Dr. Kellori Dower is the Dean of Visual and Performing Arts at Cypress College in Cypress, California. She was the director of two award-winning high school choral music programs prior to serving as Director of Choral Activities at the collegiate level.  Past appointments have also included High School Principal, Asst. Principal and District Arts Administrator positions. 

She was the 2016 recipient of the Outstanding Music Educator Award for the California Music Educators Association Southeastern section.  Artistically, she has written several published choral works including performances of her work with the San Diego Symphony.  Her most recent choral publication, Spiritual Songs, was published by Hal Leonard in the Henry Leck Creating Artistry Series.  Her choral ensembles have performed in some of the most distinguished venues in the country, including Carnegie Hall, Chicago’s Orchestra Hall and New York’s Lincoln Center.  

Dr. Dower is an active choral adjudicator and clinician and has conducted All-State and regional High School Honor ensembles across the U.S.  She is the President of the National Collegiate Choral Organization (NCCO) and is a member of the California Arts Council grant review committee.  Dr. Dower also serves state choral directors as the R & R Chair for Two-Year Colleges with the California Choral Directors Association (CCDA). Her work and research regarding culture and music lead to the creation of collegiate courses in Rap and Hip Hop, Gospel Music and African-American folk compositions. 

She is a proud mom of four, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and a former mellophone player and drummer in the Marching Storm Band at Prairie View A & M University. 

Dr. Harry Mathurin-Cecil is an educator, conductor, scholar, and equity advocate with over fifteen years of teaching experience.  He is the co-founder and artistic director of Hear Us, Hear Them, an ensemble focused on performing and centering works by underrepresented composers.  He is a committed advocate for equity practices both in the classroom and in music programming.  His current research is centered on decolonizing the mainstream music curriculum with a focus on more Afro-centric music courses in collegiate studies.  With extensive research in the preservation and accurate performance practice of African American music, he also has taught classes, published articles, and presented sessions at local and regional conferences on these subjects, including for the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), Missouri Choral Directors Association (MCDA), Missouri Statewide Collegiate Gospel Conference, and the Missouri Music Educators Association (MMEA).  He is also a member of the National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM), National Association for Music Education (NAfME), and Chorus America. 

As a conductor, Cecil has presented many notable works—Messiah (G.F. Handel), Gospel Mass (R. Ray), Mass in E-flat (A. Beach), Christmas Cantata (D. Pinkham), Gloria (A. Vivaldi), The Chariot Jubilee (N. Dett), His Light Still Shines (M. Hogan), Requiem (G. Fauré), Chichester Psalms (L. Bernstein), Gloria (J. Rutter), and numerous other significant scores.  He prepared choruses both for performances at Carnegie Hall in New York and at the ACDA National Conference in Kansas City.  Cecil’s choral participation in the community is of great importance as well.  He has served as the apprentice conductor for Musica Sacra under the leadership of Dr. Brett Scott—one of Cincinnati’s most storied choral ensembles—and was the Choral Conducting Fellow for Cincinnati’s May Festival Chorus directed by Robert Porco—one of America’s oldest civic choruses.  Cecil also served as an assistant conductor to the historic St. Louis Symphony Orchestra IN UNISON Chorus under music director Kevin McBeth.  This symphonic chorus hosted performances with Take 6, CeCe Winans, Richard Smallwood, and many other legendary musicians.  Currently, he is the Minister of Music at Cade Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in Jackson, MS, pastored by Rev. Reginald Buckley. 

Before becoming Director of Choral Activities at Jackson State University (Jackson, MS), Cecil held teaching positions in Missouri both at Mineral Area College (Park Hills) and Jennings Sr. High School (St. Louis).  He earned his Doctorate in Musical Arts degree in Conducting with a Choral Emphasis from the College-Conservatory of Music (Cincinnati, OH) under the leadership of Dr. Joe Miller and the mentorship of Dr. Brett Scott.  He earned his Master’s in Choral Conducting from the University of Missouri-Columbia with Dr. Paul Crabb.  His Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance is from Truman State University under the leadership of the Director of Choral Activities Dr. Mark Jennings (Kirksville, MO), and his teacher certification training is from Lindenwood University (St. Charles, MO).  Cecil was born and raised in Kansas City, MO.  Harry Mathurin-Cecil acknowledges his wife, daughter, and faith as the most significant features of his bio.  For without their support, the achievements listed above would be of little value.

Jamie Lee Moore has been playing the piano since the age of eight and began her vocal music journey in middle school. She sang on the praise team at church and in the choir and various ensembles throughout her time in middle school and high school. She went on to study vocal music education at the University of Mississippi, where she earned her Bachelors of Music degree with an emphasis in Vocal Music Education. She later went on to attend Florida State University, where she earned her Master of Music Education in Choral Music Education.

Jamie Lee taught for five years at Olive Branch Middle School in Olive Branch, MS, before returning home to teach for six years at Old Town Middle School. During her time at both schools, choirs and ensembles earned Superior ratings at both District and State Festivals. In 2018, her choirs at Old Town Middle School attended the Orlando Heritage Festival and earned Gold ratings and the Spirit of Orlando award.

Jamie Lee is currently the Office Manager at Lee Hawkins Realty, Inc., in Madison, MS, a member of the Mississippi Chorus, and the Mississippi Junior High Treble Honor Choir chair.

Jamie Lee began teaching piano privately in 2012 and began teaching voice privately in 2013. She enjoys being able to work one-on-one with students and helping them grow into the best musicians they can be and believes that the world of music should be made available to as many people (younger and older) as possible.

Herbert Washington began his tenure as the Harvey K. Smith Artistic Director of the Phoenix Boys Choir in 2019. Mr. Washington is an alumnus of the choir, with culture and roots deeply grounded in and molded by Arizona choral pedagogy. He is a frequent choral clinician, conductor, lecturer, and adjudicator for regional festivals, workshops, and conferences around the country, and is widely recognized for his dynamic teaching style and his ability to instill a love for the choral arts.

While working toward his undergraduate degree at St. Olaf College in Minnesota, he was a tenor, counter-tenor, and soloist in the renowned St. Olaf Choir, conducted by Dr. Anton Armstrong, and he directed “Voices of Praise,” the St. Olaf Gospel Choir. After graduating from St. Olaf College with a dual B.A. in Music and Fine Arts, Mr. Washington continued his studies at the University of Arizona, under the mentorship of Dr. Elizabeth Schauer and Dr. Bruce Chamberlain. He founded U of A’s award-winning male ensemble Meow or Never A Cappella (formerly known as Cat Call) and graduated in 2009 with a Masters of Music in Choral Conducting.

Beyond the scope of choral music education, Mr. Washington is a champion and an advocate for diverse styles of music. He has ongoing efforts in producing, composing, and arranging radio and commercial music. Mr. Washington has collaborated with leaders in the music industry, including Grammy Award-winning Tori Kelly, Jordin Sparks, Bret Michaels, and Jason Derulo.

Mr. Washington has served as Church Music Director at Oro Valley United Church of Christ, instructed at Teleos Preparatory Academy, and directed for the Phoenix Boys Choir and the Phoenix Children’s Chorus. He also served as the Director of Middle and High School Choral Activities at Gilbert Christian Schools. He is the current Choir Director at Christ Church Anglican in Phoenix.

Mr. Washington is a proud member of the Arizona Music Educators Association (AMEA), former ACDA Western Division board member (WDACDA), and currently serves as the Repertoire and Resource Chair for Children’s Choirs & Community Youth for the Arizona American Choral Directors Association (AzACDA). Herbert resides in Phoenix with his beloved wife, Yadira, and their sons Elian and PBC chorister Yadian.