AVA All State Conductors 2016 Alabama


Bret Peppo is beginning his ninth year as Director of Choral Activities and Music Department chair at Diablo Valley College where he conducts the Concert Chorale, Chamber Singers Masterworks Chorale and the Vocal Jazz Ensembles. Prior to his


appointment at DVC, Peppo was the Director of Choral Activities at Alderson-Broaddus College at the University of South Alabama and at Illinois State University. He also held the positions as director of the Old Gold Singers (show choir), at the University of Iowa. His concert, show and jazz choirs have toured extensively throughout the country and have been selected to perform for the Mississippi and Illinois All-State Conferences. As a conductor, Mr. Peppo has conducted many high school and collegiate all-state festivals for both honor choir as well as jazz choirs and is a frequent adjudicator and clinician with many national music festivals and is busy as a judge from show choir and vocal jazz competitions. Peppo is active with Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia where he has served as faculty advisor at Illinois State University, University of South Alabama and Alderson-Broaddus College. He is also active in the American Choral Directors Association and serves as R&S chair (2-Year Colleges) and coordinates the Tactus newsletter on the Western Division Board. Bret Peppo earned a bachelors degree in Vocal Music Education from Eastern Illinois University, a Masters of Conducting at Illinois State University and doctorate from the University of Iowa in Choral Conducting and Pedagogy.


Gregory Fuller is a Professor of Music and the Director of Choral Activities at The University of Southern Mississippi. He conducts the Southern Chorale and the Hattiesburg Choral Union, teaches graduate conducting courses, and supervises


candidates in the master’s and doctoral conducting program. In 2004 he launched the first Southern Invitational Choral Conference, an event that now hosts over sixty institutions each September. . Gregory Fuller is becoming known as a champion of new extended works. He will conduct his sixth premiere of a multi-movement work for chorus this spring when he debuts The Seven Last Words, by Richard Burchard for orchestra and chorus. Dr. Fuller has remained active as a conductor in orchestral and wind settings. To date, he has appeared with professional or university ensembles on more than 80 occasions. His father and mentor, James Fuller, served churches in Alabama and


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Missouri for 40 years. Regarded as model administrator of graded choir programs for children, James Fuller fostered music education and choral excellence in churches. As a continuing advocate for those values, Fuller organized Sacred Festivals in Hattiesburg, worked closely with Cardinal Daniel Dinardo and the Catholic Diocese of Sioux City in executing music for important liturgies, and is now chorus master at Parkway Heights United Methodist Church in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.


Leslie J. Blackwell is the Director of Choral Activities and Professor of Music and Music Education at Kennesaw State University where she has directed choral activities since 1998. Dr. Blackwell’s duties include conducting the KSU Men’s Ensemble and KSU Chamber Singers


as well as teaching advanced choral conducting and literature along with supervision of student teachers. A native of Georgia, Blackwell received the Associate of Arts degree from Gordon Junior College (1982), the Bachelor of Music in Music Education from West Georgia College (1984), the Master of Music from Georgia State University (1991), and the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Kentucky (2002). Recognized for her work with men’s voices, Dr. Blackwell served six seasons as the Artistic Director of the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus, conducted the 2013 Georgia All- State Men’s Chorus, and established the annual KSU Male Chorus Day at Kennesaw State University, bringing upwards of 200 high school male students to campus. Influential musicians with whom Dr. Blackwell has worked are Robert Shaw, Ann Howard-Jones, Yoel Levi, Norma Raybon, John Haberlen, Rodney Eichenberger, David Maslanka, Ola Gjeilo, Ethan Sperry, and Jefferson Johnson.In addition to her commitments at Kennesaw State University, Dr. Blackwell is active as a clinician and adjudicator and holds memberships in MENC, GMEA, and ACDA. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Georgia ACDA. Currently, Dr. Blackwell is the Artistic Director and Founding Director of the Kennesaw State University Community and Alumni Choir.


Dr. Patrick K. Freer is Professor of Music and Interim Director of the School of Music at Georgia State University where he holds Affiliate Faculty status with the Institute of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. His degrees are


from Westminster Choir College and Teachers College, Columbia University. He has guest conducted or presented in 36 states and 16


countries, including the 2014 Southwest Division ACDA Junior High Honor Choir. He has presented at six National Conventions of the American Choral Directors Association and five National Conferences of the National Association for Music Education. His 2015-16 schedule includes research, presentations and/or teaching graduate courses in Canada, Geece, Spain, Thailand, and Turkey. He will serve as keynote speaker and guest conductor for the inaugural Symposium of Singing and Song (St. Johns, NF) in October 2015, and guest conductor of regional and All-State choirs in Alabama, Georgia, Kansas, and Missouri. Dr. Freer is Academic Editor and Chair of the Editorial Committees for Music Educators Journal and has authored multiple book chapters and over 100 articles in most of the field’s leading national and international journals. Publications include "Getting Started with Middle School Chorus" (named Outstanding Academic Title by Choice) and the DVD series Success for Adolescent Singers. His most recent publications include articles in the 2015-16 volume years of the British Journal of Music Education, Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, Research Studies in Music Education, Music Education Research, and the Journal of Historical Research in Music Education. Dr. Freer’s research focus is on the sociological and pedagogical factors impacting the singing of boys during and beyond the adolescent voice change. Dr. Freer lives in Atlanta, GA with his husband, Kevin Sullivan and their two rescue pitbulls, Luka and Zaira.


Neil A. Johnson has directed music groups of every age level from elementary through university and adult. He has over 40 years experience from elementary through college level (30 of those in junior high) and community choruses.


He has taught band, orchestra and chorus,


and groups under his direction have been selected to appear at state and district music conventions on several occasions and have attained "best concert choir" status in several competitions. Neil has served as a clinician for regional and state elementary, junior high, and high school choral workshops, new materials reading clinics, and local and state choir festivals. He has directed all-state choirs and served as an adjudicator for concert and jazz/show choirs in over 20 states and 2 Canadian provinces and has been on the staff of show choir camps of America for 35 years as clinician and teacher workshop coordinator.


Neil’s first choral arrangement


was published in 1978 and he has since had over 70 choral compositions published with Shawnee press, Hal Leonard/Jensen Pub., Kimmel Pub., and Heritage Music Press. Most of his works are for 3 and 4 part mixed choruses or men's chorus and have a junior high/early high school emphasis.


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