Dr. Randi Von Ellefson is in his eighth year as Professor of Music and Choral Director at Oklahoma City University and Artistic Director of the Canterbury Choral Society, the seventh largest, independent chorus in the United States. Under his direction, Canterbury has expanded its repertoire, increased the number of singers in the ensemble and presented two world premieres (works by Stephen Paulus and Dominick Argento) in the past four years. At Oklahoma City University he directs the Chamber Choir and the University Men’s Chorus, two of the five choirs on campus and teaches courses in the graduate choral curriculum.

He holds degrees from Texas Lutheran University, the University of Minnesota and Arizona State University. He is a founding member of the National Collegiate Choral Organization (NCCO), served as its president and currently serves as its treasurer.

He has taught choral music since 1977 beginning his career at Bethany Lutheran College (MN), Whitworth University (WA) and the University of Chicago (IL). Dr. Ellefson also was artistic director of the Elgin Choral Union (IL), the Spokane Symphony Chorale (WA) and was the first conductor of the Spokane Opera Company. While in Spokane, he also was conductor of major Holiday Concerts, Cathedral Concerts and other Pops with the Spokane Symphony Orchestra. He served St. Mark’s Lutheran Church as Director of Music and is currently choir director at Chapel Hill United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City.

Dr. Ellefson has been a guest conductor and professor at the Hochschule für Musik in Munich, Germany and taught at Payap University in Chiang Mai, Thailand. He has been president of the Northwestern and Central Divisions of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) and served in leadership roles in the Music Educators National Conference (MENC) and the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS).

Randi Von Ellefson has conducted many all-state choirs, had choirs perform at state, regional and national conventions of MENC and ACDA, served as an adjudicator at national choral competitions and lead choirs in national and international tours in Europe, Asia, Australia and Russia. Reviews (in Fanfare and Gramophone magazines) of choral performances and recordings have noted a particular ability of his choirs to “sing from the heart” and “express significant emotion and depth of feeling” while “maintaining superb intonation and technical precision.”

During June 2011, Dr. Ellefson led a group from Canterbury on a tour to China where they performed at the Tianjin Concert Hall, Tianjin, China; shared a joint concert with the Tianjin University “Peiyang Chorus” one of China’s outstanding choral ensembles; performed for a “members only” concert at the newly-opened National Music Centre in Beijing. He also enjoyed the opportunity to serve as guest director of the Chancel Choir at the National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. in July.

Judith Willoughby-Biography

Judith Willoughby is Artistic Director of the Canterbury Youth Choruses and the Wanda L. Bass Professor of Conducting and Choral Music Education at Oklahoma City University. As a guest conductor, conference headliner and clinician, Willoughby has lead choruses and orchestras in the world’s major concert halls in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Caribbean, Australia, Russia, China and Hong Kong. She has been an active honor choir conductor for the American Choral Directors Association, conducting honor choruses for one national, five divisional and numerous state conventions, presented concerts and taught at leading universities and conservatories in the United States including Yale University, and has taught and given concerts in significant summer institute programs including the Eastman School of Music and Westminster Choir College. She conducts the New Hampshire All State Chorus and choral festivals in New York City and Pennsylvania during the 2011-2012 season.

As a choral music educator, Willoughby’s career began in the Philadelphia public schools. Her concert work with children and youth commenced when she founded the Temple University Children’s Choir in Temple University’s Center for Gifted Young Musicians, leading the chorus to international prominence. Highlights of her work with that ensemble included numerous performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra, concert performances with Helmut Rilling and the Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra and Chorus in Eugene, Oregon, extensive recordings for the 2000 music classroom series by Silver Burdett Ginn, national and regional performances for ACDA and MENC as well as extensive national and international touring.

Prior to her appointments in Oklahoma City, Professor Willoughby taught at Northwestern University and Temple University. Her interest in public policy’s intersection with arts education and performance has resulted in her continuing service on panels for the National Endowment for the Arts and its partner agencies as well as national foundations in the private sector, regional and state arts agencies. Willoughby served on the board of Chorus America for nine years, including two terms as secretary and was active on that organization’s conducting taskforce. She is a National Arts Associate of the Alpha Zeta chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota at OCU and serves on the Music Advisory Board for the Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain. During the summer of 2011, Judith Willoughby was honored at Penn State University, in State College, PA, by Pennsylvania’s ACDA chapter, for her service as president of Pennsylvania ACDA.

Judith Willoughby edits a choral series published by Alliance Music, has contributed to articles published in ACDA’s Choral Journal, wrote a chapter for the Choral Director’s Cookbook published by Meredith Music and was on the editorial board for two Chorus America publications: Leading the Successful Chorus and Conductors Count: What Chorus Boards, Music Directors and Administrators Need to Know. She authored a chapter in Way Over in Beulah Lan’: Understanding and Performing the Negro Spiritual by Dr. Andre Thomas, published by Heritage Music Press. The June/July 2009 issue of The Chorister (the journal of the Choristers Guild) includes an article by Professor Willoughby, about training children to sing in faith communities, entitled: Planting Choral Seeds: Begin With the End in Mind. Professor Willoughby, along with Dr. Andre Thomas, is the subject of a recently published book, written by Gerald Knight, “Two African-American Choral Conductors: Eroding Misconceptions Through Excellence”. She earned degrees from Northwestern and Temple Universities, studying piano with Gui Mombaerts and Natalie Hinderas, choral conducting with Elaine Brown and instrumental conducting with Max Rudolph.