Marc Jenkins became a Community Choir Director in 2014 with Victoria, BC's The Choir. He spends most of his time arranging and writing, performing and facilitating music. He started All Together Now, a drop-in choir in 2016, and The Chorus, a sister group to The Choir, in 2017. Marc is also a touring musician, studio session player and producer.

Victoria’s The Choir and The Chorus are non-auditioned, community choirs that sing all-original arrangements of pop, folk and indie music. The Choir began as a small project based out of Victoria music store Larsen Music in early 2013, and grew to 100 members over the next 2 years. The Chorus launched in the fall of 2017 to meet the demand of people looking to sing with The Choir. They have enjoyed a run of successful concerts, and local folk and indie music festivals. The Choir and The Chorus are directed by Marc Jenkins and accompanied by Erin Gray. They perform separately, and also together, affectionately known as Megachoirasorus!

Anne Drouet is the Director of Performing Arts at Hong Kong Academy, a non profit, independent IB world school. Anne's students have performed on various world stages, including the London Royal Festival Hall, the Formula One Grand Prix Shanghai Opening Ceremony and the Shanghai Oriental Arts Centre. Anne is a huge fan of Deke's work and is honoured to be participating in the TOTAL VOCAL experience for the second time.

The HKA Community Choir is an inclusive choir that brings together students, parents and teachers, united by a passion for singing. Rehearsing just once a week, the choir enjoys performing at school and wider charity events. It is an absolute honour to be here at Carnegie Hall with everyone.

Stacy Jacobs is a history teacher at Horace Greeley High School where she is fortunate to advise the A Cappella Club.

The Quaker Notes are a dedicated group of talented women joined together by a passion for music and an unwavering bond. We are a student run group who value organization, dedication, and responsibility. Being a member of The Quaker Notes means that you can pursue and improve your singing abilities and understanding of musical dynamic, but also use the opportunity to create strong friendships and form a support system.

Diane was born in Scotland and studied piano and voice performance at Aberdeen University before moving to Wales where she now works as a music teacher, accompanist and Musical Director. Dedicating her life to music has always been an easy choice and, whilst working with some of the finest voice choirs in the country, she has had the privilege of touring internationally and performing extensively. Diane has won several awards for her conducting over the years and arranges most of the music for her choirs herself. She is also an examiner for the UK music exam board Trinity College London.

Affinity was founded in Cardiff in 2012 and is a non-auditioned choir for women. Specialising in light repertoire, the choir learn around fifty songs every year in a variety of genres, and work hard to perform these to a high standard. Popular in Wales, Affinity have performed in Cardiff and Caerphilly Castles, many prestigious concert halls, hotels and wedding venues, and recently on tour in Edinburgh. Highlights of 2017 were a performance at Edinburgh Castle, and recording a CD to celebrate the fifth birthday of the choir. Whilst in NYC, Affinity are also performing at the Empire State Building and are thrilled to have been invited to participate in 'Total Vocal'.

Chris studied music at Leeds University (UK) later specialising in musicology and graduated in 2006. From there he trained to teach Music to secondary school students and has since been teaching 11-18 year olds for the last ten years. Outside of work Chris enthusiastically and passionately leads community music making in the local area after founding both the Raunds Ukulele Orchestra and A Different Direction Choir which regularly perform in the area. He is also a keen player and enjoys singing, playing, preparing and arranging music at home for the groups he leads.

A Different Direction Choir is based in Raunds (Northamptonshire, UK) and was founded by Chris Gammon in 2011 after he and the original twelve members performed at a choir competition to help raise money for Cransley Hospice (UK). The competition put together several small choirs made up of singers who had never sung together before, or even sung in a choir. The group went on to win and hasn’t looked back. Numbers have swelled since and continue to grow attracting members from all over the local area. The group regularly performs a variety of popular accompanied and a cappella music and enjoys regularly raising significant amounts of money for local charities.

Matthew Netto directs the Vocal Music Program at Patriot High School where he also is the Performing Arts Chair. In addition, Matt is on the Board of Southern California Vocal Association (SCVA) as the Vice-President I for Honor Choir. His choirs have performed at the Phil Mattson Vocal Jazz Festival in Carnegie Hall in 2004 and 2007, in China in 2008, and often at the Disneyland Candlelight Ceremony. Matt presents at state and regional professional development conferences, has conducted two honor choirs, and performs as a member of the choir and tenor soloist in the Westminster Summer Choral Festival.

