Cindy Ellis

Cindy Ellis is a Cuban-American vocalist and music educator. She received her Bachelor of Music Degree in Music Education with jazz voice from Florida International University. She has performed and conducted her ensembles in a variety of venues including Adrienne Arsht Center, New World Symphony Hall, Gusman Center, Kennedy Center, and Carnegie Hall. As a jazz artist, she is frequently featured in venues throughout South Florida and is a regular in the Betsy Hotel’s Mostly Jazz performance series. 

Mrs. Ellis is one of two full-time choral directors at Miami Arts Studio, a 6th-12th public performing arts magnet school in Miami, FL. Her ensembles have earned straight superior ratings at the annual district assessment, and for the last two years, the school has had more All-State choir participants than any other school in the state of Florida. Day by day, the MAS vocal magnet strengthens both musically and as a family. Her goal is not just to create professional musicians, but also kind, confident, passionate citizens who know what it is to be a part of something great, and who will reach for their full potential in any career they choose. Currently, Mrs. Ellis is seeking a Master’s Degree in Music Education at the University of Missouri.

Edward P. Norris III

Edward P. Norris III, a graduate of the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, is the director of Choral Music at Glen Cove High School where the Mixed Chorus and Select Chorale have received only Gold Medals and Gold Medals with Distinction at the NYSSMA Major Ensemble festivals. The Chorale has joined forces with Metropolitan Youth Orchestra and performed at NYACDA Choral Directors Conferences, as well as choral festivals at Westminster Choir College and the Aaron Copland School of Music. In 2013, the Select Chorale was invited to perform at the White House for President and Mrs. Obama. In 2016, the Chorale had the distinct honor to perform for His Holiness, Pope Francis at the Feast of the Epiphany at St. Peters. 

In addition to his work at Glen Cove, Mr. Norris is the director of the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra Chamber Chorale. He serves as an adjunct professor at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, and C.W. Post Long Island University where he is the conductor of the University Choir. Mr. Norris serves the students of Nassau County on the Executive Board of the Nassau Music Educators Association where he is one of the Vice Presidents. 

Mr. Norris is extremely grateful to collaborate with the other conductors on this wonderful project and would like to thank Dr. Jason Max Ferdinand, Ms. Lori Lobsiger, and Ms. Kim Mann for all of their hard work, dedication, and support of this endeavor. A very special shout out to The Aeolians for their masterful and inspiring work.

Hope Kesling Milthaler

Hope Kesling Milthaler serves as the Director of High School Choirs, AP Music Theory Instructor, and 7-12 Music Department Chair for the Kings Local School District in Kings Mills, Ohio. She holds a double Master’s Degree in Choral Conducting and Music Education from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music, as well as a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Wright State University. She grew up in New Lebanon, Ohio, where she graduated in 1995 and eventually began her teaching career alongside her beloved mentor, Mr. David L. Keener. Her greatest motivations are her two sons, Reagan and Harrison.

Hope’s favorite place to be is in front of her choirs in any capacity, and her passion is using her influence and understanding of music as a vehicle for establishing a genuine, all-embracing family atmosphere in her program. She relentlessly cultivates positivity, character, and progress in her singers, and remains committed to providing boundless, personal musical experiences partnered with challenging repertoire for all of her ensembles. In the present circumstance, Hope is committed to finding and sharing ways to ensure that we will all sing together again. It was this determination, alongside tremendous respect for Dr. Ferdinand and The Aeolians’ impact and philosophy, that drew her to this project to which she is tremendously honored and humbled to have contributed.

Robert A. Martinez

Robert A. Martinez was born in New Mexico and raised in Texas, studied under Georgian soprano Medea Ruhadze-Namoradze, and completed his performance degree at Columbia Union College and a minor in religion. Mr. Martinez has also traveled nationally and internationally with the Columbia Union College Collegiate Chorale and New England Symphonic Ensemble, where he toured through England, South Africa, Botswana, and Zimbabwe.  

Robert’s composition accomplishments include the Aaron Copland Commission in 2006 and the Basilica Commission where his piece Hodie Christus Natus est premiered on live television in 2008. Under the tutelage of Andrew Simpson, Martinez holds a MM in Composition from the Catholic University of America. Currently, Robert is a choral and strings director at Spencerville Adventist Academy where he teaches music to students from 3rd grade to 12th grade.

