Enhanced by stunning artistic projections, this performance showcases Rosephanye Powell’s The Cry of Jeremiah, performed by chorus and professional orchestra. Drawn from powerful biblical texts, the work portrays struggle, faith, and ultimate triumph, offering a dramatic and deeply moving journey of resilience and hope.

The first half of the concert will highlight the National Concert Chorus, including works by Kyle Pederson, Dan Forrest, Elaine Hagenberg, and a world premiere by composer Brandon Williams.

EDITH COPLEY, GUEST CONDUCTOR

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 music 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 NAfME and a life member of ACDA. She 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 NAU School of Performing Arts Centennial Teacher of the Year Award, Arizona Music Educator of the Year, Arizona ACDA Outstanding Choral Director Award, and the Weston H. Noble Award from her alma mater Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.

Dr. Copley is in high demand 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 LA, Orchestra Hall in Chicago, Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, Strathmore Music Center in Maryland, and Carnegie Hall.  She conducted the ACDA National Mixed Honor Choir in Dallas in 2013 and the NAfME All-National Mixed Honor Choir the following year in the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.  Dr. Copley has conducted international choral festivals in Germany, the Netherlands, Tasmania, Japan, Luxembourg, Australia, China, Turkey, England, Poland, Oman, Ireland, Austria, and France.

JOSHUA PALKKI, GUEST CONDUCTOR

Joshua Palkki (he/him) is Associate Professor of Music at the Georgia Institute of Technology where he leads the Chamber Choir and Glee Club. He is the co-author of Honoring Trans and Gender-Expansive Students in Music Education (Oxford University Press, 2021). Palkki holds degrees from Michigan State University (Ph.D. music education; choral conducting cognate), Northern Arizona University (M.M. choral conducting) where he studied under Dr. Edith Copley, and Ball State University (B.S. music education). Joshua has led honor choirs in California, Nevada, Kansas, and Alabama, and will lead a tour to Ireland with KI Concerts in the summer of 2027. 

NICOLÁS DOSMAN, GUEST CONDUCTOR

Dr. Nicolás Alberto Dosman is Director of Choirs and Associate Professor at the University of California Davis (UC-Davis). Recently he was appointed the new music director of Pacific Edge Voices. Dosman is the author of Growing Your Choral Program: A Practical Guide for New Directors, published by Bloomsbury Publishing (formerly Rowman and Littlefield). Under his direction the combined UC Davis Choirs in partnership with the Community Chorus at South Berwick toured Austria and made the Austrian debut of the Andre Thomas Mass. One of the many performance highlights was a concert at the iconic Stephansdom Cathedral in Vienna. Prior to his appointment at UC-Davis, he was associate professor of music-choral conducting and Director of Choral Studies at the University of Southern Maine, Osher School of Music. He was also the Chorus Master for Opera Maine and the Portland Symphony Orchestra’s “Magic of Christmas Chorus”. Under his leadership, the USM Chamber Singers performed at the 2022 American Choral Director’s Association (ACDA) Eastern Region Conference. The USM Chamber Singers also performed at the 2019 Vietnam International Choir Competition where they received a Gold Diploma and an invitation to perform at the Grand Prize Finale. In 2017 the Chamber Singers also performed at the National Association for Music Educations (NAfME) Eastern Division Conference.  Prior to his arrival at USM, he was the Director of Choral Activities at Colby College and an Applied Music Associate (voice) where he conducted the Colby Chorale, Chamber Choir, and Colby-Kennebec Choral Society.  Under his direction, the USM Chamber Singers tied for 3rd place with Georgia State University for the American Prize in Choral Performance. The USM Chamber Singers ranked #13 nationally as one of the most impressive college choirs under Dosman’s leadership.

In October of 2018, Dosman was a headliner at the Encuentro Latinoamericano de Música Coral in the Republic of Panama and served as a clinician for their virtual sessions in 2020 and 2021. In 2018, Dosman conducted the New England and (full) US premiere of Stephen Edwards’ Requiem for My Mother in Merrill Auditorium. In addition to conducting All-State and regional choruses, Dosman has conducted international choral festivals. In 2017 he was the headliner for the Canta Cantemus Festival Chorus in Cuernavaca, Mexico as part of the ACDA International Conductors Exchange Program: ICEP of the Americas. Dosman frequently presents workshops at regional and national ACDA and NAfME conferences. Dosman currently has guest conducting engagements and workshops scheduled through 2023. In 2017 he made his conducting debut with the PSO and Magic of Christmas Chorus and conducted portions of the concert and will continue to serve as chorus master for this season. In 2021 he was appointed Chorus Master for Opera Maine production of Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore and will serve as Chorus Master for Opera Maine’s production of Wagner’s Flying Dutchman. On June 20, 2026 Dosman and the UC Davis will perform Rosephanye Powell’s The Cry Of Jeremiah, in Carnegie Hall will serve as narrator for this performance.

In addition to his academic and artistic responsibilities, Dr. Dosman is the Maine ACDA past-president and had served on the national board of the National Collegiate Choral Organization (NCCO) as Maine’s representative. Prior to his arrival to the state of Maine, he was a conducting fellow with the Continuo Arts Foundation (Westfield, NJ) and was also the director of Casita Sings Children’s Chorus (Bronx, NY). He founded the Miami Choral Festival in 2008 and was also the chairman of the Miami-Dade/Monroe County region of the Florida Vocal Association while serving as a public-school teacher. He studied choral conducting with Dr. Dino Anagnost at Columbia University and Drs. André Thomas and Kevin Fenton at Florida State University (FSU).  Prior to his graduate studies at FSU, he attended the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. In addition to his formal education, he had the opportunity to attend an intensive choral conducting workshop with Grammy award winning conductor Charles Bruffy.