PHuSion is a select vocal ensemble gathered specifically from the talented students of Patriot High School from the Madrigals and A Cappella Choirs. These students passed rigorous recorded and live auditions to secure a place in this ensemble.

Joshua Barroll has been the director of the music program at Calabasas High School in Southern California since 1997. As the music director at Calabasas High School, Mr. Barroll has directed numerous groups including choirs, jazz bands, and concert ensembles. Under his direction, the CHS Jazz 'A' Band has been named finalists in both the Essentially Ellingtion (Jazz At Lincoln Center) and Swing Central (Savannah Music Festival) competitions. In the early 2000's, he created and founded both Unstrumental and Bare Rhythm, the co-ed and all female a cappella groups at Calabasas High School. Since their creation, each group has been recognized as one of the premiere high school a cappella groups in the country. Unstrumental are the 2 time champion of the Los Angeles A Cappella Festival (LAAF) and both groups have been featured on numerous compilation albums including 'Best Of High School A Cappella (BOHSA). Bare Rhythm was also a featured performer at the first ever 'Total Vocal' concert with Deke Sharon in Carnegie Hall in NYC.

The Calabasas H.S. Choral Program is comprised of five choirs. Harmony, Maestoso, and Vivace are the traditional choirs. There are also two contemporary a cappella ensembles, Unstrumental and Bare Rhythm. All five of these groups are ecstatic to be a part of this year's Total Vocal concert.

Matea Biloglav is one of the founders of Zadar’s co-ed a cappella group A.K.A. Crescendo, which after recently celebrating five years of existence still remains the only group of its kind in Croatia. From the start, Matea has been acting as the group’s music director. In 2018 she graduated Pedagogy, and Russian Language and Literature, and is currently pursuing a degree in pre- and elementary school education. Matea has attended elementary-level music theory classes, but found her passion to be group singing. As of now, she is working as an assistant for children with developmental difficulties, sings in Zadar’s country band No Ordinary, and has put together a new a cappella choir at the University of Zadar.

A.K.A. Crescendo is the only croatian university a cappella group, founded in early 2013. They can count over 450 appearances and gigs during their five year activity. In 2016, this university a cappella group took part at Croatia’s Got Talent which is the croatian version of the popular british and american TV talent show. In the audition episode they got the Golden Buzzer. In August 2016, A.K.A. Crescendo performed in Canada, at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto. Furthermore, in December 2016 the group received the Award of the City of Zadar, for their contribution to culture and artistic expression of not only the University, but also to the city of Zadar. In 2017, the group won the Rector’s Award of the University of Zadar for outstanding contributions to culture and extracurricular activities. In July of the same year, the group took part in their first ever a cappella competition in Graz at vokal.total where they were awarded with the bronze diploma in the category Pop. In September 2017 they decided to take a big shoot and try to compete in The Open. They became one of the semi-finalists and their beatboxer got a Special Award for Outstanding Vocal Percussion .

Róisín graduated with a First Class Honours BA degree in Music from University College Dublin and following that completed her Masters in Music and the Creative Economy in Kingston University, London. As a choral practitioner and arranger, she has worked with several choirs in her native Ireland including a choir of over 300 singers for a live broadcast on Irish television. As a session singer and choral practitioner, Róisín has collaborated with artists as diverse as Bonnie Tyler, Wheatus, Billy Ocean, Picture This, Chris DeBurgh, Keala Settle, Rod Stewart, Glen Hansard, Ryan Sheridan, Secret Garden and Wallis Bird.

Founded in 2012, by Róisín Savage, The Line-Up Choir are a Dublin-based rock and pop choir of 150 singers. They have performed in most of Ireland's top venues and have also appeared at Electric Picnic and Body and Soul festivals. They have even broken a Guinness World Record in London and performed in the New York City St Patrick's Day Parade. Renowned for their professionalism, raw energy and soaring sounds - the choir have collaborated with artists as diverse as Picture This, Glen Hansard, Billy Ocean, Wheatus, Donna Taggart, Secret Garden, Celine Byrne, Keala Settle and Colm Wilkinson.

