Featured Clinicians

Rollo A. Dilworth
Featured Clinician
Rollo A. Dilworth is Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities and Music Education at the North Park University School of Music in Chicago. In 2003, the university awarded Dilworth the prestigious Zenos Hawkinson Award for Teaching Excellence and Campus Leadership. He holds a bachelor of
science degree in music education from Case Western Reserve University, and a master of education degree in secondary education from the University of Missouri/St. Louis, where he studied composition and choral music with Robert Ray. He received the doctor of music degree in conducting performance at Northwestern University, where he studied conducting and composition with Robert A. Harris. Dilworth has written and/or arranged over 70 choral works currently in print. An active conductor, composer, educator, and clinician, Dilworth has taught choral music at the elementary, secondary, and university levels. His performing endeavors have taken him to Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. In addition to composing music in the choral genre, his research interests are in the areas of African-American music and music education curriculum and instruction. He currently serves on the ACDA Central Division Board of Directors as the Repertoire and Standards Chair for Multicultural and Ethnic Music.

Henry Leck
Featured Clinician
An internationally recognized choral director, Henry Leck is an associate professor and Director of Choral Activities at Butler University where he conducts the Butler University Choir and teaches conducting and music education classes. Leck is widely known as a specialist in choral techniques, the child’s voice and boys’ changing voices.
In 1986 he became the founder and artistic director of the Indianapolis Children’s Choir, now a program of approximately 1,200 children in twelve choirs in residence at Butler University in and two affiliate choirs, plus an early childhood division. Since its inception, the choir has become one of the premier music education and performing organizations having performed often by audition for several national professional music organizations. Additionally, the choir has performed several international concert tours and throughout the U.S.
Leck has conducted children’s choirs, all-state choirs and festival choirs in nearly every state. He is also a frequent conductor of regional and national honors choirs. He conducts in Europe frequently and is certified as a Kodály instructor. He is an active member of ACDA, OAKE, MENC and Pi Kappa Lambda.


All-State Choir Conductors and Repertoire

Craig Jessop, Mixed Choir Conductor
Craig Jessop became music director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in October 1999. Not only had he served as the choir’s associate director from 1995 to 1999, he had also been a member of the choir for four years during college.

Under his leadership, the choir has continued to live up to its tradition of excellence and has explored new territory in the musical and performance realms. As the music director of not only the choir, but also the Orchestra at Temple Square and the Temple Square Chorale, Jessop draws on the strengths of these three entities and combines them as appropriate to enhance the level of musical excellence in performance.

He studied at Utah State and BYU and earned his doctorate in musical arts at Stanford. When he completed his doctoral studies in conducting, he was recruited by the U.S. Air Force music programs to conduct their highly acclaimed professional vocal ensemble, the U.S. Singing Sergeants. He served as commander and conductor of the Band of the U.S. Air Forces in Europe and the Air Combat Heartland of America Band. Singing with the Robert Shaw Festival Singers, which included performing with its composer-conductor in concerts throughout Europe and at Carnegie Hall, was also an extraordinary experience and a tremendous honor for Jessop.

Concert Repertoire
O Clap Your Hands, John Rutter
Ecco Mormorar L’Onde, Claudio Monteverdi
Gloria from Mass in D, Dvorak
Maloye salavosloviye (Glory to God in the Highest), Sergei Rachmaninoff
Chichester Psalms. Leonard Bernstein (Soloist Zachary Waggoner, Clint Small Middle School, Austin)
Homeward Bound, Marta Keen Thompson/Arr. Mack Wilberg
Wade in de Water, Arr. Allen Koepke
Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing, Arr. Mack Wilberg

Z. Randall Stroope, All-State Men’s Choir Conductor
Z. Randall Stroope is the Director of Choral Studies at Rowan University in New Jersey. He is also artistic director and conductor of summer music festivals throughout Europe, and frequently conducts in concert halls across the United States. He has directed 22 All-State choirs and conducted a host of choral/orchestral works with collegiate choirs and professional orchestras.

In the last few years, he has led ­choral tours to China and eastern Europe; conducted at the American School in Singapore, the Vancouver Symphony in a concert titled “A Night at the Opera” and concerts in Vienna and Salzburg, Austria, as part of the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth; conducted a one-week tour of Lithuania with Polifonia (professional chamber choir); performed at Carnegie Hall and Washington National Cathedral; conducted the Mormon Tabernacle Choir; and directed music festivals in 17 states.

Prior to his appointment at Rowan University, Stroope was Director of Choral Activities at the University of Nebraska, where he was awarded “Distinguished Professor” for six consecutive years from 1999 to 2005, the only such honor ever given to a member of the College of Fine Arts at the University.

Concert Repertoire
I Will Rejoice Greatly, Knut Nystedt
Dies Irae, Z. Randall Stroope
Nïñe sílï nebésnïya, Alexander Sheremetev
Danny Boy, Z. Randall Stroope
Rainbow Around My Shoulders, Lawson Gould/arr. DeCormier
Omnittamus Studia from Carmina Juventutis, David Conte

Elena Sharkova, All-State Women’s Choir Conductor
Elena Sharkova, Artistic Director of the Symphony Silicon Valley Chorale, joined the Music Department at San José State University in 1998, where she served as an assistant professor of music and director of choral activities until June 2006. There, along with leading the chorale, she directed two of the university choral ensembles and taught classes in voice, ear-training, choral methods, and choral conducting. Two years ago she was named Artistic Director of the Cantabile Youth Choruses, a program of the Cantabile Choral Guild.

Sharkova was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Russia, where she received a bachelor’s degree in music education and piano, and a master’s degree in choral conducting from St. Petersburg State Rimski-Korsakov Conservatory. Upon graduation in 1988, she was appointed Chair of the Choral Department of the Preparatory Music School at the Conservatory, where she conducted four children’s choruses and taught the innovative Ogorodnov method to graduate students until 1993.

In 1996, Sharkova received her second master’s degree in choral conducting from Western Michigan University. Before moving to the U.S. in 1993, she toured extensively with one of the finest Russian professional choirs, Lege Artis. In addition to performing throughout Russia, Europe and the United States, the ensemble also recorded five CDs for the SONY Classical label and won numerous prizes at European choral festivals and competitions.

Concert Repertoire
Magnificat, Z. Randall Stroop
Hvalite Imya Gospodne, Pavel Chesnokov
Blagoslovi, Dushe Moya, Ghospoda, Ippolitov Ivanov
Nada Te Turbe, Joan Szymko
Libertango, Astor Piazolla
Still I Rise!, Rosephanye Powell