Menu

Vocal Colors

David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center

Conductor Jennaya Robison joins composer-pianist Kyle Pederson to explore themes of darkness and light, hope and community through Kyle's transformative choral music alongside Jordan Langworthy conducting works including Emmy- and Grammy-nominated composer Jake Runestad and Grammy-winning artist Jacob Collier. Conductor Stephen Martin rounds out the concert with the Memorial Drive United Methodist Church Choir and Orchestra performing Heather Sorenson's deeply moving Requiem, commissioned in honor of those lost during COVID to bring hope and healing to all who have experienced loss.

Acts

Jennaya Robison, Guest Conductor

Can We Sing the Darkness to Light?

Jordan Langworthy, Guest Conductor

Cultivating Community

Stephen Martin, Director

The Memorial Drive United Methodist Church Choir & Orchestra (TX)

Sorenson: Requiem

Also Featuring:

Kyle Pederson, Composer/Piano

Participating Groups

The Memorial Drive United Methodist Church Choir & Orchestra

Riverside High School

Coastal Christian High School Advanced Choral Ensembles

Germantown High School Legacy

Cantabile

Masterworks Choir of Enterprise

Manasquan High School Concert Choir

OCSA Classical Voice Conservatory

Florence Finale

Bullitt Central High School Choir

Lakewood Ranch High School Mustang Singers

Spirit Song Choir

Special Guests

Artist's Name

Kyle Pederson

Artist's Name

Jennaya Robison

Artist's Name

Jordan Langworthy

Artist's Name

Stephen Martin

Press & Marketing

Click an item below to expand

Participating Group Directors

The Memorial Drive United Methodist Church Choir & Orchestra
Stephen Martin

Dr. Stephen Martin has performed and conducted across North America, Europe, and Asia. Stephen has sung with opera companies such as Santa Fe Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Minnesota Opera, Sarasota Opera, and many more singing leading roles in La Traviata, La Boheme, The Tales of Hoffmann, Puts’ Silent Night and the world premiere of Joel Puckett’s The Fix, to name a few.

Stephen has served as both conductor and clinician throughout in the US and Europe. Notably, he shared the podium with Dr. David Rayl, co-conducting performances in Vienna and Salzburg, Austria, and performing as the tenor soloist in Mozart’s Missa Brevis in F on the same concert. He is often a guest clinician and conductor for High School, Community, and Church Choirs. Stephen served for two years as Assistant Professor of Voice at the University of Central Arkansas until he transitioned fully into Music Ministry, where he now serves as Director of Music and Fine Arts at Memorial Drive United Methodist Church and is Co-Director of Worship for the United Methodist Texas Annual Conference.  

Stephen holds a DMA in Vocal Performance, Masters Degrees in Voice and Music Theory Pedagogy, and a BM in Voice from Michigan State University.

The Memorial Drive United Methodist Church choir and orchestra has been a cornerstone of weekly worship in west Houston since the choir first sang on Easter in 1959. They provide multiple concerts each year to thousands of congregants, striving to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ authentically and with humble excellence. Recently, they were invited to perform at the 2024 United Methodist Texas Annual Conference and organized a recording with area churches of Mark Hayes’ Prayer of the Children to benefit those impacted by the floods in the Texas Hill Country, which was subsequently featured across four continents by the International Council of Methodist Bishops.

Riverside High School
Lynn Holliman
Our program strives not only to build a students confidence with and appreciation of music, but also to build each students character and a sense of belonging. The Riverside Choirs perform regular concerts at our school and in our community, as well as around the state. As a member of the choir program, the students have experiences performing with various honor choirs, at choir competitions, and get to meet other students from around the state that share their love for choir music. Director, Dr. Lynn Holliman, seeks to provide a well-rounded experience for all the choir students through learning music from all around the world and across time, as well as demonstrating how music touches all aspects of their personal and academic lives.
Dr. Lynn Holliman is a graduate of Delta State University with a Bachelor's in Music Education and received her Master's in Music Education from the University of Southern Mississippi. She graduated in 2021 from Auburn University with her Doctorate in Music Education with an emphasis in music technology for instruction. Dr. Holliman is in her twenty-first year at Riverside Schools teaching High School, Junior High, and Elementary Choir, as well as Elementary General Music. She is currently serving as the Chairman of the MSMEA Prescribed List Committee and Master Class Coordinator, the MSMEA Junior High Division President-Elect, the MSMEA Elementary Mentor, and the MSNATS Chapter President. She is also the recipient of the 2011 Mississippi Music Educators Association Outstanding Young Music Teacher of the Year Award.

