SOA Directors and Staff

The 2014 SOUND OF AMERICA Staff brings together a combined total of over 250 years of successful European Concert Tour experience. The SOA Staff has established an outstanding reputation for its resourceful and positive development of youth. The staff is comprised of professional educators whose tour expertise, leadership and exemplary rapport with young musicians provide a unique and rewarding experience for all participants.

Bands under the direction of Mr. Barr have had a history of competitive success on both state and national levels. His high school bands made two highly successful European Concert tours, won six Gold Medals in International Band competitions and won the distinguished title of "World Champion Show Band" at the VI Wereld Muziek Concours in Kerkrade, The Netherlands.

Mr. Barr is a member of MENC, NBA, ASBDA and a past State President of the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association. He has been the recipient of Carlisle's "Citizen of the Year Award," the coveted "MAC" Award and the "Outstanding Young Men of America Award," and the prestigious Kiwanis International Hixon Award.

Currently, he is serving as President of NORTH AMERICAN MUSIC FESTIVALS. He also appears frequently as guest conductor, adjudicator and clinician at numerous concert band, stage band, parade and field show events. Thanks to his many years of experience in music education as well as travel, Mr. Barr arranges tours for high school, college and other organizations each year.

Mr. Barr has served as not only the Band Director and Tour Director, but also as one of our bus leaders while in Europe. He has been leading this group throughout Europe for the past 36 years.

Dr. Klein will serve as Choral Director of the 2014 Sound of America. She has previously served as Director of the 2009 and 2010 Sound of America Choruses. Dr. Klein is currently Graduate Program Director and Director of Choirs in the Department of Music at Old Dominion University where she directs the University Concert Choir, the Diehn Chorale and teaches graduate and undergraduate conducting. She was graduated Magna Cum Laude with her B.S. in Music Education Degree from Westhampton College, University of Richmond; her M.M.E. with Honors in Vocal Performance from Eastern Kentucky University and her Ph.D. in Music as Valedictorian at the School of Arts at New York University.

She has performed in Alice Tully Hall, Rockefeller Center, Carnegie Hall and the National Arts Club in New York City. She has prepared choirs for Combined Armed Forces performances, conducted the Continental Army Band and directed choirs on the USS John C. Stennis, USS Enterprise and the USS North Carolina. Recently, she was featured as the Keynote Speaker for the European Music Educator's Association Conference in Stuttgart, Germany.

Terri Davis will again serve as the Director of Personnel for SOA. She earned her B.A. degree in French with a minor in European History from the University of Delaware. She has also studied at Paul Valéry University in Montpellier, France. With over thirty-three years experience performing on European Concert tours plus eighteen years as a professional tour escort, she also serves as an interpreter and bus leader for the SOA Tour. She has also served as an Educational Travel Experiences escort for numerous band and choir trips to events such as bowl games and parades as well as escort and trip organizer for tours to France. Terri is a full-time SOA staff member as well as one of our bus leaders while in Europe.

Lyn Barr has served as Executive Secretary for the Sound of America for most of the 37 years of its existence. Previously, she served as Director of Personnel. She received her B.A. degree in Education from West Chester State College, Pennyslvania. A former camp director in eastern Pennsylvania, she has been personally arranging and escorting many group tours for students and adults throughout the United States, Europe and Russia with Educational Travel Experiences over the past 34 years. In addition to her administrative responsibilities during the year as a full-time staff member, she also serves as one of our bus leaders while in Europe.

Chris was a member of our '83 SOA tour and returned as our featured trumpet soloist in '91. He earned his degree in Music Marketing from Clarion University of Pennsylvania. Chris McKee had served as our recording engineer for five years and has served as bus leader and full-time staff member since the early 90's. For several years, Chris was Assistant Festival Director for North American Music Fesivals, which organizes high school performances and adjudications each spring. He has also served as an Educational Travel Experiences escort for numerous band and choir trips to events such as bowl games and parades. Chris currently works for Educational Travel Experiences full time as a tour coordinator for domestic and international group travel, specializing in performance tours.

Sound of America Former or Alternating Choir Directors, Choreographers and other Staff

Mr. Yoder served as the Director of the 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2011 Sound of America Honor Chorus. He received his Bachelor of Science in Music Education degree from Susquehanna University, his Master of Music degree in choral conducting from Westminster Choir College where he sang under the direction of Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez and James Levine and studied jazz at Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Mr. Yoder has been awarded an Emmy for Outstanding Music Composition for PBS station WITF TV 33's production of "Historic Pennsylvania." He is a member of the American Choral Directors Association, the Director of Music at Eastminster Presbyterian Church in York, PA (www.eastminster-york.com), conductor of the York County Senior Honors Choir and the Concorde Vocal Ensemble (www.honorschoir.com) and former public school music educator and teacher of piano and music theory.

In addition to his local conducting and teaching responsibilities, he has been the Co-Director of Fred Waring's America Elderhostel Choral Program at Penn State University. He frequently serves as guest conductor for choral festivals, accompanist for numerous vocal recitals and as a professional pianist/recording artist. Several choirs under his direction have traveled on concert tours of Europe in recent years. In addition to leading the SOA Honor Chorus, Mr. Yoder serves as a bus leader on tour as well.

Dr. Ausmann has been our SOA Choral Director in 1995-2000, 2003, and 2005! Dr. Ausmann received his Bachelor of Music degree at Capital University, and Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education degrees from Ohio State University.

Dr. Ausmann is an Associate Professor at the Dana School of Music, Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio where he serves as coordinator of Vocal/Choral Studies. As the former Director of the University Chorus, he also teaches Choral Conducting and Teacher Education Courses at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. He has been voted best professor at his college, by the students.

