentucky where he conducts the University Chorale and Men’s Chorus. He also teaches advanced choral conducting, choral methods and literature, and directs the graduate program (MM and DMA degrees) in choral music. A native of Atlanta, Johnson received the Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Georgia (magna cum laude, 1978), the Master of Music from the University of Tennessee (1981), and the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Colorado (1992), where in 2017 he was the third recipient of the “Distinguished Choral Alumnus Award.” While living in Atlanta, Johnson was a member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus and Chamber Chorus conducted by Robert Shaw.

University of Kentucky choirs under Johnson’s direction have performed at more than twenty conventions of choral music educators, including national conventions of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), National Collegiate Choral Organization (NCCO), Music Educators National Conference (MENC), and Intercollegiate Male Choruses (IMC). In March of 2017 Johnson’s graduate student, Cameron Weatherford, won first place in the ACDA National Conducting Competition. In December of 2013 the acoUstiKats, a select ensemble from the UK Men’s Chorus, were chosen as finalists on NBC’s a cappella competition “The Sing Off.”

Johnson is presently Music Director of the Lexington Singers. The 180-voice multi-generational community chorus annually performs major works with orchestras. The Singers have toured internationally, most recently to South Africa, Spain, Brazil, France, Italy, and Austria. In 2000 the chorus performed Mozart’s Requiem with the Vienna Mozart Orchestra in the famous Hofburg Palace and sang the evening mass at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. In 2003 the chorus performed in St. Marks Cathedral in Venice and sang mass at St. Peters Basilica in Vatican City. In 1999 the Lexington Singers celebrated its 40th anniversary with a performance in New York City as Johnson made his Carnegie Hall debut conducting the Singers and orchestra in Faure’s Requiem. The Lexington Singers returned to Carnegie Hall in 2014 for an acclaimed performance with bluegrass super group “Dailey and Vincent.”

His instructional video “Ready…Set…Sing!” is published by Santa Barbara Music Publishing and has been featured at music educators’ conventions from Ohio to Hawaii. Johnson has an editorial series with Hinshaw Music and National Music Publishers. The University of Kentucky choral program is featured in a book called “Rehearsing the Choir.” His article The What, Why, and How of Young Adult Male Choirs appeared in the Choral Journal in 2012. Johnson maintains an active schedule as an adjudicator and guest conductor for high school and collegiate choirs throughout the United States. He has conducted honor choruses in 33 states and has appeared as a featured clinician at ACDA or NAfME conventions in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Dr. Andrea Ramsey enjoys an international presence as a composer, conductor, scholar, and music educator. Her teaching experiences range from work with adolescent and children’s voices to high school and collegiate voices. She enjoys regular opportunities to conduct all-state and divisional level honor choirs, festival events at Carnegie Hall, and served as a principal conductor for the Pacific International Young Women’s Choral Festival in Eugene, Oregon and conducted the National ACDA Junior High/Middle School Honor Choir in 2023. An award-winning composer with nearly 200 works to date, Andrea previously held positions in music education and conducting at The Ohio State University and the University of Colorado, respectively. She believes strongly in the creation of new works, and her compositions are available with traditional publishers and through MusicSpoke, a digital sheetmusic marketplace. She regularly enjoys residencies and collaborations with ensembles and festival choirs across North America and abroad.

As a scholar, she has presented for state, divisional, and national conventions of the American Choral Directors Association, the 6th Annual Symposium on Sociology in Music Education, as well as The Phenomenon Singing Symposium in St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada. Additionally, she has co-authored articles published in the Choral Journal, as well as the Journal of Research in Music Education.

A product of public education and the first in her family to attend college, Andrea grew up in rural Arkansas where she experienced firsthand the power of music to provide opportunities, a sense of community, and better understanding of our humanity. It is through the generosity of her many teachers and the state and federal funding of scholarships and fellowships that she is able to have the career and successes she enjoys today.

Dr. Rosephanye Powell is celebrated as one of America’s foremost women composers of choral music, earning widespread acclaim for her exceptional contributions to the art form. With a remarkable catalogue of works published by leading publishers like Hal Leonard Corporation, Gentry Publications, Oxford University Press, Alliance Music Publications, and Shawnee Press, her compositions have been performed, recorded, and premiered by world-renowned conductors and ensembles. From the grandeur of Carnegie Hall to the iconic Lincoln Center and Spivey Hall, her music has captivated audiences in some of the nation’s most prestigious venues. Among the many distinguished ensembles to bring her works to life are Cantus and the Grammy award-winning men’s vocal ensemble Chanticleer.

