Clinicians
Melissa Trevino Keylock
Melissa Trevino Keylock serves as Artistic Director of the San Diego North Coast Singers. She taught eleven years at the Princeton Girlchoir, and previously worked at the American Boychoir School, Rider University, and the Indianapolis Children’s Choir. She founded the annual Princeton Girlchoir Children Making a Difference benefit concert, raising over $30,000 for non-profits. She has taught public and private school, including K-12 vocal music and AP Music Theory. Throughout her career, Melissa has served in state and regional leadership positions with the American Choral Directors Association. She holds an undergraduate degree from Wheaton College and a Master of Music from Butler University, where she studied with Henry Leck, and directed the Butler University Women’s Glee Club. Melissa completed her Kodály studies at Capital University, and is listed in Who’s Who in American Women. She enjoys serving as a clinician and presenter at All-State Choirs, choral conferences, and festivals throughout the United States. She is a Yoga Alliance certified yoga and group fitness instructor and enjoys studying fitness and nutrition. Her arrangements and compositions with co-writer Jill Friedersdorf are regularly performed by choirs throughout the country, including over thirty pieces published with Chorister’s Guild, ECS Publishing Group, Colla Voce, ICC Publishing, and Hal Leonard Publishing. Mrs. Keylock was honored to direct the Elementary Honor Choir of Midwest Region conference for the American Choral Director’s Association in February 2024, and the Ohio All-Stare Children’s Chorus in 2025. Upcoming 2026 engagements include Jacksonville Children’s Chorus in January, and headlining with Manhattan Concert Productions in March at Carnegie Hall.
Coty Raven Morris
Coty Raven Morris, a New Orleans native, is the Hinckley Assistant Professor of Choir, Music Education, and Social Justice at Portland State University. She holds a Master’s in Choral Conducting from Michigan State University, where she studied under esteemed faculty, and a Bachelor’s from Texas State University-San Marcos. Before joining PSU, she directed award-winning choirs in Texas, consistently earning top ratings at UIL and festivals.
A newly published composer, Morris’ poetry and compositions have been featured at numerous honor choirs and festivals across the country. She has received widespread recognition for her contributions to music education, including being named a Finalist for the 2024 Music Educator Grammy and a Quarter-Finalist for the 2025 Music Educator Grammy.
Morris is also a host at All Classical Radio and the International Children’s Arts Network (ICAN), a station dedicated to celebrating childhood, exploring diverse cultures, and nurturing a love for the arts. In her role as Chorus Master and Artistic Collaborator, she works with Portland Center Stage, the Oregon Symphony Orchestra, and Choirs of America.
In addition to her professional work, she is the Founder of Being Human Together (BHT), a growing community that addresses traditionally taboo topics in music education such as mental health, systemic oppression, diversity, and inclusivity. BHT fosters conversation and connection, offering a safe space for educators and students alike to explore these critical issues. Morris is also an avid boxer and brings the same energy, focus, and resilience to her artistic and educational pursuits.
Diana V. Sáez
Dr. Diana V. Sáez is the Director of Choral Activities at Towson University in Towson, Maryland, directing the University Chorale, Treble Voices, and Choral Society. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Sáez served as Visiting Choir Director at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois and Visiting Choir Conductor at McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland.
As a leading specialist in the field of Latin American music, Dr. Sáez is a frequent guest conductor, adjudicator, and lecturer in both the United States and abroad.
Dr. Sáez began her musical education at the Escuela Libre de Música in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She earned a Master of Choral Conducting from Temple University and a Doctorate in Musical Arts at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Her compositions for choir are published by Hal Leonard, Boosey and Hawkes, the Roger Dean, and La Voz Publishing.
Presenters
Brianne Biastoff
Brianne Biastoff is a conductor and music educator passionate about creating inclusive, community-rooted choral experiences. She leads public high school, university, and community choirs, centering her work on access, belonging, and collaborative music-making. She actively engages in projects that use choral singing to build relationships across diverse communities and identities, with a special emphasis on intergenerational ensembles and fostering lifelong participation in music through meaningful, mission-driven artistry.
Dr. Patrick Chiu
Choral artist Patrick Chiu gracefully navigates the multifaceted realms of conducting, education, stage direction, and composition. Influenced by his diverse global experiences, Patrick deeply values the power of artistic collaboration across cultures, believing it fosters a more harmonious world. In recent years, his choral theatres have been injecting innovation and vibrancy into the arts scene. Recent staged productions include Monteverdi Madrigals of War and Love, Handel Messiah, Bach Ich habe genug, Wedding Cantata, Coffee Cantata, Hercules at the Crossroads, Johannes-Passion, Markus-Passion, Pergolesi Stabat Mater, and Fauré Requiem. For over two decades, Patrick has balanced a busy global performing schedule with a commitment to nurturing the next generation of musicians. Currently, he serves as the Director of Choral and Vocal Activities at Lycoming College in Pennsylvania.
Cheryl B. Engelhardt
Cheryl B. Engelhardt is a GRAMMY®-nominated composer and artist passionate about creating music for choirs, brands, theater, and meditation experiences. A Cornell graduate and Juilliard-trained musician, her music has topped charts and earned millions of streams. Engelhardt is a certified trauma-informed coach, facilitating transformational retreats and the popular mastermind for musicians, Amplify. She also serves as Chair of Contemporary/Commercial Repertoire for the ACDA Eastern Division and advocates for musicians as a governor for The Recording Academy’s New York Chapter. Her choral works are published through E.C. Schirmer and can be found at www.cbemusic.com/choral.
