Big changes this year for the HS State Honor Choirs as we have added a 256 voice State Treble Choir. The concert for the two High School All-State Choirs will be Saturday February 23 at 11:00 a.m. in Convention Hall.
The clinician for the 2019 KMEA All-State Mixed Choir is Kevin Fenton. He is professor of choral conducting and ensembles, and director of the Florida State University “University Singers” and “Chamber Choir.”
A champion of new music, Dr. Fenton has conducted over thirty premiere performances. Dr. Fenton has conducted choirs in 35 states, including twenty-six all-state choirs and ACDA Divisional Honor Choirs. Internationally, he conducted the Beijing International Choral Festival Choir with China’s People’s Liberation Orchestra and the Dublin International Choral Festival for Music Celebrations International. He taught choral conducting and conducting pedagogy at the Kenya Conservatory of Music as a part of the Fulbright Scholar program and at the National Youth Choir Symposium in South Africa.
Dr. Fenton has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in choral literature and choral conducting at Florida State University since 2000, and his textbook Foundations of Choral Conducting is used in beginning conducting classes throughout the country. He is a recipient of the Florida State University Teaching Award for Excellence, the Delta Omicron Music Professor of the Year award, and the Wayne Hugoboom Distinguished Florida Service Award. Additionally, Dr. Fenton is the Artistic Director of the Festival Singers of Florida and a founder of the AVoice4Peace initiative (AVoice4Peace.org).
Accompanying the State Mixed Choir this year will be Susan Laushman, choral director at Pittsburg High School.
This year’s All-State Mixed Choir Chair is Greg Bontrager. Lisa Cookson, choral director at Wichita – Southeast High School is the All-State Mixed Choir Assistant Chair, and will take over the chair position in 2020.