In addition to her celebrated compositions, Dr. Powell is a dynamic educator, serving as Coordinator of Voice Studies and conductor of the Women’s Chorus, and co-conductor of the Concert and Gospel choirs at Auburn University. Her expertise and passion have made her a sought-after presenter, conductor, adjudicator, and clinician at premier conferences and festivals worldwide. She has conducted all-state and honor choirs across the United States in states such as California, Colorado, Florida, and New York, and has brought her talents to international stages in Italy, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

René Clausen is an American composer and conductor. Described as ‘eloquent,’ ‘subtle and thought-provoking,’ Clausen’s music is known for its dramatic, emotional sweep and highly sensitive approach to text setting.

Clausen’s catalogue includes dozens of commissioned works for chorus, orchestra, chorus with orchestra, wind band and the stage. Notable large format works include the 9/11 tribute MEMORIAL and the evening-length oratorio The Passion of Jesus Christ. Notable a cappella works include Mass for double choir (featured on the Kansas City Chorale’s Grammy-winning Life and Breath: Choral Works by René Clausen), and the choral cantata A New Creation, which includes ‘Set Me as a Seal,’ performed widely by choirs of all ability levels of across the country.

In addition to composition, Clausen is increasingly well known as a guest conductor of the major literature for choir and orchestra. At Carnegie Hall he has guest conducted the Brahms Ein deutsches Requiem, Mozart Requiem and Mass in C Minor, together with the New York premiere of three of his own works, Gloria, Whispers of Heavenly Death, and Communion. Other major choral/orchestral works he has conducted include the Poulenc Gloria, Vaughan Williams Hodie, Beethoven Mass in C Major and Choral Fantasy, and Fauré Requiem.

Clausen was conductor of the internationally renowned Concordia Choir from 1986-2020. Prior to his appointment as conductor of The Concordia Choir, Clausen was director of choral activities at West Texas State University, Canyon, and assistant professor of choral music at Wichita (Kan.) State University. He also served as senior editor of Mark Foster Music Company and as interim conductor of the National Lutheran Choir of Minneapolis.

Jamie Hillman is an American and Canadian musician, active as a conductor, singer, pianist, music educator, and composer. He holds the endowed Elmer Iseler Chair in Conducting at the University of Toronto where he is Director of Choral Studies and an Associate Professor. He conducts the U of T MacMillan Singers and leads the master’s and doctoral programs in Choral Conducting, as well as the annual summer Choral Conducting Symposium. He is also cross listed as an adjunct faculty member in Emmanuel College’s Master of Sacred Music program.

In Fall 2022, Hillman began an additional role as Associate Conductor and Director of Community Engagement of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir.

Prior to relocating to Toronto in 2021, Hillman served on the faculties of Boston University Metropolitan College/Prison Education Program, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Gordon College, Kodály Music Institute, and Longy School of Music of Bard College. As a Boston University Prison Arts Scholar, Hillman co-initiated an innovative vocal music program in the Massachusetts prison system.

Dr. Hillman is an examiner for Conservatory Canada and has adjudicated, guest conducted, performed, and presented at conferences throughout the United States and Canada, and in Brazil, France, India, Indonesia, Portugal, and Taiwan. He has led All-State, festival, or honor choirs in Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ontario, Rhode Island, Taiwan, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia. Most recently he conducted two national festival choruses at Carnegie Hall. He returns to Carnegie Hall in 2025 with Manhattan Concert Productions. Hillman has conducted world premieres by Shireen Abu Khader, Matthew Emery, Qiushi Jiang, and Sarah Quartel, among others.

Hillman is the curator and editor of The Jamie Hillman Choral Series published by Santa Barbara Music Publishing. His co-editorial work includes numerous editions of Arabic, Asian, Latin American, and Western choral pieces published by Earthsongs and Hinshaw Music. Choral pedagogical curriculum that he has written with composer Dan Forrest is published by Beckenhorst Press. He is also co-editor of Beckenhorst Press’ Concert Series.

Dr. Hillman earned an associate diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto) and degrees from Western University (London, Canada), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Boston University where he studied with Ann Howard Jones. Hillman is the 2012 laureate of the Leslie Bell Prize for Choral Conducting from the Ontario Arts Council.

Paul Rardin is Elaine Brown Chair of Choral Music and Chair of the Vocal Arts Department at Temple University, where he conducts the Concert Choir, teaches graduate conducting, and oversees the seven-choir program at Temple’s Boyer College of Music and Dance. Rardin previously taught at the University of Michigan and Towson University, and was formerly artistic director of the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia. His choirs have performed at the national conferences of the National Collegiate Choral Organization and American Choral Directors Association, and at regional conferences of the ACDA and National Association for Music Education.