Kirsten Ferguson
Kirsten Ferguson (she/they) is a Korean and Hispanic choral conductor along with serving as the director of Transpose: Ithaca Queer Singers Alliance, board member of Dorthy Cotton Jubilee Singers, and current music education student at Ithaca College. She is deeply committed to sharing her passion for music and vocal pedagogy through singing, teaching, experimentation, and creativity. Her mission is to foster an open and supportive environment where she, her current and future singers, and collaborators can explore, create, and perform music with artistic expression.
Liz Geisweite
Liz Geisewite is the Director of Choral Education for the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, teaches conducting at Manhattan School of Music, and taught music in NYC public high schools for a decade. She’s the director and co-founder of Accord Treble Choir, current NY-ACDA President-elect and Artistic Director of Brooklyn Treble Choir. Liz studied Kodály methodology at NYU, the British Kodály Academy, and the International Kodály Institute in Kecskemét, Hungary, and has taught Kodály musicianship classes for the National Children’s Chorus (NCC), and delivered presentations on Kodály methodology at Brooklyn College, Queens College, SUNY Potsdam, and the NYC Department of Education.
Dr. Robert C. Jordan
Robert C. Jordan is an assistant professor at Adelphi University and the Music Director and Organist at the Congregational Church (UCC) of Manhasset, NY. He completed music degrees at the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University; Western Michigan University; and Teachers College, Columbia University. As a secondary music teacher, Robert developed a range of collaborative, democratic, and learner-centered ensemble techniques. Selected conference appearances: Estill World Voice Symposium and International Symposium on the Sociology of Music Education. Selected publications appear in the Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, Music Educators Journal, and the Choral Journal (ACDA).
Matthew Chi Lee
Matthew Chi Lee (He/Him) serves as Director of Choirs at John P. Stevens High School in Edison, New Jersey. The choirs at JPSHS have consistently earned Superior/Gold ratings at local, national, and international festivals and have been performed at regional and national ACDA Conferences. His conducting credits include the Central Jersey HS Treble Choir, Morris Area Honor Choir, Sussex County Honor Chorus, and the Connecticut Eastern Region HS Festival. He is proud to serve on the ACDA Eastern Region Diversity Initiatives Team. Lee holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Northwestern University and a Master’s from Florida State University.
Owen Kelly
Owen M. Kelly is a music educator, nonprofit leader, and arts advocate with a decade of experience in education, outreach, and program development. He holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Music Education from UMass Lowell. As Founder and Executive Director of Allies in Music Education, he has led programs serving over 2,000 people in Greater Lowell. Owen has worked in public schools and community programs, specializing in accessible music and arts education. He also consults on outreach initiatives at UMass Lowell, where he oversees The Common Voice Community Chorus and champions sustainable, community-driven arts initiatives.
Dr. Ben May
Ben May, DMA, is the Director of Choral Activities at the State University of New York at Oswego, where he directs several ensembles, including the Oswego State Singers and Laker Chorale. He also co-directs the Oswego Opera Theater and sings with the Harmonic Collective barbershop chorus. Previously, Ben held teaching positions at Brazosport College (Lake Jackson, TX) and James Bowie High School (Austin, TX) and directed the Houston Tidelanders barbershop chorus. He holds degrees from Vanderbilt University, Westminster Choir College, and the University of Houston.
Dr. Erik Peregrine
Dr. Erik Peregrine (they/them/theirs) is a visionary conductor, musicologist, and educator whose work centers relationship as the fundamental basis for music-making. Peregrine currently serves as the artistic director of Ensemble Companio, an award-winning Northeastern regional chamber choir, and the founding director of LIFT!, an independent conducting studio which centers the development of musical leaders whose identities are un/underrepresented in the field. In demand as a clinician and consultant, their work on transgender-inclusive choral pedagogy has been featured by Chorus America, ACDA, and GALA Choruses, among other organizations.
P. Wesley Roy
Wesley Roy served as a public school chorus and music theory teacher for ten years and has worked with middle, high, collegiate, and professional choirs. His work involves furthering educational opportunities and accessibility for students and teachers with the ultimate goal of using our art for the service of others. He received degrees from the University of Miami, Florida State University, and Syracuse University. He is thrilled to join the faculty of the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam this fall. In his free time, he enjoys cuddling with his sweet little dachshund.
Dr. Eric Rubenstein
Dr. Eric Rubinstein is Director of Choral Activities and Associate Director of the School of Music at Nazareth University. Ensembles under his direction have performed for state and regional conferences of NAfME and ACDA, for venues both domestic and abroad, and have been honored by The American Prize. Dr. Rubinstein’s scholarship focuses on the synthesis between classical and vernacular styles, and his work has appeared in such publications as Music Educators’ Journal, The Choral Scholar, and Anacrusis, as well as through regional, national, and international conventions of NAfME, ACDA, CMS, EAS, and ISME. Dr. Rubinstein holds Choral Conducting and Music Education degrees from Louisiana State University (D.M.A.), Michigan State University (M.M.), and SUNY Fredonia (B.Mus.).
In spring 2020, Dr. Silverberg released his first published book, co-written with Deke Sharon and Dr. J.D. Frizzell, with GIA Publications titled Teaching Music Through Performance in Contemporary A cappella. University of Delaware (B.M.), Westminster Choir College (M.M.), and Five Towns College (D.M.A.). Marcesilverberg.com
Keilah Ussi
Keilah Ussi is a Choral Conducting (M.M.) student at Michigan State University. Prior to studying at MSU, Keilah served as Choral Director of Nanuet secondary schools in Rockland County, NY. In complement to her classroom experience Ms. Ussi has conducted and presented research on “Representation in the Music Classroom through Non-Idiomatic Programming” and “Visual Processing of Music Notation.” Ms. Ussi holds a B.M. in Music Education from Ithaca College where she began research in these areas. Currently, Keilah serves as Choir Director of St. Luke Lutheran Church and is an active clinician for MSVMA Ensemble Festivals.