Anton Armstrong
Dr. Anton Armstrong is the longest tenured Conductor of the St. Olaf Choir. He is the Harry R. and Thora H. Tosdal Professor of Music at St. Olaf College. He is editor of a multicultural choral series for Earthsongs Publications and co-editor (with John Ferguson) of the revised St. Olaf Choral Series for Augsburg Fortress Publishers. In June 1998, he began his tenure as founding conductor of the Oregon Bach Festival Stangeland Family Youth Choral Academy. Dr. Armstrong currently serves as Chair of the National Board of Chorus America and has returned to serve on the National Board of The Choristers Guild and has served as a guest lecturer, clinician and conductor across the globe.
In recent years Dr. Armstrong has guest conducted such noted ensembles as the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square, the Utah Symphony and Symphony Chorus, the Utah Voices and Salt Lake City Symphony, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Westminster Choir, the American Boychoir, The Houston Chamber Choir, The Vocal Arts Ensemble of Cincinnati, The Phoenix Chorale, Indonesia Youth Choir, and the Ansan City Choir, South Korea. He has also collaborated in concert with Bobby McFerrin and Garrison Keillor.
In January 2006, he received the Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching from Baylor University. In June 2013 Dr. Armstrong received the Saltzman Award from the Oregon Bach Festival. The festival’s highest honor, the Saltzman Award is bestowed upon individuals who have provided exceptional levels of leadership to the organization. For a complete list of honors, awards and honored guest appearances, please see Dr. Armstrong’s St. Olaf profile.
Amanda Dahlseng-Monroe
Rev. Amanda Dahlseng-Monroe (she/her) serves as the associate pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Loves Park, Illinois. She is the creator, owner and writer for Faith Fix, a curriculum writing small business working with and alongside churches around the country. Amanda graduated from Luther College in 2009, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Religion and Social Work. She then graduated from Wartburg Theological Seminary in 2022, where she earned her Master of Divinity. Every sermon, devotional, or lesson that Amanda writes is grounded in and celebrates God’s love for everyone and everything that God has created. She has a deep passion to loudly and clearly make it known, that God loves all people. Outside of ministry, Amanda is a marathoner, loves to lose herself in a good book, enjoys playing guitar and singing, can be found cheering loudly at sporting events or live concerts, and is happiest when she is surrounded by her three children.
Vonda Drees
Vonda draws inspiration from the natural world, the writings of mystics and voices for justice. Contemplative from an early age, creative practices gave her space to converse with the questions and ponderings deepest in her. She writes, “There are things I learn about myself, my particular ways of seeing and being, that through art surprise me and sweep me into Mystery.”
Vonda and her husband, Jim, live in a blue-roofed log cabin named “Sombrero Azul” on the ancestral land of the Tonkawa people near La Grange, Texas. They served as directors of the Grünewald Guild, an art and faith retreat center in Washington State, from 2016-2020. Vonda shares images from her devotional practice over social media, teaches, and hosts online creative journaling communities.
Learn more at vondadrees.com.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vondadrees/
Megan Engel
From virtuosic organ toccatas to delicate choral arrangements to the grittiest progressive metal, Megan Engel (she/her) loves how music can support individual spirituality and build community. She has served as a church musician since age 13, when she played organ for her small church in rural Southwestern MN. Formal training includes a Bachelor of Music in Organ Performance (Indiana University, Bloomington), a Master of Arts in Organ Performance (University of Iowa), and additional graduate work at the University of Minnesota. She has worked with congregations in Minnesota, Indiana, and Iowa, and since 2017, serves as the Director of Music and Worship at Bethel Lutheran in Northfield.
Megan lives in Northfield with her husband, two sons, and two cats (Wolfgang and Swift). In her free time, she enjoys singing with local community choir I Cantanti, listening to true crime podcasts, and puzzling.
Katie Houts
Katie Houts is the Sacred Choral and Curriculum Editor for Choristers Guild. Serving CG since 2013, Katie curates and edits sacred choral anthems, collections, musicals, curriculum, and teaching resources; she also serves on the faculty of the Choristers Guild Institute. She studied music at Wartburg College (Waverly, IA), where she majored in Church Music (Organ) and Religion. She has served in ELCA, UCC, and UMC congregations as Director of Music, Worship Curator, Organist, and Children’s Choir Director.
Katie is a published composer and a frequent clinician at sacred conferences throughout the country. She serves on ACDA’s National Committee for Composition Initiatives, working to support and champion the work of living choral composers. Katie is also a sought-after professional accompanist, performing throughout Minneapolis, Boston, and Salt Lake City metro areas.
Katie is based in Salt Lake City, where she leads choral ensembles throughout the community, including Rise Up Children’s Choir – Utah’s premiere contemporary vocal performance group for ages 6-18. She conducts RUCC’s intermediate ensemble, Rise Up Ignite, and is the assistant director and accompanist for the advanced mixed children’s choir. She also teaches second grade music and directs the 5th and 6th grade choirs at Wasatch Charter School (Holladay, UT).
(MONday, July 29) Beyond the Christmas Pageant and Palm Sunday
With the vocational discovery of children at the forefront, we’ll explore how children’s voices can lead and respond confidently in worship – in sung, spoken, and silent Word. In this hands-on session, we’ll discuss congregational song and identify markers of accessible hymnody for children – while learning how to introduce more difficult (yet foundational) pieces of our musical canon; we’ll create child-led litanies, prayers, or transitional pieces; and we’ll learn how to empower children’s voices in worship through art, nature, and service.
(TUEsday, july 30) Seasons of the Church Year through a Child’s Eyes
How do we invite wonder and foster connection as we move through the church year? For children – and even adults who are unfamiliar with our traditions – the seasons of the church year and their signs, symbols, and songs can be filled with mystery. We’ll focus on fostering connection in this guided journey through the liturgical seasons, generating ideas to heighten understanding and minimize disconnect. We’ll also touch briefly on child development and learning styles, discovering opportunities to nurture a child’s experience in worship as we move through the liturgical year.
DaMisha McFarland-Pollock
DaMisha McFarland-Pollock (she/her) is a final year MDiv student with a concentration in Rural Ministry at Wartburg Theological Seminary. She is currently in the first call process in the Southeast Iowa Synod. She is an eco-womanist theologian who seeks to name the voices in scripture that are often overlooked, misunderstood, or misrepresented so often in sermons and bible studies. She is an ELCA Coach and is currently working on certifications in Creation Care and Discipleship. DaMisha loves to read, take hikes, write poetry, and dance. A belief that we are all God’s children and should be treated accordingly guides her daily interactions with herself and those she encounters.
Sergio Rodriguez
Rev. Sergio Edson Rodriguez (el/he/him) serves as the pastor of parish life at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Houston, Texas. He currently serves the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod on its council, as the chair of its elections committee and LGBTQA+ coalition and on the Latinex Strategy team. Sergio graduated from Baylor University in 2012, where he earned a Bachelor’s of Arts in Religion. He then graduated from Concordia Theological Seminary with a Masters of the Arts in theology with a thesis over the Graeco-Roman Rherotical devices in the Good Shepherd Discourse. He graduated from Wartburg Theological Seminary, where he earned his Masters of Divinity degree, Hispanic Ministry concentration. His preaching, and teaching are firmly grounded in a theology of the cross as made manifest through complexity of life in Christ. In particular, his focus is on expanding perspectives regarding the breath, length and depth of Lutheran life and practice as found in Mexican cultures. Outside of ministry, Sergio enjoys gardening, a good book of poetry, and spending time with his fiancée, Justin and their two cats, Alucard and Johann Sebastian.
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