Coastal Christian High School Advanced Choral Ensembles
Amy Lynn Tucker-Morgan
Coastal Christian’s Honors Ensembles consist of auditioned upperclassmen who earn superior ratings at regional competitions, and have performed with Festival of Gold in Nashville and Heritage Music Festival at Carnegie Hall. Both ensembles are an integral part of Coastal’s mission of strength and honor. They perform at school events, serve the Wilmington community by sharing music at assisted living facilities and collaborate with area performing arts organizations. The primary focus of the Honors Ensembles is to develop the musical gifts of the singers to God’s glory through the development of vocal and choral technique and the expansion of musical literacy.
Amy Tucker-Morgan holds a BA in Music Education from Augustana University in Sioux Falls, SD, and a MM in Choral Conducting from East Carolina University in Greenville, NC. Prior to teaching choir at Coastal Christian HS, she taught with New Hanover County Schools at John T. Hoggard High School, Noble Middle School, and Parsley Elementary School. Amy also served as the director of both the Adult and Youth Choirs at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, instructed students as a studio harp and voice teacher and is active as a corps member of Opera House Theatre Company.

Germantown High School Legacy
Jordan Langworthy
The Legacy a Capella choir was founded in 2013 students dedicated to the making of music together. Since its founding, the personnel of Legacy has turned over several times, but whenever students graduate and leave, more enroll and apply. The Legacy endures. The group is mindful of its past, aware of its present, and hopeful about its future. Legacy has been selected to sing at Mississippi’s Music Educator’s Association and American Choral Director’s Association’s State Conference in Hattiesburg, Mississippi in 2023 and 2025 as well as compete in the Athena Festival in Nashville, TN, where they won Grand Champion.

Cantabile
Katherine Freeman
Cantabile is an ensemble comprised of all high school grades from 9-12. They are an auditioned group of dedicated and hard-working individuals, who pride themselves on making beautiful music with their friends.
Katherine Freeman is in her 13th year teaching and has been at South Panola for 7 of those years. She teaches guitar and five different choirs and ensembles, who have been consistently rated superior at state competitions. She is an Alumni of the University of Mississippi where she received her Bachelor’s in Music Education. She received her Masters in Music Education from Mississippi State University.

Masterworks Choir of Enterprise

Roy Hoobler
The Masterworks Choir of Enterprise performs 3 to 4 concerts a year covering every aspect of choral music from Bach to Sondheim, giving singers to experience different music in different venues.
Roy is a local Church Choir director and Organist and has been the Director of the Masterworks Choir of Enterprise for 11 years.

Manasquan High School Concert Choir

Maddi Schille
The Manasquan High School Concert Choir, lovingly known as Squioir, is an ensemble of dedicated, kind, and thoughtful young musicians who truly function as a family. The choir is proud to have earned multiple Superior ratings at Music in the Parks Competitions, reflecting their commitment to excellence and growth. Recent repertoire includes the Fauré Requiem, Kyle Pederson’s A Vision Unfolding, and Ola Gjeilo’s Sunrise Mass. Students play an active role in shaping the ensemble’s thematic programming, helping transform traditional concerts into immersive, interdisciplinary artistic experiences. Above all, Squioir sings with heart—grounded in the belief that music offers connection, refuge, and a place to belong.
Maddi is a 2019 summa cum laude graduate of Rowan University, where graduate-level conducting studies ignited her passion for choral leadership. She is the choir and drama director at Manasquan High School, inspiring students through music theory, piano, musical theatre, and ensemble singing. Under her direction, the MHS Concert Choir, known as Squioir, has earned consistent Superior ratings at Music in the Parks. Maddi is pursuing her Master’s in Music Education at Rowan and serves as Assistant Conductor of the New Jersey Chamber Singers. A dedicated soprano and educator, she champions vocal health, artistry, and confidence in every singer she teaches.

OCSA Classical Voice Conservatory
Dr. Ryan Reithmeier
The Classical Voice Conservatory at the Orange County School of the Arts is a college preparatory program dedicated to the vocal arts. Students are immersed in classes that encompass solo and ensemble performance, theory and musicianship, as well as stagecraft classes, jazz, and opera production. The conservatory collaborates and provides youth choruses for concert and operatic works regularly with leading arts organizations in and around Southern California with recent performances include Puccini's Turandot at the Walt Disney Concert Hall (Dream Orchestra), and numerous operas for the Parnassus Society at the SOKA Performing Arts Center.
Dr. Ryan Reithmeier is a producer, baritone, and music educator. He earned music and education degrees at Concordia College, Moorhead in Minnesota, and California State University, Fullerton before completing his Doctor of Musical Arts in vocal arts and opera at University of Southern California’s (USC) Thornton School of Music with highest honors, receiving the Opera Award upon graduation and serving as a faculty teaching assistant.