Becky Park is an A Cappella enthusiast who started a female A Cappella group when she was in high school. Since then, she was a member of the Rip Chords at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, going on to direct A Cappella groups at the various high schools she has taught at. She is excited to bring her A Cappella groups to Total Vocal this year after bringing a group to the inaugural Total Vocal performance in 2015! She thanks her family, school, and community for their support.

The Urbana High School A Cappella groups (VCR and VHS - get it?) are thankful and excited to be here. They compete on a yearly basis in the ICHSA A Cappella competition and have placed in the Midwest Quarterfinals multiple times, securing a spot at semi-finals. They are known for their high energy, innovative sets drawing on the diversity of the groups and community they come from. They thank their families, school, and community for helping send them to Carnegie Hall!

Fiona Sellar is a Principal teacher of music at Nairn Academy, as well as being the musical director for Just Sing and Singing for the Shy at Eden Court Theatre. Over the years she has had an involvement in many musical endeavours. She was the musical director of the Inverness Opera Company for a number of years. She is currently the pianist with the highly acclaimed Mahler Players, and is involved in the Highland Youth Orchestra. In 2015 she was awarded an MBE in the Queen's New Year Honours, for services to music, education and charity.

Just Sing is a group run by Eden Court Theatre in Inverness, that meets weekly for the sheer pleasure and enjoyment of singing. There are around 45 regular members of the group, with many more joining in on an occasional basis. Our main repertoire is pop and rock from the 1960s onwards, and once a year we run an open rehearsal followed by a show with a 5 piece band. We regularly perform at charity events to help fundraise for causes close to our hearts. Our motto is 'We are not a choir, we Just Sing'.

David Phelps has been teaching since 2010, and at Mounds View High school since 2014. Before he started teaching, David spent four years touring and singing with contemporary a cappella group Marcoux Corner. Marcoux Corner led him to 48 states, Canada, and Shanghai, China. Mr. Phelps graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN in 2006. He has studied with Peter Halvorson, Dr. Paul Nesheim, Dr. Rene Clausen, and is still learning and studying with his father, Bruce Phelps.

The Mounds View High School Choir is known for their excellence in choral music, but more so their love for singing together as an ensemble. Their repertoire is always eclectic, and offers something for any musical taste at each concert. Anything from Renaissance to contemporary a cappella can be heard at any of their concerts. Offered as an academic class since 1955, it fast becomes more than that for any and all that join. 

Leading Revv52 for over 24 years. For Farrell, music lives in the heart. Far from something one occasionally takes off the shelf, music is intrinsic to the fabric of daily life. Farrell’s formal education, which includes his B. Mus. (Hons.), and B.Ed. from University of Western Ontario, as well as studies at Westminster Choir College at Princeton and the University of Michigan and an M.A. from San Diego State University set the stage for his 33 year career. Farrell sought to expand the reach of his expertise and established Brian Farrell Music Inc. with focus on vocal coaching and artistic mentorship. As Artistic Director of Revv52, he has helped establish a unique Canadian vocal ensemble that pushes the bounds of choral music.

Calgary's Vocal Energy - Revv52 is a Calgary-based performance ensemble that entertains, inspires and energizes its audiences with original productions of the most important and beloved songs in popular music. Revv52’s mission is to expand the boundaries of choral music by showcasing quality and innovative musical experiences for our audiences, while nurturing a love of music and fostering a caring environment among our members. With over 50 singers representing all walks of life – and a live band and crew of professionals that is the toast of our city – Revv52 is creating a buzz with its sold-out shows, and a community around the world.

Julie Burgess is Director/Founder of Central Wisconsin Youth Choirs, a free choral program for area singers. The program is comprised of three choirs...Middle Level, High School and Special Needs Singers. She is Director of Choral Activities at DC Everest Middle School, Music Director at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church and Music Director for "The Penguin Project", a musical Theatre program for Special Needs performers. She holds a degree in Music Education with Vocal/Piano Emphasis. She loves her students.

Bella Voce, a mixed ensemble from Wausau, Wisconsin, is one of three choirs in the Newly formed "Central Wisconsin Youth Choirs". These students excel in choral singing and musical theatre and are from many area schools. They come together in this program to make music outside of school and theatrical performances. This is not our first time in NYC singing with DCINY but it IS under our new name!

