Conductor and Staff
Dr. Edith A. Copley
Music Director
Edith A. Copley is in her fifteenth year as the music director of the Master Chorale of Flagstaff. She is also professor of music and director of choral studies at Northern Arizona University where she conducts the renowned Shrine of the Ages Choir and Vocal Chamber Ensemble. Dr. Copley coordinates the graduate choral conducting program and teaches courses in graduate conducting and choral literature.
Prior to coming to Flagstaff, Dr. Copley served as the assistant and interim principal conductor of the May Festival Chorus that performs with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops. She has prepared major choral/orchestral works for the late Robert Shaw, James Conlon, Jesus Lopez-Cobes, Randall Fleischer, and Eric Kunzel.
In April 1995, Dr. Copley became the first woman to conduct the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra in a classic series concert, and in 1999-2000 served as the resident conductor of the FSO for their 50th anniversary season, conducting three performances, including Brahms' German Requiem. She has also led the Master Chorale and FSO in performances of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana (2005) and Mozart's C Minor Mass (2006). Dr. Copley conducted Verdi's Requiem with the Würzburg Philharmonic in Germany in 2004, and in April 2008 she conducted Britten's War Requiem with the FSO and the NAU Choral Union.
Dr. Copley received her MM and DMA degrees in conducting from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati and a BA degree in music education from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. Choral ensembles under her direction have performed at state, regional, and national conventions and have toured abroad to the People's Republic of China, Western Europe, New Zealand and Australia.
Dr. Copley was named the Centennial Teacher of the Year in the School of Performing Arts at Northern Arizona University in 1999. In 2004, she received the Arizona Music Educator of the Year Award, a Distinguished Service Award from Luther College, and the Arizona Outstanding Choral Director Award in June 2007.
Dr. Copley is currently the past-president of the Western Division of the American Choral Directors Association and has her own choral series with Santa Barbara Music Publishing. Dr. Copley is in high demand as a guest conductor and clinician for choral festivals and conventions throughout the U.S. She also has conducted international choral festivals in Germany, the Netherlands, Japan, Tasmania, Luxembourg, and Australia. In November 2008, she will conduct an international honor choir in Beijing.
About Us
Germán Aguilar is excited to serve as the new assistant conductor of the Master Chorale! He is also thrilled to return to Flagstaff to pursue a master's degree in choral conducting under the direction of Dr. Edith Copley.
Prior to his new appointment as the director of the NAU Men's Chorale, Germán taught for almost seven years in the Mesa Public Schools, spending the last five years as the Director of Choirs at Mesa High School. Under his direction, the MHS choirs, musical theater productions, and choral students consistently earned top honors at regional and state thespian, choral, and vocal festivals. In 2007, the Mesa High A Cappella Choir achieved a major highlight when it was selected for honored performance at the Arizona Music Educators Association Annual Convention.
Germán held positions as an executive officer of the Choral Directors of Arizona for five years including terms as Vice-President of High School Activities, overseeing the Arizona All-State Honor Choir and the State Fall Choral Festivals. He also served as the Choir Chairperson and Governor for the West Region of AMEA. Germán has adjudicated several state Choral and ACDA festivals and has been an invited guest clinician for groups such as the Phoenix Children's Chorus, the Glendale Union High School Vocal Ensembles, and the Mesa Public Schools' Junior High Honor Choirs. He has also served on the faculty of the NAU Summer Music Camp, the University of Wisconsin Summer Music Clinic, and the Arizona Magic of Music and Dance Camp for Youth with Disabilities
Stephanie Galloway
Accompanist
Stephanie Yingst Galloway returns for her fourteenth season as accompanist for the Master Chorale. As an undergraduate at NAU, she sang in the University Chorale (Shrine of the Ages Choir) where she met her future husband, Steve. She earned a master's degree in music education from Northern Arizona University and teaches choir part-time at Pine Forest Charter School. She is the organist at Trinity Heights United Methodist Church and also teaches fitness classes at the Flagstaff Athletic Club. Full-time, she works as "Mom" to her three young sons, Luke, Max and Paul.
Kay Jean Poulson
Business Manager
Board of Directors
Betsy Fritz, President
Sally Krueger, Past President
Katherine Pastor, President-Elect
Barbara Soderblom, Treasurer
Marge Johnson, Soprano Section Leader
Holly Taylor, Alto Section Leader
David Shaffer, Tenor Section Leader
John Heyl, Bass Section Leader
Jeanne Dustman, Member at Large
Kris Stump, Member at Large
Dawn Sutherland, Member at LargeDr. Edith A. Copley, Music Director
Germán Aguilar, Assistant Music Director
Master
Chorale of Flagstaff (Arizona)
Germán Aguilar
Assistant Music Director