Rardin has served as a guest conductor for all-state choirs in eighteen states, for divisional honor choirs for ACDA and Music Educators National Conference, and for Manhattan Concert Productions at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. He has presented clinics for state, regional, and national conferences of the American Choral Directors Association.

Rardin is a graduate of Williams College and the University of Michigan, where he received the M.M. in composition and the D.M.A. in conducting. His compositions and arrangements are published by Santa Barbara Music Publishing.

Rardin lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife, Sandy.

A Southern California native, Rayvon T. J. Moore, is a conductor, educator, and baritone who has been lauded for his energetic, yet sensitive conducting and his rich baritone voice. Moore serves as Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Choral Studies at Friends University and as the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Wichita Chamber Chorale. At Friends, he conducts the internationally renowned Singing Quakers, in addition to teaching courses in conducting, choral methods, and applied voice.

In 2023 Moore was recognized by the Wichita Business Journal being listed as 40 UNDER 40 recognizing his work at Friends University, community involvement, and arts leadership. He has appeared as a guest conductor/music director with local companies such as the Forum Theatre and Crown Arts Collaborative, as well as serving as the chorus master for the Wichita Grand Opera’s production of LA BOHÉME.

As a conductor he has won numerous awards including the 2024 American Prize Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for American Music, Pacific Chorale’s Elliot and Kathleen Alexander Memorial Award, Mu Phi Epsilon’s Foncannon Grant, and others.

Being a versatile performer, he has sung back up for The Rolling Stones, Barry Manilow, Patti Austin, Andrea Bocelli, Kathleen Battle and Deborah Voigt. Moore can be heard on the album “John Williams & Steven Spielberg: The Ultimate Collection” recorded with Sony Classical. He has sung under the baton of Helmuth Rilling, John Williams, Jeffery Kahane, Carl St. Clair, James Conlon, Grant Gershon, Marvin Hamlisch and others. As a conductor/soloist, he has premiered works by composers such as Christopher Tin, Stacey V. Gibbs, Seth Houston and many more.

His conducting mentors include William Weinert, Robert Istad, Donald Brinegar, Brad Lubman, Joel Pressman, Jo-Michael Scheibe, Cristian Grases, Mark Scatterday, and Neil Varon. As a conducting fellow at several programs, Moore has worked with Ann HowardJones, John Alexander, Jerry Blackstone, David Hayes, and Daniel Bara, He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Choral Music from the University of Southern California, a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from California State University, Fullerton, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Conducting from the Eastman School of Music.

He has held faculty positions at Colgate University, Hamilton, NY; Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY; The Young Musicians Foundation, Los Angeles, CA; The Saturday Conservatory of Music, Pasadena; CA and Esperanza Azteca Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles. He has also served as Associate Conductor of the Eastman-Rochester Chorus and Chorale, Assistant Conductor for California State University Fullerton’s Opera, Concert Choir and Women’s Choir, as well as the Assistant Conductor of the Donald Brinegar Singers.

Moore is an active member of the American Choral Directors Association, Chorus America, National Collegiate Choral Organization, the National Association for Music Education, and is sought after as a guest conductor, clinician, speaker, and adjudicator.

Rayvon T. J. Moore is grateful to his grandparents, Rev. John A. and Sheila J. Moore and Shirley Kleinpeter for their love and for being extraordinary role models. He is married to Brittany, who is a registered nurse, and they reside in Wichita, KS with their fur-babies Chester (mini poodle) and Winnie (cavapoo).

BA, Music Education, St. Olaf College
MS, Choral Music Education, University of Illinois
DMA, Choral and Orchestral Conducting, Eastman School of Music
Additional study, Business, Pace University
Current residence: Point Pleasant, NJ

Celebrated conductor and entrepreneur Craig Arnold is the Founder, Artistic Director, and President of Manhattan Concert Productions and conductor of Manhattan Chorale and Chamber Orchestra.  He has music ministry and teaching experience at all levels, including Professor and  Director of Choral Activities positions at Luther College (2008 Emmy Award), Western Michigan University, and Capital University.  Arnold has served as guest conductor of concert performances, music festivals, and all-state choirs in most of the United States and a dozen countries abroad.  He also has been featured guest lecturer on topics of music, business, and leadership on college campuses, conferences, and seminars.  Arnold is from Brainerd, MN where he was recently inducted into the Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame. He is the father of two, grandfather of two, husband of one.  Not so guilty pleasure:  he is a water nut.

PET: Cooper (third Sheltie).