Clinicians

Clinician - Jacob Steinberger

Choral Director, Churchill High School

Jennifer & I are so excited to have Jacob as our Clinician this year! We've had the privilege of working with him over the past year since he came to Churchill and we are so impressed with his musicality, rapport with students and ability to elevate his students to excellence. More than that, he is a great director, musician and friend. We love him a ton and you will too!

Jacob Steinberger received both a bachelor and master of music education from the University of Oregon in 2010 and 2015, respectively. During his studies at the U of O, he was section leader of the University Singers, co-directed the Women’s Ensemble, and served as Assistant Music Director of the internationally acclaimed a’cappella group, On the Rocks. In 2010, Jacob appeared with On the Rocks on Season Two of NBC’s primetime show, “The Sing-Off”. After graduating in 2010, Jacob took a position as Director of Choirs at Siuslaw High School and Middle School in Florence, OR. In his four years there, he grew the choral program from four to six choirs and led the top high school Chamber Choir to three ACDA Gold Awards and appearances at the OSAA State Championships with two finishes in the top five in the 4A division. In 2015, Jacob took a position as Director of Choirs at North Eugene and Churchill High Schools.  This year, he has settled into a full time music position at Churchill where he directs the Concert Choir, Downing Street Singers, and teaches AP Music Theory. To Jacob, the best part of being a music educator is seeing young people get excited about music and the bonds that are created by being a part of an ensemble. In addition to teaching public school, Jacob is a fine jazz bassist and professional singer. He has performed with professional and community groups such as Kid Cudi, Pentatonix, Committed, Darmon Meader, Swing Shift, Women’s Choral Society and the Eugene Concert Choir, to name a few. In his spare time, Jacob enjoys traveling and doing anything outdoors with his wife, Amanda, and his two fur-baby Boston Terriers, Marve and Arlo. Guest Clinician 2017.

Guest Clinician – Christopher Olin

Our guest clinician is Christopher Olin, Instructor of Choral Music Education University of Oregon and Artistic Director Choirs of America.

We are thrilled to have Chis as our guest conductor for the 2016 festival! Chris is not just a crazy great choral conductor and musician, he is a crazy great guy! Fun, charming, funny and so kind and good to be around. Your whole choir will love him and we'll have a great time this spring.

Christopher Olin designs and implements the educational and artistic components of the Choirs of America programs. He also serves as instructor of choral music education at the University of Oregon where he teaches courses on vocal pedagogy, choral conducting, choral materials, and choral methods. Olin also oversees choral teacher licensure, choral music education graduate study, and assists in the coaching of graduate conductors; further, he serves as the conductor of the University Women’s Choir and University Singers. Guest Clinician 2016.

Guest Clinician – Dr. Steven Zielke

Professor, Music Area Coordinator, Director of Choral Studies, Chamber Choir, Oregon State University.

Steven M. Zielke, director of choral studies at Oregon State University and music coordinator in the School of Arts and Communications was recently named the Patricia Valian Reser Distnguished Professor of Music. He directs the OSU Chamber Choir and teaches choral conducting and choral music pedagogy. Zielke earned his doctoral and master's degrees in choral conducting from The Florida State University where he studied with Andre Thomas and Rodney Eichenberger, and held the prestigious Clayton Krehbiel Fellowship, funded through the generous efforts of the late Robert Shaw.

Prior to his graduate work, Zielke received a B.M.E. from Friends University (Wichita, KS) and taught middle and high school choral music in the Kansas public schools. Following his graduate work, Zielke was the associate director of choirs at the University of Arizona where he conducted the Symphonic Choir and worked as a colleague with the late Dr. Maurice Skones.

Zielke is a frequent clinician and guest conductor and has recently worked in New York, Florida, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, California, Nebraska, Missouri, Nevada, and Kansas. He also guest conducted the Academic Orchestra of the University of Stuttgart and the University of Tübingen Chamber Singers in Tübingen, Germany. Choirs under his direction have appeared at state, regional, and national conferences, as well as the Festival of Light in Bulgaria and the Prague Musica Ecumenica concert series.

Recently, Zielke has led conducting master classes and conducted at Sichuan Conservatory of Music in Sichuan Province, China, as well as the Tübingen Academic Chorus and Orchestra in a commemoration concert for the late Tobias Hiller, who was Music Director at Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen.

