Conductor, Prelude & In-School Program
A native of Michigan’s upper peninsula, Stephanie is a passionate music educator, conductor, and lyricist with nearly a decade of experience teaching music in Chicago. She is currently pursuing a PhD in music education at Northwestern University. Her academic interests include gender and sexuality in music education, world music pedagogy, and identity development in group music making. Stephanie is the host and producer of the interview-based podcast Music Education, Genderally Speaking, discussing topics of gender and sexuality with innovative music educators and scholars in the field. She holds a bachelor’s degree in music education and creative writing from Western Michigan University and a master’s degree in music education from Northwestern University.
Stephanie is an avid proponent of life-long learning and singing as a tool for social justice. She has traveled multiple years as a singer with the international ensemble Village Harmony to Cape Town and Polokwane, South Africa, learning musical traditions and political history from master teachers in both regions. She co-authored an article on cross-cultural engagement in choral music for social justice in The American Choral Directors Association’s Choral Journal (October 2018).
As a lyricist, Stephanie has been commissioned to write for composers across the Midwest and East Coast. Her poetic composition, Home, with music composed by Sam Al-Hadid, was featured at the 2016 National American Choral Directors Association Conference by Western Michigan University’s Cantus Femina women’s ensemble. Her lyrics have also been presented by the Gettysburg Children’s Choir and the 2018 Connecticut State Middle School Honors Choir.
Prior to her graduate studies, Stephanie served for five years as a conductor with Uniting Voices Chicago, directing the neighborhood choir program in Hyde Park as well as many in-school choirs throughout the city. She is excited to be back with the choir, conducting Prelude and in-school programs!
