Staff

Bruce Searl is the Executive Director of the Oregon Children's Choral Festival and has a huge heart for children and youth! He and his wife, Jennifer are local composers and have a small music publishing company Aardvark Hill. They have been commissioned to compose over 10 works for the Oregon Children's Choral Festival and are award winning composers, receiving Malecki Music's coveted Merit Series award for Our World, as well as receiving numerous Festival Favorite awards.  They have written and composed two children's musicals, one of which, A Mouse Christmas, has sold to hundreds of schools and churches all over the world. Bruce is a graduate of Eugene Bible College and has worked with youth in the community for the past 30 years as well as being involved in the music community as a worship leader, workshop instructor, vocalist and audio engineer.  Bruce is also author of Vocal Scat - The Essential How to Guide, the first and only how to manual that teaches middle school, through college level singers and improvisers the essential and simple concepts and skills to set their musical creativity free. Bruce sometimes gets to work with high school vocal jazz and choral groups on the heart of music and lyrical/musical interpretation and expression and, teaches workshops/classes on vocal improvisation, worship leading and writes about contemporary worship leading on his up coming blog, connectedworship.com

Jennifer Searl, has served as the Executive Director of the Oregon Children's Choir (2009-2013) and conductor for Oregon Children's Choir Girlchoir for over 30 years. Jennifer received her Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Oregon. She and her husband, Bruce, are local composers and have a small music publishing company Aardvark Hill. They have been commissioned to compose over 10 works for the Oregon Children's Choral Festival and are award winning composers, receiving Malecki Music's coveted Merit Series award for Our World, as well as receiving numerous Festival Favorite awards.  They have written and composed two children's musicals, one of which, A Mouse Christmas, has sold to hundreds of schools and churches all over the world. Jennifer is Director of Music Ministries at her church, has a private piano studio and teaches music at Ridgeline Montessori School. She is also a guest worship leader at retreats and churches. Jennifer has been a part of the Oregon Children’s Choir since 1985.

 

Our desire is to carry on the good work, goals and vision that Randy Moore birthed in our hearts and the hearts of thousands of young singers through his tireless years of love and service to the Oregon Children's Choral Festival, it's directors and choristers.
Thank you, Randy!

Founder, Oregon Children's Choral Festival

Dr. Randall Moore, retired, is the founding director of the Oregon Children's Choir, a local community children's choir. Dr. Moore also served as the Music Education Department Chair at the University of Oregon, where he was a member of the faculty from 1974 until his retirement in 2007. He received Bachelor and Masters of Arts degrees at the University of Oregon and PhD at Florida State University.

 

Randy was not satisfied with creating a great local children's choir that has traveled the world and endured for over 3 decades, touching thousands of lives. He also wanted to bring music to children from all over Oregon. So he started the Oregon Children's Choral Festival in the Spring of 1982 and through it, has brought helped directors and teachers inspire a life long love of singing in 10's of thousands of young singers all over Oregon! The purpose of the Festival to nurture the artistic talents of children by providing training in music skills, musicianship, and advanced choral work to inspire them by exposing them to world class performance hall, exceptional clinicians, and to experience the thrill of sing with hundreds and even thousands of other young voices.