Barbara Berner, Barbara Berner conducts the advanced touring ensembles, Concert Choir and Choristers, and oversees all aspects of the children’s choirs program as Artistic Director. Under Mrs. Berner’s direction Concert Choir has performed at Carnegie Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Oregon Bach Festival, the national American Choral Directors Association convention in Los Angeles, and at the White House. Mrs. Berner has prepared Concert Choir for numerous performances with the Saint Louis Symphony under conductors David Robertson, Ludwig Wicki, Peter Oundjian, Hans Vonk, Eri Klas, David Amado, Ward Stare, Scott Parkman, Robert Kapilow and John McDaniel. Mrs. Berner has conducted the young singers in performances with the Bach Society of St. Louis, the St. Louis Holiday Brass Ensemble, and the St. Louis Chamber Chorus, plus featured broadcasts on KFUO Classic 99, and on international tours to Australia, England and Wales, Austria and the Czech Republic, Scotland, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. As an accompanist, music teacher, and choral conductor, Mrs. Berner has had the opportunity to work with young singers from kindergarten through high school in the inner-city schools of Detroit and Boston; on military bases in Osterholz-Scharmbeck, Germany and West Point, New York; and in the culturally diverse schools of the Washington D.C. area. At the United States Military Academy, Mrs. Berner was awarded the Department of the Army’s “Commander’s Award for Public Service” for her work in founding and directing the West Point Children’s Chorus. She serves as a clinician for Kodály workshops and has conducted state honor choirs in Kentucky and New Mexico. Mrs. Berner joined the artistic staff of The St. Louis Children’s Choirs in 1996 and was appointed Artistic Director in 1999. Barbara Berner received a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from Principia College and a Master of Music degree from Ithaca College. She was awarded an Artist/Teacher and Master Teacher Diploma from the Institute for Choral Teacher Education, where she studied conducting with Dr. Doreen Rao. Mrs. Berner holds an Advanced Certificate from the Kodály Pedagogical Institute in Kecskémet, Hungary. Mrs. Berner and her husband Howard have two grown children, Leslie and Andrew, both alumni of the Children’s Choirs. Accompanists Billie Derham Mrs. Derham joined the Children’s Choirs in 2000 and performed with Concert Choir at Carnegie Hall in April 2001. A member of the music faculty at University of Missouri, St. Louis, she has been a staff accompanist for the UMSL Music Department, St. Louis Conservatory of Music, and Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Ms. Derham has played for the Saint Louis Symphony Chorus, the Bach Society, and many soloists including Christine Brewer, Robert McFerrin, Mark Madsen, and Jay Willoughby. She has performed on the Premiere Performance concert series, Christ Church Cathedral concert series, The Sheldon Concert series, and many other venues in the St. Louis area and the Midwest as an accompanist and soloist. Ms. Derham graduated magna cum laude from Lindenwood University and with highest honors from Southern Illinois University with degrees in piano performance. Her teachers include internationally acclaimed pianist Ruth Slenczynska, as well as Jane Allen, Evelyn Mitchell, Patricia Giron, and Groff Bittner. Michael Frazier Mr. Frazier is a graduate of Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville where he received his Master of Arts degree in Piano Performance and Accompanying under the direction of Dr. Linda Perry. In addition to The St. Louis Children’s Choirs, he serves as accompanist for Main Street United Methodist Church in Alton, Illinois and Ladue Middle School. Mr. Frazier also serves as musical director and accompanist for several theaters in the St. Louis metro area and is a private piano instructor. Michael Herron Mr. Herron is on the faculty at Gateway Preparatory Junior High School where he teaches vocal and general music. He taught the previous ten years at Pruitt Military Academy. He has served as rehearsal assistant, music reading instructor, and accompanist with The St. Louis Children’s Choirs. Michael Herron earned a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education at Illinois Wesleyan University and a Master’s degree in Music Education at the University of Missouri, St. Louis. He has done additional study at the University of Missouri, Columbia. He was honored in “Who’s Who Among American Teachers” in 2005 & 2006. Mr. Herron is an alumnus of The St. Louis Children’s Choirs. Ruth Price Since moving to St. Louis in 1992, pianist Ruth Price has been active as a chamber musician, lecture-recitalist, and teacher. She has performed frequently on the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra Prelude Concerts and the Chamber Music St. Louis series. Currently she teaches piano at Webster University and lectures for the Webster Community Music School’s Preparatory Program. Mrs. Price holds a doctorate from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and a Master’s degree from Indiana University. Mrs. Price and her husband John McGrosso, a violinist with the Arianna String Quartet, live in St. Louis with their daughter Lucy, a new Music Maker! Ruth Price has been a member of the artistic staff of the Children’s Choirs since 2002. Kathy Schneller Mrs. Schneller joined the SLCC staff as an accompanist in 1998. She studied piano with Donna Vince of Webster University since 1993. Mrs. Schneller has accompanied elementary choirs in the Mehlville School District. Currently she accompanies children’s choirs at Concord Trinity United Methodist and Oakville High School instrumental students at Solo-Ensemble Festivals. Kathy and her husband Richard have two grown sons and two grandchildren. Diana Umali Ms. Umali completed her Master’s degree in Piano Performance with an emphasis in Accompanying and Chamber Music from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville (SIUE) in May 2006. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Performance and Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Saint Louis University. Currently she is a music faculty member at SIUE, Saint Louis University, the Community Music School of Webster University and East Central College. Ms. Umali was a featured soloist with the SIUE Orchestra as a winner of the annual Concerto/Aria competition in spring 2005. She received the Edwin B. Warren Collegium Musicum/Graduate Performance Award and the Ernest A. Karandjeff Music Award, both from SIUE. Her teachers include Linda Perry (SIUE), Jennifer Lim and Pamela Dees (Saint Louis University). Ms. Umali joined the staff of The St. Louis Children’s Choirs in 2002. |