Ryan Ellis

Ryan Ellis is a jazz pianist and director of vocal music at Miami Arts Studio, an up and coming public arts magnet school in Miami, FL. Mr. Ellis received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Miami and his Masters in Music Education from Florida International University. After five years as the Director of Bands at Miami Southridge High School,he gradually switched over to Director of Choral Music.

Mr. Ellis’ ensembles have performed throughout the United States with concerts at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., Chicago, Atlanta, Orlando, and New York including four featured concerts at Carnegie Hall in 2009, 2011, 2014 and 2018. His school ensemble performed the world premiere of Nou Se Limye, by Haitian composer Sydney Guillaume in Carnegie Hall. 

As a professional jazz pianist, Mr. Ellis has worked extensively in the Caribbean, Florida and Hawaii performing with a who’s who of jazz including Kevin Mahogany, Eddie Jones, Paul Brown, Leon Foster Thomas, Dante Luciani, Ira Sullivan and Bobby Dukoff.

Ryan Marsh

Ryan Marsh is the director of choirs at Lafayette High School in Lexington, KY a position he has held since 2003. Lafayette offers a traditional high school curriculum and houses the school for creative and performing arts magnet program for Fayette County Public Schools. Mr. Marsh holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Louisville. He holds National Board Certification in vocal music and has completed coursework at the doctoral level at the University of Kentucky.

Mr. Marsh directs four choirs and teaches AP Music Theory and Music Technology. He holds professional memberships with American Choral Directors Association, National Association for Music Educators and Kentucky Music Educators Association. Mr. Marsh has held elected state office for KMEA, coordinating all-state choirs from 2009-2010. He served on the KMEA state board, executive committee, and currently publishes the organization’s monthly e-newsletter. Mr. Marsh served on the ENVOY committee for the Music for All National Choir Festival and the Lafayette Madrigal Singers were an invited choir at the Inaugural festival in 2018.

His choirs have appeared at KMEA and ACDA conferences and consistently receive distinguished ratings at assessment events. Ryan and his wife, Tiffany, who is the choir director at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Lexington, live in Midway with their daughter.

Lulu Mupfumbu

Lulu Mwangi Mupfumbu currently serves as the director of the music department at Takoma Academy, where she conducts the school's choirs, band, and teaching music technology and film studies. She holds a master's from Ohio State University in Conducting and a bachelor's in Music Education from Atlantic Union College. Outside the classroom she remains active as a clinician and guest conductor across the United States, as well internationally. Her ensembles have performed internationally in S. Korea, Bermuda, Jamaica, Bahamas, The Virgin Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, Czech Republic, Kenya, and South Africa.

In 2018 the Takoma Academy Chorale was selected to be a part of the Music For All inaugural Premier National Choir Festival in Indianapolis, IN. Among other awards, the choir won 3 medals at the 2018 World Choir Games in Tshwane, South Africa, and won 2 gold diplomas at the 2019 Interkultur Sing 'N' Joy International Choir Festival. In May of 2021 they were awarded the Music Education Grant from The Recording Academy.

She has a strong passion for combining excellence in music education and performance, with ministry through service to humanity. Her desire is that all her students gain a deep love for the art and use it to serve mankind.

Logan Caywood

Logan Caywood is the Vocal Music teacher at Dean Ray Stucky Middle School in Wichita, Kansas. He received his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Kansas State University.

He has been a member of the Music For All Educators of National Voices of Youth (ENVOY) Committee and has served annually as the Ensemble Host Coordinator and Stage Manager for the Music For All National Choir Festival.

He has received the Give A Note Foundation Music Education Innovator Award, the 2021 Kansas Choral Directors Prelude Award, a Music Teachers National Association Teacher Enrichment Grant, and the Wichita Public Schools Education Edge Grant. He is passionate about learning about music and culture from around the world and has received Smithsonian Folkways World Music Pedagogy certificates from the University of Washington and the University of St. Thomas. His research interests include methods for integrating Culturally Relevant Pedagogy and World Music Pedagogy with choral music education to create challenging and engaging school music experiences for students. Logan has worked to co-author articles and a book centered around the integration of Culturally Relevant and Responsive Teaching in the music education classroom.

Logan is currently working with Dr. Jason Max Ferdinand as an Educational Advisor to provide pedagogical examples and performance opportunities to music educators and students. He looks forward to helping Dr. Ferdinand continue his work of addressing social challenges in musical ensembles.

Recently, Logan has been selected to serve as the KMEA All-State Middle Level Choir Assistant Chair and will be appointed to the Middle Level Choir Chair for the 2024 and 2025 In-Service Workshops.