Dr. Edith A. Copley, Guest Conductor
STAFF
Edith A. Copley is a regents’ professor emerita at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff where she served as director of choral studies from 1993-2021. She conducted the highly acclaimed Shrine of the Ages Choir and taught undergraduate and graduate courses in conducting and graduate choral literature. The Shrine of the Ages Choir performed at state, regional and national conferences of the American Choral Directors Association and the National Association for Music Education. NAU choral ensembles under her direction also toured internationally to Western Europe, the Peoples Republic of China, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Bulgaria, Istanbul, Estonia, and Latvia. Prior to her NAU appointment, Dr. Copley taught secondary choral music for seven years in Iowa and four years overseas at the American International School in Vienna, Austria. While completing her doctoral degree in choral conducting at the College Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati, she served as the assistant and interim principal conductor of the May Festival Chorus, one of the oldest symphony choruses in the nation that regularly performs with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops. In Spring 2016, Dr. Copley retired as the artistic director of the Master Chorale of Flagstaff (MCF). She led this auditioned 100-voice community chorus for 23 years. She served as the chorusmaster for Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra for 27 years. During that time, Dr. Copley conducted numerous choral/orchestral works, including Brahms’s Ein Deutsches Requiem, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Bach’s B Minor Mass, Mozart’s Mass in C Minor, Duruflé’s Requiem, and Britten’s War Requiem. Dr. Copley is an active member of the National Association for Music Education and the National Collegiate Choral Organization. She is a life-member of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). Copley has served ACDA in many leadership roles, including Arizona President, Western Region President, and interest session chair for three national conferences. She was the Conference Chair for the 2025 National Conference in Dallas and is currently ACDA National President. Dr. Copley has received numerous honors, including the NAU School of Performing Arts Centennial Teacher of the Year Award, Arizona Music Educator of the Year, Arizona ACDA Outstanding Choral Director Award, the Weston H. Noble Award from her alma mater Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, the Arizona Choral Educators Lifetime Achievement Award, and in March 2026, she was the ACDA Western Region Conference Honoree. Dr. Copley has served as a clinician, festival adjudicator, and guest conductor in the US and abroad. She has conducted all-state choirs in over 30 states, and choral festivals in the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Orchestra Hall in Chicago, Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, and 11 appearances in Carnegie Hall. Dr. Copley has conducted international choral festivals in Germany, the Netherlands, Tasmania, Japan, Luxembourg, Australia, China, Turkey, England, Poland, Oman, Ireland, Austria, and France. Since her retirement in 2021, she continues to be in high demand as a guest conductor, adjudicator, and conference clinician.
Jody McKay is in her sixth year working behind the scenes with the Master Chorale of Flagstaff and currently serves as Executive Director. Through her work with MCF, she is passionate about strengthening the organization, supporting its singers and artistic staff, developing community partnerships, and creating meaningful opportunities for people to connect through choral music. She has completed multiple leadership and nonprofit-focused certificate and professional development programs, continuing to build her skills in nonprofit management, organizational leadership, and board development. Jody is also a founding member and Board President of the Northern Arizona Youth Chorale and owner and director of Little Music Makers of Flagstaff, an early childhood music studio. In both of these positions, she works to expand a musical experiences for young musicians and strengthen the role of music education within the community. She is passionate about advocating for music education and creating opportunities for people of all ages to develop lifelong musicianship and experience the community-building power of music. Prior to her work in nonprofit and community music leadership, Jody taught for 10 years in public schools, including middle school band, elementary vocal and general music. She holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Music Education from Montclair State University in New Jersey.
Jody McKay Executive Director
Caroline Bergren, Master Chorale's Associate Director and former Assistant Director, is a choral educator and soprano currently pursuing graduate studies in choral conducting at Northern Arizona University (NAU), where she serves as a graduate teaching assistant in choral studies. At NAU, she is conductor of Vox Montes, the university’s tenor–bass choir, and sings with the Shrine of the Ages Choir. A graduate of Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, Caroline holds bachelor's degrees in choral education and vocal performance. Her teaching and singing experience in the Pacific Northwest includes work with the Endolyne Children’s Choir of West Seattle, Annie Wright Schools, Mountain View Lutheran Church in Edgewood, and Pacific Lutheran University’s Choir of the West, University Singers, and Choral Union. Caroline is passionate about choral education and delighted to be part of the Master Chorale of Flagstaff community.
Caroline Bergren , Associate Director
Aimee Fincher, Collaborative Pianist
Dr. Aimee Fincher is an experienced collaborator, chamber musician, and large ensemble pianist comfortable performing wide-ranging styles and genres. Aimee’s collaborative work has taken her to national and international conferences and festivals in North America and Europe, and has served as an official pianist for the International Double Reed Society and regional North American Saxophone Alliance conferences. As Co-Directors of Her Art in Song, Amalia Osuga, soprano, and Aimee Fincher recently released the album Wide Grey Skies, music setting the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay, and performed music from the upcoming album on the inaugural Her Art in Song festival in April 2026. Alongside oboist Shane Werts and clarinetist Kelsi Doolittle, Aimee is a co-founder of the Kaibab Trio, dedicated to performing, promoting, and expanding the repertoire for this instrumentation with recent performances in Korea. A member of the vibrant piano-area team at Northern Arizona University since 2021, Aimee performs with students, faculty, and guest artists, coaches chamber music, co-teaches piano ensemble, and facilitates collaborative piano assignments.
Jamie Palmer, Assistant Director
Jamie Palmer is a first year Choral Conducting Masters student at NAU. He comes to Flagstaff from the state of Washington where he received his bachelor's degree in Music Education with a choral and instrumental emphasis in 2023. He has spent the last three years teaching TK-12th grade general music, band, and choir at Touchet Public Schools as well as serving as adjunct professor for voice at Walla Walla University. Since graduating Jamie has spent his time getting involved in the greater Walla Walla community by vocal directing local high school and middle school musicals and singing with the Mid-Columbia Master Singers. Jamie is very excited to sing baritone and assistant conduct with the Master Chorale of Flagstaff this year.
Andrew Gompf, Assistant Director
Andrew Gompf is a choral conductor, educator, and vocalist currently pursuing a Master of Music in Choral Conducting at Northern Arizona University. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education with an emphasis in Choral Studies from Central Washington University. Andrew has built his career around the education and performance of choral music, with teaching experience at the junior high and middle school levels in Utah and Washington State. His work as an educator emphasizes artistic excellence, thoughtful musicianship, vocal development, and cultivating a deep connection between singers and the music they perform. As a conductor, Andrew recently served as guest conductor for the SKMEA Honor Choir Festival in Edmonds, WA, leading exceptional student singers from across the region in a collaborative performance setting. In addition to his work as an educator, he has maintained an active life as a performer. Andrew has sung with ensembles including the Emerald City Singers, the Saltaires, and the Salt Lake Vocal Artists, and most recently the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. These experiences have provided him with opportunities to perform a wide variety of choral music and have further shaped his understanding of ensemble singing and musical collaboration. Andrew believes that choral music fosters empathy, discipline, and joy, and is committed to creating meaningful musical experiences that challenge and inspire singers. He is excited to serve as an Assistant Director of the Master Chorale of Flagstaff, contributing to the artistic preparation and performance of one of Northern Arizona’s established choral ensembles.