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Ensemble Directors
Mrs. Broyles holds a Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance with a minor in languages and a Master of Arts degree in Music Education from Indiana University. She is a vocal music teacher at Mason Ridge Elementary School in the Parkway School District. Adrienne Broyles has been a member of the artistic staff of The St. Louis Children’s Choirs since 2001. Mrs. Broyles has studied conducting with composer/conductor Bob Chilcott and completed Level III Certification from the Institute for Choral Teacher Education founded and directed by Dr. Doreen Rao. |
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Mrs. Burnworth holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree with honors from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and a law degree from Saint Louis University. After working as an attorney, Mrs. Burnworth found she missed teaching and returned to the field of music education. She teaches vocal music at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic School in Belleville, Illinois Mrs. Burnworth has been a music reading teacher for Choristers and Concert Choir for ten years and served on the Choir’s Board of Directors from 2000 to 2008. |
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Mr. Gastler graduated from University of Texas with a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education and holds a Master of Music degree from Concordia University. Currently, he is choral music director at Lutheran High School South and is the publicity director and a singer with The American Kantorei. Previous professional responsibilities have included: Music Marketing Manager at Concordia Publishing House; Director of Choral Education at Grace Lutheran Church in Killeen, Texas; choral director in Texas public schools; adjunct faculty at Temple Junior College (Texas); and serving as a church choir director for over ten years. Mr. Gastler joined the staff of The St. Louis Children’s Choirs in 2001 and lives with his wife Jenny in St. Louis. They have two grown children, Matt and Katherine, both alumni of the Children’s Choirs. |
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Megan Iverson directs the beginning Choir ensemble, Music Makers. In 2004, she received a Master’s degree in Music from Truman State University where she also served as a graduate teaching assistant and assistant conductor of the choirs and opera. In 2008, she received her K-12 Music Teacher Certification from Lindenwood University. Ms. Iverson teaches music at Kehrs Mill Elementary in the Rockwood School District to kindergarten through fifth grade students, and conducts their fourth and fifth grade chorus. Prior to teaching at Rockwood, Ms. Iverson directed children’s, youth, and adult choirs at churches in Chesterfield and St. Charles. |
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Kathleen Pottinger joined The St. Louis Children’s Choirs staff in 2001 and shares the ensemble director responsibilities of Choristers with Mrs. Berner. Mrs. Pottinger is the music director at Cor Jesu Academy in St. Louis where her students have been accepted into the St. Louis Metro District #8 High School Honor Choir and All-State Choir. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Education with certification to teach vocal music grands K-12 from Southwest Missouri State University. She received her Master’s degree in Music Education from the University of Missouri, St. Louis. Mrs. Pottinger has also studied conducting at the Institute for Choral Teacher Education, founded by Dr. Doreen Rao. Her teaching experience includes elementary and middle school music in the Mehlville School District and seven years as choral director at Cor Jesu Academy earlier in her career. Mrs. Pottinger has led Choristers on tours to New York, Nashville, Toronto, New Orleans, and Chicago, and prepared the ensemble for numerous performances with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. In 2005, Choristers was selected as the featured choir for “The World’s Largest Concert” produced by the Music Educator’s National Conference and broadcast to a nationwide audience of eight million viewers. |
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Mr. Voelker holds a Master’s degree of Music in Conducting from Emory University and currently serves Living Word in Wildwood as Executive Director of Music and Worship Arts. Prior to his undergraduate studies at the Eastman School of Music and Roberts Wesleyan College, he attended the Interlochen Arts Academy with additional studies at Iowa State University, University of Michigan, Michigan State University and the Oberlin Conservatory. His travels as a performer and clinician have taken him around the world and have included many diverse experiences from singing opera in Italy to conducting choirs in Kenya. He currently resides in Pacific with his wife Cassie, son Randal, dog Banksy, and turtle Michelangelo. |
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Mr. Williams received his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Western Illinois University and his Master’s degree in Music Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He teaches vocal and general music at Ladue Middle School, and serves as the St. Louis Suburban Music Educators Association Middle School Choir Vice-President. Mr. Williams joined the staff of The St. Louis Children’s Choirs in 2006. |
Adrienne Broyles
Belinda Burnworth
Greg Gastler
Megan Iverson
Kathleen Pottinger
Nathaniel Voelker
Brandon Williams