Marion Van Namen launched Sing Portland! in 2013 with the conviction that everyone can sing. Marion recruited over 100 singers in the first year and now leads 160 members in song. Her contagious leadership style is inclusive and spontaneous. Marion studied with improvisers Rhiannon and Bobby McFerrin, and she's stellar at making each rehearsal and performance two hours of pure joy for singers and audience alike. Marion also teaches vocal improv and coaches for-profit song leaders and choir directors. Marion Van Namen grew up in The Netherlands and has been trained in music therapy, vocal improv, choir direction and has an MBA.

Sing Portland! is a non-audition community choir that welcomes all levels of musicianship. www.singportland.com

Jacqueline Curtis comes from and married into a family of professional actors, singers and dancers. In her 'younger years' she directed, stage managed and performed in dozens of plays and created an Improv Comedy company for the corporate environment that for 10 years, toured throughout Canada and the U.S. But her love of singing and her choir experience from younger years drove her to create My Pop Choir as a way to reach out to those who love to sing but don't have the experience or training most choirs require. My Pop Choir has been one of the two loves of her life and she's enormously proud of the impact its had on so many who love to sing, but thought they could never sound as wondrous as they do with My Pop Choir. 

The My Pop Choir members singing at their 2nd Total Vocal performance, come from all its locations in southern Ontario. They all share an enormous love of choral singing with My Pop Choir, and eagerly applied to sing at this amazing event. Most of these lovely singers joined My Pop Choir with no musical or vocal training or experience; but have grown under the guidance of their talented, outgoing, professional Choir Masters and are thrilled to perform for the 2nd year with Total Vocal! 

Janelle Ellis graduated from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, SD with a Bachelor of Arts in Music. She taught choirs in SD and WY, with the last 35 years in Newcastle, Wyoming. Janelle serves as a clinician, adjudicator, and Wyoming Choral VP. Her students participate in All-State Choir, ACDA and NAfME Northwest Choirs, and ACDA National Choirs. Janelle has been awarded the Northeast District Music Educator of the year three times, the Wyoming recipient of the Outstanding Music Educator through the National Federation of High School Music Associations and the University of Wyoming Weiss Outstanding Wyoming Choral Music Educator.

Newcastle High School Concert Choir is a non-audition choir open to 9-12th graders in our community. They present four concerts for the public each year and study all genres of vocal music. Members are eligible for private voice training which prepares them for state, regional, and national auditions, festival solos and National Anthem training. Students provide National Anthems for local and state sports events; and sings for various organizations in our community. Many of NHS graduates have gone on to sing in college through music scholarships. This is the 3rd time, NHS has been involved in DCINY concert opportunities.

Matthew Everingham (LLB(Hons), MusB, ATCL) is a conductor, composer and pianist from New Zealand now based in New York City. Matthew studied music and law at the University of Canterbury and piano performance through Trinity College, London. His music has been heard in London, Malta, Prague and New York. Matthew has conducted choirs around New Zealand and worked on theatre productions of Les Misérables, Wicked, Mary Poppins, Chicago, Jesus Christ Superstar, Mary Poppins, Evita, Hairspray and others. Matthew is Artistic Director of The Vocal Collective and conductor on their 2019 USA tour culminating with Total Vocal at Carnegie Hall.

The Vocal Collective (formerly the Christchurch Pops Choir) is New Zealand’s leading contemporary music choir. Formed after the Christchurch Earthquakes of 2011, the Collective combines musical excellence with the joy of community and gives entertaining and uplifting performances to audiences around New Zealand and the world. The Collective specialises in singing across a wide range of genres including pop, rock, jazz, soul, theatre and film music. Recent highlights include a 2017 China Tour, performing on internationally televised sporting events, and singing at various high profile corporate events and music festivals. The Vocal Collective is proudly sponsored by Christchurch International Airport.