Florence Finale
Darbie Woods
The Florence High School and Florence Middle School Choirs are a close-knit community of young musicians who grow together through dedication, creativity, and a shared love of singing. Over the past four years, the program has experienced meaningful growth in both enrollment and performance quality, reflecting students’ commitment to excellence. Under the direction of Darbie Woods, students develop strong vocal technique, musicianship, and confidence while exploring a wide range of choral literature. Choir members have earned placement in honor choirs and college ensembles, celebrating both individual and collective success. The Florence Choir program proudly nurtures artistry, leadership, and lifelong connections through music.
Darbie Woods is a graduate of Mississippi State University, where she earned a degree in Music Education with a concentration in voice. She has spent six years teaching choral music and currently directs choirs for grades 6–12 at Florence High School and Florence Middle School. Darbie is passionate about building confident, healthy singers and fostering a lifelong love of music. In addition to her school teaching, she offers private voice instruction for middle and high school students. Her work blends strong vocal pedagogy, engaging rehearsal techniques, and a commitment to helping each student find their unique artistic voice that carries on after high school.

Bullitt Central High School Choir
Brittany Whitlow
The Bullitt Central High School Choir Program has been flourishing since the 1980s. The choir's repertoire is cross cultural. The ensemble itself is made up of many different students from different backgrounds. Their main goal is to always foster fellowship through music because it is universal.
Brittany Whitlow has earned her Bachelor of Music Education, Master of Music in Choral Conducting and Master of Music in Black Sacred Music Degrees from Western Kentucky University and the University of Arkansas. She is a private, voice, piano and woodwind instructor. She has been a public school choir and music teacher for ten years. This is her second year at Bullitt Central High School.

Lakewood Ranch High School Mustang Singers
Rebekah Lester
The Lakewood Ranch High School Mustang Singers hold of record of excellence in performing within Florida and around the United States. Last year, the choir received Straight Superior ratings at the Florida Vocal Association District 11 Music Performance Assessments. On Dec. 7, 2025 students in the choir were honored to sing in Hawaii for the 84th Anniversary National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Ceremony and Parade. In the spring of 2024, choir students sang at Carnegie Hall with conductor Anton Armstrong. Students in the LRHS choir are excited to sing with conductor Kyle Pederson at the Lincoln Center March 2026. He is one of their favorite composers!
Rebekah Lester has been an educator for 23 years. She knows the value of education because she was the first female in her family to receive a high school diploma. She received her Education Degree from the University of Indianapolis in Music Education and received 4 years of music scholarships in piano and violin. She later added teaching certificates in General Elementary Education K-6, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Exceptional Student Education (ESE) and Reading Endorsement. Mrs. Lester earned her Master’s in Educational Leadership and Supervision from National Louis University. She currently teaches Choir, Keyboard and AP Music Theory at Lakewood Ranch High School in Bradenton Florida where she enjoys traveling and performing with her top choirs. She is proud to have conducted the National Anthem for the opening of the Parade of the Pearl Harbor Ceremony in Hawaii 2025. Her most memorable moment was what when she was awarded the Florida Governor's Shine Award for Excellence in teaching in 2015!

Spirit Song Choir
Mary Vaaler Reimann
Spirit Song Choir, is an independent, ecumenical, intergenerational community choir, founded in 2019 in St. Paul Minnesota. Spirit Song is dedicated to sharing sacred and other inspirational choral music through public concerts, community events, and prayer and worship services. We have a dedicated outreach to senior living communities where we share our concerts, a "live" radio show, and regular community singing events with our friends in memory care. Spirit Song has performed at Carnegie Hall, St. Catherine University, CHS field for the St. Paul Saints, and at the Excel Energy Center with Barry Manilow. This volunteer organization brings together singers, instrumentalists and dancers with a wide range of musical and life experiences. Everyone is welcome.
Mary Vaaler Reimann is the Artistic Director of Spirit Song Choir. She also serves as Director of the St. Catherine University Choir and Pastoral Musician for the St. Therese community. For more than 30 years, Mary served as Director of Music for faith communities in Connecticut, Maryland, Michigan and Minnesota, and loves the sound of a singing congregation! A classically trained soprano, from a musical family, Mary holds an MA from the University of Connecticut, and a BA from Luther College, where she was privileged to sing and study under the direction of Weston Noble. She believes in the power of community singing to bring hope and healing to our broken world.