BRANDON WILLIAMS, COMPOSER-IN-RESIDENCE

Brandon Williams is an Assistant Professor of Choral Music and Choral Music Education at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. He conducts the Rutgers Voorhees Choir (Carnegie Hall 2019, Eastern ACDA 2020) and teaches a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses related to choral music education. Dr. Williams also appears internationally as a guest conductor, clinician, and presenter. Dr. Williams amassed a decade of middle and high school teaching experience in St. Louis, Missouri, where he also served on the voice faculty at Maryville University and as a conductor with the St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus and the St. Louis Children’s Choirs. His school ensembles received invitations to perform at the 2010 and 2013 Missouri Music Educators Association conventions, and his middle school ensemble was featured on GIA’s DVD entitled “How to Make a Good Choir Sound Great!” Dr. Williams has been awarded the 2009 Missouri Choral Directors Association Prelude Award for excellence in choral music, an Outstanding Teacher Award from the University of Missouri-Columbia Honors College, and the 2020-21 Rutgers Provost’s Award for Excellence in Teaching Innovations.

Dr. Williams holds degrees from Western Illinois University, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Michigan State University. He also completed an Artist Teacher Diploma from the Choral Music Experience–Institute for Choral Teacher Education. In addition to his articles in the Choral Journal and theMusic Educators Journal, Dr. Williams is the editor of Choral Reflections—a collection of interviews with thirty leading conductor-teachers. He has numerous choral compositions and arrangements published with Hal Leonard, G. Schirmer, Mark Foster, and Colla Voce. Dr. Williams is a member of the American Choral Directors Association, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, and the National Association for Music Education.

ROSEPHANYE POWELL, COMPOSER-IN-RESIDENCE

Dr. Rosephanye Powell is celebrated as one of America’s foremost women composers of choral music, earning widespread acclaim for her exceptional contributions to the art form. With a remarkable catalogue of works published by leading publishers like Hal Leonard Corporation, Gentry Publications, Oxford University Press, Alliance Music Publications, and Shawnee Press, her compositions have been performed, recorded, and premiered by world-renowned conductors and ensembles. From the grandeur of Carnegie Hall to the iconic Lincoln Center and Spivey Hall, her music has captivated audiences in some of the nation’s most prestigious venues. Among the many distinguished ensembles to bring her works to life are Cantus and the Grammy award-winning men’s vocal ensemble Chanticleer.

In addition to her celebrated compositions, Dr. Powell is a dynamic educator, serving as Coordinator of Voice Studies and conductor of the Women’s Chorus, and co-conductor of the Concert and Gospel choirs at Auburn University. Her expertise and passion have made her a sought-after presenter, conductor, adjudicator, and clinician at premier conferences and festivals worldwide. She has conducted all-state and honor choirs across the United States in states such as California, Colorado, Florida, and New York, and has brought her talents to international stages in Italy, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

Recent commission and premiere highlights include: Love Will Find A Way (SATB) premiered by the Metropolitan Youth Chorale of New York at Lincoln Center, NY; Get Busy (SATB) premiered and conducted by the composer at Carnegie Hall, NY; A Christmas Medley (SATB), commissioned and performed by multi-Grammy award-winning Chanticleer; When I Sing (SSA), commissioned by the American Composers Forum CHORALQUEST series, amongst many other notable performances.

Dr. Powell’s distinguished career is adorned with numerous accolades, including the ACDA 2025 Raymond Brock Commission, Honorary Life Membership in the National Collegiate Choral Organization (2023), and the National Vanguard Award from the National Association of Negro Musicians, Inc. (2023). She is also a recipient of Harvard University’s Luise Vosgerchian Teaching Award (2022) and has been honored with the “Living Legend Award” by California State University’s African Diaspora Sacred Music Festival. Additionally, she holds the Marquis Who’s Who “Lifetime Achievement Award” and has been featured in notable publications like Who Is Who in Choral Music and Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers.

Dr. Powell’s affiliations reflect her dedication to excellence in the field: she is an active member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), Chorus America, the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), the National Association of Music Educators (NAFME), the National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM), and the National Collegiate Choral Organization (NCCO).

Through her groundbreaking compositions, inspiring leadership, and unwavering commitment to the choral arts, Dr. Rosephanye Powell continues to leave an indelible mark on the world of music.

PROGRAM

Saturday June 20, 2026 at 1:00 PM
CARNEGIE HALL

National Concert Chorus 
Edith Copley, guest conductor
Joshua Palkki, guest conductor

KYLE PEDERSON Heartbeat
DAN FORREST In All Things Love 
ELAINE HAGENBERG Measure Me, Sky
BRANDON WILLIAMS Commissioned Piece (World Premiere)
RENÉ CLAUSEN O My Luve’s Like a Red, Red Rose
AARON MANSWELL Stick With Love
EMILIO SOLE-SEMPERE Hearts Beat Together

National Masterwork Chorus 
Nicolás Dosman, guest conductor 

ROSEPHANYE POWELL The Cry of Jeremiah