After graduating with a first-class Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Strathclyde, Madaleine spent her formative years touring the world with bands such as the BAFTA award winning, OSCAR and GRAMMY nominated soul revivalists ‘The Commitments’. Live appearances and session work have included live performances for The Average White Band, composer Paul Leonard Morgan (Limitless, Wormwood, Dynasty) Tom Jones, Mica Paris, Edwin Collins, Paul Carrack (Mike and The Mechanics). Ricky Ross and Deacon Blue, Karine Polwarth, Salsa Celtica, The Red Hot Chillie Pipers, Ian Anderson MBE (Jethro Tull), Stuart Murdock (Belle and Sebastian) and Jon Fratelli. Other highlights include opening for The Fun Lovin Criminals, Bryan Adams, Al Green, Dr.John, Mayer Hawthorne, Hue and Cry, and British soul diva Alice Russell. Madaleine has toured the world extensively and performed at world famous venues such as the House of Blues in both Chicago and Los Angeles, B.B Kings in New York, The Sony Centre in Toronto Canada, The Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, The Jazz Cafe London as well as many theatres and music festivals across the USA, Canada, Norway, France, Italy, Denmark, Russia, Germany, Switzerland, Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, Moscow and Sweden.

Connect Choir is a contemporary pop rock and soul choir based at the heart of Glasgow, Scotland. They bring together singers of all levels of musical experience who love the challenge of learning new music together. There are currently over 80 members. Connect have enjoyed a successful run of sold out concerts in Glasgow, raising money for local charities close to their heart. It is an honour to be performing at Carnegie Hall in New York City under the direction of Deke Sharon. Our Connect choir singers at home in Scotland are very proud.

Katherine Girvin, a native of San Diego, attended the University of Missouri, Columbia where she received a Bachelor of Arts and Science (2004), a Bachelor of Science in Middle School Education (2005), and a Masters in Education with a focus on Curriculum and Instruction (2006). Katherine has been a choral educator for 10 years and has been directing Chamber Bravura since its creation 8 years ago. Katherine is a middle and high school principal in San Diego County and is also an Adjunct Professor at San Diego Christian College, where she teaches current teachers receiving their Masters, Education Majors, and supervises college students in their student teaching assignments. Katherine has been named Choral Educaor of the Year by CMEA Southern Border Division (2012) and the same year received the Mackenzie-Haney Award, an Outstanding Choral Educator Award voted on by her colleagues throughout all of San Diego Unified School District.

Chamber Bravura is an extra-curricular (a cappella only) vocal performance organization comprised of 35 vocalists from various middle and high schools in San Diego County. These students practice and perform rigorous choral music despite only meeting once a week for two short hours. Chamber Bravura is an internationally traveling a cappella group with performances in Italy (including a Mass performance in St. Peter's Basilica) in 2013, performances in Austria and Prague in 2014, performances in Ireland, England, and Wales in 2015, performances in Sydney and New Zealand (including the Sydney Opera House) in 2017, and performances in Iceland in 2018 including Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik. This will be Chamber Bravura's sixth performance in Carnegie Hall, the third with Deke Sharon and Total Vocal. Chamber Bravura also performed under the direction of Eric Whitacre in Lincoln Center in 2018. Locally Chamber Bravura has performed in many charity events and parades throughout San Diego and performs annually for Disney's Community Arts Showcase and Candlelight Processional. Chamber Bravura even has their own county-wide holiday as a thank you for their works in the community. This organization is comprised of exceptional kids, many who balance sports and rigorous studies on top of their commitment to Chamber Bravura and prove that you really can do it all! Chamber Bravura is so honored to be working with Deke Sharon again and extends a huge thank you to DCINY for annually producing this amazing event among others

Director Anne Marie Oldham studied Voice, Piano and Choral Music Education at University of Michigan and Law at the University of California. After practicing corporate and international law for 20 years, she returned to music education. Ms. Oldham has a passion for combining the arts with sustainability and social justice education. She has been the Performing Arts Director at St. James Academy in Solana Beach, California, for over ten years and the Sustainability Director since 2014. She is thankful to her husband, two children, school and church community for their loving and unwavering support.

Ms. Oldham formed the private Vocal Academy@St. James at the request of graduates of St. James Academy. The Vocal Academy includes accomplished high school vocalists attending high schools in North San Diego as well as advanced junior high singers from St. James Academy. The Vocal Academy is honored to be performing with DCINY at Total Vocal under the direction of Deke Sharon for the fifth year in a row. We were also thrilled to perform with DCINY under the direction Eric Whitacre in both 2012 and 2018.