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When Words Fail, Music Speaks
Cantate
is lead by a distinguished group of professionals who donate their time
and talent to the choir. This volunteer staff dedicates its work to the
youth of Central Virginia.
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Dr. Jong "J" Kim
Conductor
Dr. Jong H. Kim is professor of music and director of choral activities at Lynchburg College, where he conducts the Lynchburg Singers chamber ensemble, the Concert Choir, and the Choral Union and also teaches music theory, conducting, choral method, and voice.
Prior to joining the Lynchburg College faculty in 2002, he previously taught at Dixie State College of Utah, Oakland University in Michigan, and Chung-Ang University in Korea and served as the conductor of the Southwest Symphony Orchestra and Chorale in Utah.
A native of Seoul, South Korea, Dr. Kim holds a doctor of musical arts in choral conducting from Michigan State University, a master of music in choral conducting from the Eastman School of Music, and a master of music and bachelor of music in composition from Chung–Ang University. While in Korea, he had extensive experience as a children’s choir director. Dr. Kim has also been a guest conductor for many professional, community, and high school honor choirs and orchestras in the United States and Korea, including the Daejeon Philharmonic Choir, the Incheon City Chorale, the Suncheon City Choir, and the Utah Valley Symphony Orchestra and Choral Society.
Dr. Kim has been invited to return to Korea twice in the past year to direct professional choirs. During his most recent trip in June, he lectured and led choral workshops at his alma mater and for the World Vision Children’s Choir, one of the world’s leading children’s choirs. While a graduate student in Korea, Dr. Kim interned with this choir as an assistant to its former director, Hak-won Yoon. Professor Yoon, who was Dr. Kim’s advisor at Chung-Ang University, is considered one of the world’s foremost authorities on children’s choirs.
Dr. Kim frequently performs as a soloist and as a chorister. Most recently, he sang with the professional Oregon Bach Festival Choir and the Carnegie Hall Choral Workshop Choir under the direction of renowned maestro Helmuth Rilling. Hundreds of professional singers/choral directors throughout the nation auditioned for the choirs, and only seventy members were selected for each choir.
He also serves as director of music at Quaker Memorial Presbyterian Church in Lynchburg and was chorus master for the Opera on the James production of “Pagliacci.” Dr. Kim was appointed as the conductor of Cantate, The Children's and Youth Choir in Residence at Lynchburg College in August 2007.
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Conductor
Susan "Susie" Mabe Poindexter is a graduate of Radford University where she received a BS degree in Music Education. She has studied voice with Robert Richards, Dr. Jack Barnard and most recently with Allen Huszti. For almost 25 years Susie has been a Minister of Music in the Lynchburg area serving two churches: Calvary Baptist and Randolph Memorial Baptist. In that capacity she has directed children’s choirs and handbell choirs as well as youth and adult vocal ensembles. Susie is currently a Master of Divinity in Church Music student at the Baptist Theological Seminary in Richmond. She also sings with the Virginia Baptist Women’s Chorale, which presents concerts across the state.
In 1999 Susie began working with Cantate when her daughter Sarah was a fourth grade chorister. Since that time, Susie has enjoyed being a choral assistant with the training choir of Cantate.
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Accompanist
Anna Billias was trained as a concert pianist at the
Prokofiev State Academy of Music in Donetsk, Ukraine
(originally the Prokofiev Conservatory of Music),
where she studied under Alexander Vitovsky, and
graduated with a master’s level degree in both
performance and instruction for piano. Prior to
attending the Prokofiev Conservatory, Anna attended
the Donetsk Music College where her concentration was
on music theory and performance. During her school
tenure, Anna performed with the school’s symphony
orchestra where she was a featured soloist and
frequent accompanist. Anna was invited to perform in
Paris, France, for the International Music Forum in
the fall of 1997, where she played both contemporary
and classical pieces from Russian and European
composers, and she was a prize winner in the
International Piano Competition in 1995 where she
competed against pianists from across Europe.
Additionally, Anna was a frequent performer of solo
and chamber music recitals throughout Ukraine and
Russia.
In addition to her music degrees, Anna received a
bachelor’s degree in German and Roman Philology from
the Donetsk State University, and an MBA in
Intellectual Property from the Donetsk State Academy
of Management.
Anna is currently an accompanist at Sweetbriar
College, at the Dance Theatre of Lynchburg and at the
Christian Science Church of Lynchburg. Since arriving
in Virginia in February of 2006, Anna has performed in
several local churches as a guest pianist and
vocalist, as an organist, as an adjunct choir member,
and as a private teacher of piano.
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Joyce Bailey
Accompanist
Joyce Bailey is a graduate of Longwood University (Farmville, Virginia) with a B.S. in Music Education. She also holds a Masters in Education from the University of Virginia (Charlottesville, Virginia) and has done graduate work at Lynchburg College (Lynchburg, Virginia) and James Madison University (Harrisonburg, Virginia). Retired from the Lynchburg City Schools, Mrs. Bailey has been a member of the Cantate staff, serving as accompanst, conductor and singer, since its beginning in 1993.
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----------------------- Betty Spruill
Choral Assistant
Betty Spruill grew up in central Florida and came to Lynchburg to attend Lynchburg College where she earned her B.A. in Music and M.Ed. in Supervision of Instruction. She has taught music in the Campbell County Schools at all grade levels and served as music supervisor for a number of years.
She
has been employed by several churches in Lynchburg in a variety of
positions including Youth Director, Organist, and Director of
Children's and Youth Choirs as well as Adult Choirs and Handbell Choirs.
She
sang with the Cantate Singers (an adult ensemble of Cantate) in the
early 1990's. For the last few years she has served as Assistant
Conductor and Choral Assistant to Cantate. She is married to Bill
Spruill, also a musician and educator, who currently works at Central Virginia Community College. Her most rewarding past time is spending time with her 3-year old grandson.
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Manager
Keith Thienemann is the founding Manager of Cantate, The Children's and Youth Choir in Residence at Lynchburg College. Thienemann is the Tenor Section Leader at First Presbyterian Church (Lynchburg,
Virginia). As a singer, he has toured throughout North America and
Europe and was the guest soloist of the Norwegian government and the Sons of Norway during the 50th Anniversary celebration of the liberation of Europe in Dombas (Norway) in 1995. He has sung with the Loyola Chorale (New
Orleans, Louisiana), the Camerata de Monteverdi (New Orleans), the New
Orleans Opera Chorus, the Jefferson Choral Society (Lynchburg,
Virginia), the Lynchburg College Choral Union (Lynchburg, Virginia) and the Berkshire Choral Festival
(Canterbury, England). Thienemann has appeared on ABC as a tenor
vocalist during the Sugar Bowl halftime show. He was the founding
Manager and President of the Jefferson Choral Society (Lynchburg,
Virginia). Thienemann holds a degree in film from Loyola of the South
(New Orleans, Louisiana). His work follows in the style of photographic
masters P. H. Emerson and Robert Frank. He was twice named the National
Photo Apprentice for the Spoleto Arts Festival (Charleston, South Carolina), His clients have included The New Orleans Symphony, The Lynchburg (Virginia) Symphony and Virginia Episcopal School. His work may be found at ImageArtWork.com He is represented by Artifacts Gallery (Lynchburg, Virginia.)
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Debora Trent
Assistant Manager/Clothing Coordinator
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