Zielke is president of the Oregon chapter of the American Choral Directors Association and a past-president of the Oregon Music Educators Association. He is also the founder and music director of the Corvallis Repertory Singers, a semi-professional ensemble devoted to exemplary performances of the finest in choral literature. Additionally, he serves as the director of music at the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Corvallis. Despite an exhilarating schedule, Steve enjoys playing with his children, watching college football, and gardening with his wife Nicola. Guest Clinician 2015.

Guest Clinician – Megan Perdue

Megan Perdue, an Oregon Children’s Choir alumna, holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from University of Oregon and a Master of Music in Music Education from the University of Washington. Currently, she is pursuing her PhD in Music Education at the University of Oregon. Megan grew up in the Eugene arts community performing with OCC, Oregon Bach Festival, Divisi Women's A Cappella, Eugene Opera and Eugene Symphony Chorus as both a singer and accompanist. Megan has taught music to students of all ages in California, Oregon, and Washington State. Previously held positions include Director of Choral Studies at Miramonte High School in Orinda, California, director of the Girls Training 1 Choir with the Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir and Elementary Music Specialist with the Ross Valley School District. Some of her favorite teaching experiences have been working with students at rock and roll classes at the Experience Music Project, directing musical theater, working as a clinician for choral festivals and arranging choral music for a variety of voice types. Perdue’s educational interests include the use of multi-cultural, pop, and rock music in the classroom, incorporating movement in choral rehearsal and performance, and empowering young people to lead, direct, arrange and teach. Megan has been a festival adjudicator and our Guest Clinician in 2014.

Guest Clinician – Chris Dobson

Chris Dobson, Conductor of the Oregon Children's Choir Boychoir and the Young Men's Ensemble - Minor Suspects, holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of Oregon. He grew up in Eugene, participating in the Oregon Children’s Choir throughout his childhood. Chris is an alumnus of the first Oregon Boychoir. He has sung in many other choirs, including On the Rocks (the University of Oregon’s male collegiate a cappella group). He directed the First United Methodist Church youth choir for two years. As an active local musician, he conducts and sings with various local choirs throughout the performance season. He has also served as clinician and guest conductor for choral festivals in Eugene and Albany. Chris currently teaches music at Spencer Butte Middle School and South Eugene High School, and sings with the contemporary a cappella group, Rezonate. He is also an active composer and arranger, having won the best original arrangement award at the Northwest Harmony Sweepstakes competition in March of 2009. Chris has been a festival adjudicator and our Guest Clinician in 2013.

Guest Clinician – Debi Noel

Debi Noel is a faculty member at Lane Community College in the Music, Dance, and Theatre Arts Department. She is also an Adjunct Instructor for the University of Oregon, and Pacific University, and a trainer with AOSA (American Orff Schulwerk Association). She has been an elementary music instructor for 17 years.

She performs with The Jewel Tones, the Blue Skies Big Band, Eugene Chamber Singers, Eugene Recorder Ensemble. She has also sung with the Emerald City Jazz Kings, and been seen on stage in local musical theatre productions.

Debi has been the vocal director or instructor for several camps and theatres, including OFAM Musical Theatre Camp, Northwest Academy of Musical Theatre, Summer Musical Theatre Camp/Arts Umbrella, Musical Feet Studio of Dance, the Very Little Theatre, and Cottage Theatre, and the Young Men's Ensemble (Oregon Children's Choral Association). She also directs a Youth Choir at the First Congregational Church in Eugene.

Debi is a member of the Music Educators National Conference, American Orff Schulwerk Association, and National Educators Association.  Debi has been a festival adjudicator and our Guest Clinician in 2012.

Guest Clinician – David Fitch

David Fitch is the conductor of the Young Men's Ensemble and Young Women’s Ensemble of the Oregon Children’s Choir. He has been the Choral Director at Shasta Middle School for the past ten years. He received his Masters degree in Music Education from the U of O in 1995. David also serves as a clinician, adjudicator, and guest director of numerous honor choirs and choral festivals. He has a well-known piano and voice studio and many of his students have become professionals in the field of music. Besides music, David enjoys spending time with his family, anything to do with the Ducks, and has also been known to play a round or two of golf. David served as our 2011 Clinician, as well as several times over the history of the festival.