Inside ACDA-MN

University of Nebraska

College of St. Benedict

Bethel University

Angelica Cantanti Youth Choirs

College of St. Scholastica

Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle School

Northfield Middle School

(L-R) Philip Brunelle, Jane Ramseyer Miller, Stephanie Trump

Jane Ramseyer Miller is in her 27th year as Artistic Director for One Voice Mixed Chorus, Minnesota’s LGBTA chorus and also serves as Artistic Director for GALA Choruses, a national association of 200 LGBTQ choruses. With GALA Choruses she has been instrumental in cultivating GALA’s New Harmony resources, addressing Equity, Access and Belonging. She holds Masters of Music in Choral Conducting from the University of Minnesota and a BA in Psychology from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. Ramseyer Miller especially enjoys creative community collaborations and has created choral music with Ikidowin/The Indigenous Peoples’ Task Force, The Women’s Cancer Resource Center, Shakopee Women’s Correctional Facility, In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre, Kairos Dance Theatre, Mu Daiko, and Teens Rock the Mic. Choral highlights include over 25 new commissioned works—includingBayard Rustin: The Man Behind the Dream—and One Voice’s 2022 ReMembering Singing Water film.

(L-R) Wendy Souja, Eliza Lewis-O’Connor, Stephanie Trump

Eliza Lewis-O’Connor, originally from Fargo, ND just began her first year conducting choirs and teaching AP Music Theory at Wayzata High School. Prior to her time in Wayzata, Eliza spent seven years working with singers in White Bear Lake. After three years teaching at the middle school level, she transitioned to WBLAHS and co-taught eight high school choirs and served as the vocal director for the 9-12 musicals. For the past eight summers, Eliza has also served as the vocal director for the Main Stage musicals at Trollwood Performing Arts School in Moorhead, MN. Choirs under her direction have consistently earned superior ratings at large group contest, and she is an active member of ACDA and MMEA. Eliza earned her bachelor of music degree in Vocal Music Education from St. Olaf College and her master of music degree in Choral Conducting from Northern Arizona University. While pursuing her graduate degree, she also directed the NAU University Singers, co-directed the NAU Chamber Singers, and chorus mastered two lyric theatre productions. When she is not conducting choirs or vocal directing musicals, Eliza enjoys laughing and singing with her husband, Isaac, and newborn daughter, Freya!

(L-R) Sarah Abelsen, Mark Johnson, Stephanie Trump

Mark Johnson grew up on a dairy farm in southwest Minnesota (Dovray) and attended Westbrook Public Schools. Starting piano lessons during the summer of 4th grade and percussion the next year, he enjoyed being a member of every music ensemble this small school district had to offer. Mark began his work with the Minnesota Boychoir in 1992 as the accompanist and was hired as the Artistic Director in 1993. Mr. Johnson holds a degree in vocal music education from St. Olaf College and he taught general and choral music at Central Junior High in Forest Lake for six years before becoming full-time conductor of the Boychoir. From 1995 to 2007, he was a member of the staff at Albemarle, a summer music camp program of the American Boychoir School in Princeton, New Jersey. Mr. Johnson’s reputation in choral work, especially with children’s groups, has led to many invitations to work as a clinician, accompanist and adjudicator for honors choirs and festivals across the globe. He conducted the Minnesota ACDA 7th grade Boys Honor Choir in 2005, the Young Men’s track for the World Voices Australia Festival at the Sydney Opera House in 2007, the Middle Level Honor Choir for the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association Convention in 2010, the SAB Honor Choir for Loudoun County Virginia in 2011, the Minnesota ACDA 4-6th grade Boys Honor Choir in 2015, MMEA’s Celebration of Young Musicians Festivals in 2014 and 2016, and the Minnesota ACDA 9-10 TBB Honor Choir in 2019. Under his direction, the Minnesota Boychoir has performed at local, regional and national ACDA, MMEA and Kodály Conventions, at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., the Sydney Opera House, Saint Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican and La Sagrada Família in Barcelona. Mark has led the choir on nearly 50 performance tours and released 20 compact discs of a variety of music sung by the Boychoir. Professional memberships include Chorus America, the American Choral Directors Association and the Minnesota Music Educators Association. Mark has also served as the American Choral Directors Association Repertoire and Standards Chair for Boychoirs at the state and regional levels.

(L-R) David Dickau, Stephanie Trump

Dr. David Dickau is a choral conductor and composer residing in Boise, Idaho. He retired in May 2019 from a career as Director of Choral Activities at Minnesota State University, Mankato. As a part of his duties, Dr. Dickau conducted the Concert Choir and taught conducting and composition. David was granted the Distinguished Faculty Scholar Award in 2008 and in 2009 was awarded the teacher of the year at the university. Dr. Dickau holds advanced degrees in Choral Music from Northwestern University (Evanston, IL) and the University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA.) He has taught choral music on both the high school and college levels and has conducted community and church choirs. He also served as music director of Magnum Chorum, a Twin Cities-based St. Olaf alumni choir.
David has been an active member of the American Choral Directors Association, having served as a national Repertoire and Standards Chair from 1987 to 1991. He has been a clinician at ACDA national and regional conventions and has conducted several regional festivals. He also served as President of ACDA of Minnesota. Dr. Dickau has performed at four national ACDA conventions.
Dr. Dickau has filled over eighty commissions for choral festivals, churches, and schools. Commissions have included Dresden Canticles, composed in honor of the rebuilding of the Frauenkirche in Dresden, Germany, “View from the Air” commissioned by the Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation in honor of the seventieth anniversary of Charles Lindbergh’s historic trans-Atlantic flight, and Effortlessly in honor of the centennial celebration of the Archdiocese of Des Moines.