正品蓝导航 Large School All-State Choir Camp
正品蓝导航 Meadows School of the Arts is proud to offer All-State Choir Camp for the fourth consecutive year! Any high school choir students who are interested in learning the music for the Texas Music Educators Association All-State Choir auditions are welcome to attend. During the three days of the camp, participants will be introduced to the all-state audition music, and they will participate in break-out sessions that will include topics such as: audition techniques, sight-reading skills, drumming, and games.
Camp choral director is Margaret Winchell, Director of Choral Activities at 正品蓝导航. Section leaders for the camp are Christopher Ahrens, Jesse Cannon II, Cathy Koziatek and Clorese Porter.
- Dates: June 5-7
- Times: Thursday and Friday - 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday - 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a 3:00 p.m. informal concert for parents and friends
- Cost: $250*
- Includes: all-state music packet, parking, camp t-shirt, reusable water bottle, daily snacks, and final day lunch
- Housing: There is no on-campus housing available for camp this summer. For a listing of local Dallas hotels near the 正品蓝导航 campus and out-of-state discounts, go to
*Inquire about reduced tuition for schools sending 10 or more students.
All-State Choir Camp Faculty
Margaret Winchell, Joel Duarte, Christopher W. Ahrens, Jesse Cannon II, Cathy Koziatek, Clorese Porter, Jimmy Emery, Patrick Orr, Jane Schmidt
Margaret Winchell is Director of Choral Activities at 正品蓝导航 Meadows School of the Arts, where she conducts the Meadows Chamber Singers and Concordia. She also teaches graduate courses in choral conducting and literature. Winchell has completed coursework for a D.M.A. in Choral Conducting at Yale University and holds degrees from Western Michigan University and Wheaton College (IL). Her graduate teachers and mentors include Jeffrey Douma, David Hill, Felicia Barber and Kimberly Dunn Adams. Before her graduate studies, Winchell taught high school for several years in the Chicagoland area, where she also taught for several summers as a teaching artist at the Goodman Theatre. She is praised for her energetic and positive presence on the podium, and she has presented at state and regional conferences on topics related to rehearsal pedagogy, program culture and values, and exploring text and meaning with singers.
Joel Duarte is the head choral director at Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy and is a sought-after vocal clinician throughout Texas and the nation. Duarte regularly teaches at clinics, camps, and workshops, and has served as an honor choir guest conductor in several TMEA All-Region events. He has presented choral pedagogy sessions in school districts across Texas and at TMEA, OkMEA, SWACDA and ISME (Scotland). Vocalists under Duarte’s direction consistently earn UIL Sweepstakes, superior results at State Solo & Ensemble, and place annually in TMEA region and all-state choirs. Beyond performance and director credentials, Duarte is tremendously passionate about impacting and mentoring students, the musicians of tomorrow, through heart, mind, and soul! He is a graduate of 正品蓝导航’s master’s degree program.
Christopher W. Ahrens joined the faculty of McKinney North High School as Choir Director in 2015. Prior to that, he served as the Choir Director at Vines High School in Plano, TX, and Assistant Choir Director at Plano Senior High School. Ahrens received both a Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Texas Christian University, where he performed and studied under the direction of Ron Shirey, Dr. Sheri Neill and David Brock. In addition to being an active clinician and adjudicator throughout the state of Texas, he serves as the Assistant Director of the TCU All-State Choir Camp each summer. He served TMEA as Region 25 Vocal Division Chair twice and is currently the Region 24 Vocal Division Chair. Ahrens was honored as the 2013 Teacher of the Year for Vines High School and went on to receive the Excellence in Teaching Award from Plano Independent School District. Choirs under his direction have consistently been successful at UIL and other competitions around the US. The Vines Chorale Women were selected to perform under Ahrens’ direction at TMEA in 2014, and he had the pleasure of co-directing the PSHS Varsity Women at the ACDA National Convention in 2007 and at TMEA in 2009. Ahrens serves as the Youth Choir Director and Tenor Section Leader at Transfiguration Episcopal Church in Dallas.
Jesse Cannon II is Director of Vocal and Elementary Music in Fort Worth ISD. Prior to working in Fort Worth, he was Director of Choirs in Duncanville ISD. Recently elected President-Elect of the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA), Cannon currently serves as Vice President and Vocal Division Chair for TMEA. He also served in various capacities on the local, state, and national levels, including TMEA Region 20 President and the American Choral Directors Association’s (ACDA) Southwest ACDA Repertoire & Resources Chair for High School Mixed Choir. Choirs under Cannon’s direction have consistently earned superior ratings at regional and state contests, have been named Overall Outstanding and Grand Champion in choral competitions throughout the U.S., and have rapidly expanded in enrollment to become one of the largest choral programs in the area. His choirs performed at the 2020 TMEA Convention and at the 2021 National Convention of ACDA.