In addition to being in constant demand as a guest conductor, clinician and adjudicator at numerous festivals and conferences, Dr. Ausmann has also served on the faculty for the Governor's Institute for High School Students in the Arts at Ohio State University. Currently, he is an active member of MENC, the Ohio Music Education Association, Phi Delta Kappa, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity and The American Choral Directors Association.

Mr. Shaw's professional background encompasses over 30 years of educational leadership. He is a graduate of Indiana State College and has completed additional graduate work at Indiana University of PA., Edinboro State University, Allegheny College, Seton Hill College, and Penn State University, receiving a B.S. in Music Education and a M. ED. in Choral Music.

He has often been chosen as a guest conductor, clinician in choral/vocal techniques, adjudicator, and elected to the offices of PA State President and Eastern Division President of the American Choral Directors Association. His choruses have performed for the State Conference of the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association, the State - Divisional - and National Conferences of the ACDA, and the International Conference of the International Society of Music Educators in Innsbruck, Austria. He has also provided clinics/seminars for the PMEA State Conference and the Music Educators National Conference, ISME, and ACDA in PA, OH, NY, NJ, MA, MS, DE, MD, VA, SC, FL, TN, and KY.

Mr. Shaw was the recipient of Meadvilles' "Outstanding Citizen Award", is listed in several "Who's Who", was selected as "Teacher of the Year" in the Bellefonte Area Schools, and has been recognized as an outstanding American music educator in both England (Baker's International Dictionary) and Italy (Academica Italia). He was also chosen as a member of the Nationally Registered Music Educator Program by the Music Educators National Conference.

In addition, he has served on the President's Commission on Education, the editorial board for the "Choral Journal", and taught at Penn State University - Behrend Campus, Allegheny College, Seton Hill College and St. Vincent College.

Jan served as Personnel Manager for the SOUND OF AMERICA for many of the 15 years she has toured with the Sound of America as a chaperone and assistant bus leader. She served as the Administrative Secretary to the Principal at Shippensburg High School, PA for over 34 years. Jan has directed church choirs/bell choirs for over 20 years. Having been involved with teenagers and high school activities such as drama for so many years, Jan brings a wonderful amount of experience with her.

Ali Allerton toured seven times with Sound of America as our choral accompanist and director of choreography. Ali is a music educator for the Greenwich, Connecticut Public School District, where she currently oversees a middle school chorus program totaling 400 students, directs 4 choirs, and directs and produces three stage productions a year. Her choirs have been selected to sing at state conferences. Ali is also the accompanist for the Greenwich High School Choirs and the Greenwich Public Schools Honor Choir. In 2007, Ali was named a recipient of the Yale Distinguished Music Educator Award, and in 2010 she was named a recipient of the Greenwich Public Schools Distinguished Teacher Award. Ali is a graduate of James Madison University, VA, where she received her Bachelor of Music in Music Education, with a concentration in piano, and the Eastman School of Music, NY, where she received her Master of Music in Music Education, with a concentration in choral conducting. Ali has toured with the Sound of America several times as accompanist,choreographer, as well as a co-bus leader.

Anna is an accomplished pianist who toured with SOA as our accompanist in 2007, 2008, 2009. She graduated from Archangelsk Music College, Russia with degrees in Piano Teaching and Accompanying. She is a graduate of the Russian State Pedagogical University in St. Petersburg from which she holds a degree in Music Education. She was won numberous awards and recognition for excellence in ensemble performance. She serves as an accompanist frequently and teaches privately.

Adam Roberts served several times as SOA's choreographer and choir accompanist. He holds the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Music Theory summa cum laude from Youngstown State University and Associate of Arts with honors from Kent State University, and is currently pursuing the Master of Music degree in Music Theory and the College Teaching Certificate at the Florida State University. He has also served as choreographer for more than twenty-five theatrical productions. He has been involved either as artistic staff or performer for a total of over fifty productions to date.

A member of the National Registry of Dance Educators (NRDE), he has served on the dance faculties of the Kinsey School of Dance and Boardman Dance Institute of Ohio, and Act One Theatre School of Pittsburgh. He has served as musical director at two churches. A member of the Society for Music Theory (SMT), he has taught in the enriched sight-singing/ear training curriculum at the Florida State University.

Erika McKee has served eight times as accompanist to the SOA honor choir. Erika graduated from Clarion University of Pennsylvania with a B.S. in Music Education and received her Masters of Music Education from Bowling Green University of Ohio. Erika is the director of the woman's chorus, treble choir and show choir at South Western High School in Pennsylvania. She is a former chairperson of the show choir committee for the Pennsylvania Chapter of ACDA and has served as a clinician / adjudicator at workshops and festivals for show choirs in Pennsylvania. She has also served as an Educational Travel Experiences escort for numerous band and choir trips to events such as bowl games and parades. Erika has served as co-bus leader while in Europe.

Fred Quigley received both his B.A. in Music and his Masters of Music degrees from Youngstown State University of Ohio. Fred is a retired musician of the highly-regarded U.S. Army Field Band. He has taught instrumental music at the high school level in Pennsylvania as well as the Carlisle Town Band. He currently teaches privately and is the Director of Dickinson College's Symphonic Band and the Dickinson College Jazz Ensemble. He also serves occassionally as an Educational Travel Experiences escort for numerous band and choir trips to events such as bowl games and parades. Fred has toured with SOA as a bus leader or co-bus leader for 16 years. He has served as musician, Recording Engineer and bus leader on past tours.

MEET OUR 2014 DIRECTORS AND STAFF