Events

The GPS Singers are the premiere performance group of the Girls Preparatory School of Chattanooga, TN. This choral ensemble, made up of students in grades 9-12, seeks to cultivate the the strengths of each member through a wide variety of literature and real-world performance experiences. The GPS Singers regularly perform within the Chattanooga area, including recent collaborations with the Chattanooga Ballet and Chattanooga Lookouts. The GPS Singers also combine with their peers from the McCallie School for performances on both school campuses.

Emily K. Tousek serves as the Choral Director at her alma mater, Girls Preparatory School. Ms. Tousek holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music from Mercer University, as well as a Masters of Music Degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Tennessee. Throughout her 17 years in the classroom, she has taught choral music classes for grades 4-12, as well as musical theater, group piano, and the International Baccalaureate Music curriculum at the high school level. Ms. Tousek also serves as the Director of the Cadek Conservatory of Music, where she maintains an active piano and voice studio.

The Dubuque Chorale is a community choir in Dubuque, Iowa serving 60-80 non-auditioned singers. Our Artistic Director, Dr. Amanda Huntleigh, is also Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Clarke University. The Dubuque Chorale sings 4-5 concerts yearly and have performed many choral masterworks, singing regularly with the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra. Our most recent choral-instrumental collaboration was performing Bruckner's Mass No. 2 in e minor with the Julien Winds in 2022. We performed Carol Barnett's The World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass in 2017 in collaboration with bluegrass musical artists, Monroe Crossing.

Dr. Amanda Huntleigh serves as Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Clarke University, and is Artistic Director of the Dubuque Chorale. Her research addresses the communicative power of conducting gesture for choristers, using components of Laban Movement Analysis. To support her quantitative conducting research, Huntleigh earned her certification as a Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analyst in January 2016 through Integrated Movement Studies. Huntleigh holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral conducting from the University of Washington, a Master of Music degree in conducting from George Mason University, and a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Wartburg College.

Praised by The New York Times for its “incisive, agile strength,” Downtown Voices is a semiprofessional choir made up of volunteer singers and GRAMMY®-nominated members of The Choir of Trinity Wall Street. Directed by Stephen Sands since its inception, Downtown Voices has performed works by Beethoven, Brahms, Rachmaninoff, Pärt, Ginastera, Janáček, Duruflé, Britten, Handel and MacMillan. The group made their Carnegie Hall debut in October 2022 with the Buffalo Philharmonic conducted by JoAnn Falleta for the Lukas Foss Centennial Celebration. Downtown Voices recently recorded the world premiere oratorio Akathist by GRAMMY®-nominated composer Benedict Sheehan.

Stephen Sands, a GRAMMY-nominated “crystalline tenor” (Backstage) is a highly sought-after tenor soloist, conductor, and music educator. Stephen conducts Downtown Voices at Trinity Wall Street, which has been hailed for its "incisive, agile strength" (New York Times). He is the Executive Director of the Antioch Chamber Ensemble, overseeing international tours and recordings and managing director of Ensemble Veritas, Harvard University’s professional chorus. Founder of Music in the Somerset Hills, he directs The Somerset Hills Chorus and curates a full concert series and educational programs in New Jersey.

The McCallie Men’s Chorus is one of several performance ensembles at McCallie School. The music department features well over 300 students in chorus, band, orchestra, handbells and guitar. Chorus members come from all walks of campus life, encompassing honor students and varsity athletes. They perform at a number of events on and off campus throughout the year. On campus, the group regularly performs at end of semester concerts and school Admissions events. Off campus, the ensemble frequently participates in worship at local churches, leads the National Anthem for local sports teams, and annually has members participate in All-State honor choir.

James Harr - Dr. James Harr earned his DMA in vocal performance from The University of Memphis. His other degrees include: B.A. in music from Rhodes College (Memphis, TN); M.A. in vocal performance from Washington University (St. Louis). In addition to his choral directing duties, he has sung with symphonies and opera companies in St. Louis, Memphis, and Chattanooga. Dr. Harr is on faculty at The McCallie School (Chattanooga, TN), where he serves as Director of both the Choral and Handbell Programs.

The Green Hope High School Chorus Program (Cary, NC), directed by Allen Botwick, is proud to bring its advanced ensemble, Voices of Hope to Carnegie Hall this winter. In its first functioning year since the pandemic, the 2023-24 Voices of Hope Ensemble is excited to demonstrate community, tradition, and excellence in music at Green Hope for generations to come. Voices of Hope enjoys collaborating with other schools in Wake County, bringing in guest clinicians from around North Carolina, and working in the community to spread the joy of music. VOH would like to thank Green Hope High School Principal, Alison Cleveland for her support as well as Wake County Director of Arts, Jeremy Tucker, for his arts advocacy work in our community. Additionally, this ensemble would not be singing at Carnegie Hall without the love and support of Carol Myers, their fantastic collaborative pianist.

Allen Botwick is a music educator from Cary, North Carolina where he is fortunate to work with over 100 extremely talented, passionate, and kind students. In his 5th year at Green Hope High School, Mr. Botwick is honored to share the excitement of New York City and Carnegie Hall with his deserving students. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Performance with a concentration in Music Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he met his beloved wife. Outside of directing ensembles at Green Hope, Allen is also the Co-Director of Cary Youth Voices, a community group serving 2nd-12th grade singers. He believes that music is a tool to create community, teach empathy, and build confidence for people of all ages and backgrounds. Mr. Botwick wants to thank his family, friends, and students for all of their love.