JUDITH HERRINGTON is the Founder and Artistic Director of the highly acclaimed Tacoma Youth Chorus, a choral education program of seven select choirs, grades 1 through 12, serving more than 240 young people in the south Puget Sound region of Washington since 1991. Noted for its collaborations, Tacoma Youth Chorus has performed with the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra, Northwest Sinfonietta, Tacoma Opera, Choral Union, Northwest Repertory Singers, the University of Puget Sound Adelphians, and BalleTacoma. Under Ms. Herrington's direction, the Chorus has performed for National Orff-Schulwerk Conventions, Northwest MENC convetnion and the Northwest ACDA conventions (1998, 2002, 2006,2010). The chorus has performed internationally as well, with cathedral tours in France, Eastern Europe and in Britain, Wales, and Ireland.

Tacoma Youth Chorus includes in its mission the opportunity for its members to study with outstanding directors including Jo-Michael Scheibe, David Flood, Rodney Eichenberger, Rollo Dilworth, Henry Leck, Andre Thomas, Paul Schultz, Geoffrey Boers, Brian Tate, as well as composers Rollo Dilworth, Donna Schultz, Brian Tate, Richard Nance and Stephen Hatfield.

Ms. Herrington brings more than thirty-five years of teaching and conducting experience to her work at Tacoma Youth Chorus and Charles Wright Academy in Tacoma, Washington, where she has received the Inspirational Faculty Award and the Murray Foundation Chair for Teaching Excellence. A graduate of the University of Oregon, Ms. Herrington earned her Master of Education degree from Leewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. She has furthered her conducting studies through master classes with Rodney Eichenberger and Henry Leck. She has served on the Washington American Choral Directors Association Board as R&S Chair for Childrens' Choirs, President and Past-President of the Board. Ms. Herrington is the 2011 recipient of the Washington ACDA's Leadership and Service Award.

Ms. Herrington is highly regarded as a guest conductor, workshop and choral clinician. Mostly recently, Ms. Herrington has conducted all-state and regional honor choirs and festivals in Texas, Oregon, Washington, California, Hawaii, Montana, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, Alaska, Tennessee and Toyko. A noted composer and arranger, she has published choral compositions, arrangements and co-authored choral teaching texts through Pavane Publishing, Hal Leonard Publishing, and Colla Voce Publishing. She also edits a choral series for Pavane Publishing.

CONNIE SCHMIDT, Director of the Music Makers, graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and during the 30 years since performed with a professional Bach Choir, taught private voice and piano and continues to work with church music. Mrs. Schmidt taught elementary music in Texas and Alaska and currently teaches at Concordia Lutheran School where she was awarded the Teacher of the Year in June, 2004. She has co-authored articles for Hal Leonard Publisher music magazine and continues learning through studies with Rodney Eichenberger, the American Choral Directors Association, The Choristers Guild and the International Voice Care Network. She joined Tacoma Youth Chorus as Director of Music Makers in 2002.

KYLE HAUGEN, director, Men's Choir, and co-director, Chorale, is the assistant director of Northwest Repertory Singers, a semi-professional community choir. He holds the Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from the University of Puget Sound (where he is employed as a senior associate director for the Office of Admission) and the Master of Sacred Music degree from Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn. As an organist and choir director, Mr. Haugen has held church music positions in the Tacoma area; in St. Louis Park, Minn.; and in Boston, Mass., where, as a member of a professional choir, he was the tenor soloist for the premiere of Daniel Pinkham's Missa Brevis. In addition, he taught children and youth from ages six to eighteen through afterschool music enrichment and musical theater programs in Greater Boston, and he served as musical director with Encore Theatre Company, performing at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. A published composer, Mr. Haugen's music has been performed widely across the United State, including a featured performance by the St. Olaf Choir for the PBS television special, Christmas at St. Olaf.

KERRY FRANZKE has been involved with music in Tacoma for many years. She plays piano, organ, harpsichord and accordion. She currently serves as the Principle Organist at University Place Presbyterian Church. She performs with her husband, Steve, a flutist. Kerry arranges Irish folk music for small ensemble and has been composing and publishing music for solo instruments and piano appropriate for church offertories. She has been an accompanist for the Tacoma Youth Chorus since 1996.

VICKI DAY MELTON, a versatile musician, contributes to the Tacoma music community as a private voice teacher, pianist, choral director and performer. A coloratura soprano, she performs extensively throughout the Northwest as recitalist and soloist, including principal roles with Tacoma Opera and performances with the Tacoma Symphony, and is in great demand as an adjudicator and clinician. A graduate of Pacific Lutheran University, she has received degrees in vocal performance and education and she maintains a large class of private students who are consistently recognized as being among the finest in the state of Washington. An accomplished pianist, Mrs. Melton has accompanied numerous choral groups and soloists.

AMY ELIZABETH BOERS has quickly become one of the region's most sought after accompanists and coaches. Active as accompanist for ensembles and professional soloists, her playing is characterized by conductors and teachers as deeply expressive, stylistic, artistic, and insightfully supportive of singers and instrumentalists alike. Her current positions include staff accompanist for Seattle Pacific University, Lakes High School, Pierce College. In addition, she is active accompanying soloists and master classes with artists from local universities, the Seattle Symphony and other local professionals. Amy is also recognized as a national leader in Lutheran church music. She currently is on the Board of Directors for the Minneapolis-based Lutheran Music Program, is contributing editor of Augsburg-Fortress's popular Sundays and Seasons wortship resource, and active with the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians in planning their national convention in 2011. She continues to act as a worship resource for many regional congregations. Prior to her career as accompanist and coach, Amy was director of the music ministry at Mountain View Lutheran Church in Edgewood, Washington from 1997 to 2009.

BRYAN HIROTO STENSON, from Tokyo, Japan, recently earned his Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Pacific Lutheran University. He sang in the Choir of the West, where he was also the Tenor Section leader. He performed major roles in the opera program and participated in conducting, musical theater, dance, composition lessons and singing the PLUtonics. Currently he is an active members of Tacoma Opera's Young Artists Program and serves as a choral music intern for both Charles Wright Academy Lower School and Tacoma Youth Chorus under the guidance of Judith Herrington.