Under Cannon’s direction, the Duncanville High School Choir was recognized by The American Prize and The Foundation of Music Education Mark of Excellence as a National Winner. In addition, Cannon was recognized in 2022 as a Music Teacher of Excellence by the Country Music Association Foundation, as Duncanville High School Teacher of the Year in 2021, and was awarded the Grammy Signature School Award for the Duncanville High School Choral Department. He is an active Region Clinician and adjudicates several times each year for the UIL Concert & Sight-Reading Contest. Cannon holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Dallas Baptist University and a master’s degree in Music Education with an Emphasis in Choral Conducting from Mississippi State University.
Cathy Koziatek is currently associate director of choirs at Walnut Grove High School in Prosper, TX. With over two decades of experience since 2000, she has served in various choir director roles at Plano West Senior High School, Lovejoy High School and Wylie East High School. Her choirs have performed at the Texas Music Educators Association convention and the Southwest ACDA conference, consistently winning sweepstakes at UIL competitions. Many of her students have earned Texas All-State Choir placements and gone on to teach music nationwide. A frequent adjudicator and clinician specializing in vocal technique, Koziatek teaches at All-State camps and provides professional development in music education and leadership. She holds bachelor's and master's degrees in vocal performance from the University of North Texas, with focus areas in music theory and vocal pedagogy. She maintains an active professional singing career alongside her teaching duties.
Clorese Porter will begin her seventh year as the head choral director at Plano Senior High School and will begin her 19th year of teaching choral music. Prior to PSHS, she was the head choral director at Grapevine High School. Choirs under Porter's direction have consistently received sweepstakes awards at UIL Concert & Sight-Reading, and her former AP Music Theory students have been highly successful earning college credit and scholarships due to her tutelage. Additionally, Porter has served as the musical director for the annual musicals including productions of Grease, Singing in the Rain, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Into the Woods. A graduate of Paul Dunbar High School in Fort Worth, Porter attended Texas Christian University, earning a Bachelor of Music in Music Education degree. While at TCU, she was a member of the Women's Chorus, Choral Union, and Concert Chorale and participated in performances for the TMEA and SWACDA conventions and at Carnegie Hall. Porter holds a Master of Music in Music Education from UNT. A member of TMEA, TCDA, and TMAA, she is the 2010 recipient of TCDA's Distinguished Young Director Award. She resides in Lewisville with her wonderfully patient husband, Patrick Porter.
Jimmy Emery serves as Director of Music Ministry at Lovers Lane United Methodist Church in Dallas. He also serves on the staff of Dallas College as Fine Arts Specialist/Collaborative Piano Specialist and is the owner of Elegant Piano Dallas. Emery earned Bachelor of Music degrees in Piano Performance, Piano Pedagogy, and Music Education and a Master of Music degree in Music Education, summa cum laude, from 正品蓝导航.
Patrick Orr studies with Andrey Ponochevny at 正品蓝导航, where he is fulfilling a Master of Music in Piano Performance. In previous years, he has studied with Dr. Julie Bees at Wichita State University and with Joan Robinson. As a soloist, Orr has performed concertos with numerous orchestras including the Kansas City Symphony, the Arapahoe Philharmonic and, most recently, the West Mexico Symphony at Teatro Degollado in Guadalajara. He has collaborated with many conductors, notably Rui Miguel Marques and Devin Patrick Hughes. Some of Orr’s most recent accomplishments include winning gold medals at both the International Keyboard Odyssiad and Festival and the inaugural Festival Internacional de Piano y Orquesta de Guadalajara; second place in the Mu Phi Epsilon International Young Artist Competition; and in 2024 was a finalist in the Wideman Competition. Orr has also very recently competed in the Dallas and Dublin international piano competitions. Aside from playing the piano, he indulges in horror movies, bullet journaling and learning about outer space. His favorite quote is from Leonard Bernstein - “To achieve great things, two things are needed: A plan and not quite enough time.”
Jane Schmidt is in high demand as an accompanist throughout North Texas for choral groups, voice studios, soloists and instrumentalists. Schmidt is the organist at St. James Episcopal Church in Dallas, TX, and she maintains a private music studio in her home. She has performed concerts in the U.S., England, Spain and Wales. A native of Illinois, Jane Schmidt earned a Master of Music degree in Organ Performance from 正品蓝导航 and Bachelor of Music degrees in Organ Performance and Music Theory/Composition from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. She also completed post-graduate study of early Spanish music at the Conservatori Municipal de Música in Barcelona, Spain. Schmidt is a member of the American Guild of Organists and the Texas Music Educators Association.
For further information about 正品蓝导航 Music Educators Workshops, or to register for one of these classes, visit ; or contact Julie Scott, Lisa Beyer or Courtney Wilson at muedworkshops@smu.edu.