2023 Summer Sing Conductor Bios

Evidently Frank Albinder sang before he could talk, which explains a lot, including why he's been involved in choral music for almost his entire life. At non-overlapping times, he was the Director of Choral Activities at Davidson College and a member of Chanticleer, where, in addition to singing, he also served as acting director, tour manager, librarian, and merchandise manager. He is currently the conductor of the Virginia Glee Club at the University of Virginia (virginiagleeclub.org) and is about to embark on his 25th and final season as the music director of the Washington Men's Camerata (camerata.com).

Ben Ayling retired as the Director of Choral Activities at Ohio Northern University in 2016. He has taught at BGSU, Case Western Reserve, Ohio State University, and Kent State University where he was conductor and founder of the KSU Men’s Chorus.  As a performer, Dr. Ayling spent 17 years as a studio singer for radio and television commercials, and sang bass in The Ritz, the 1991 International Champion Quartet of the Barbershop Harmony Society which performed in 46 states, Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand, Australia, and Russia.  A lifetime member of the American Choral Directors Association, which he served as the Ohio President. Dr. Ayling now runs a photography business and website where he sells nature and fine art images at: https://benayling.zenfolio.com/.

Frank Bianchi (he/him/his)  Frank’s been making music making career began when he was 6 years old and began accordion lessons.  He then learned to play the organ and began playing at church when he was 11.  He’s in his 58^th year of doing that currently at St. Ignatius of Antioch Church where he is Associate Organist.  This is Frank’s 47^th year of teaching, 17 of which have been at Baldwin Wallace where he founded the BW Men’s Chorus in 2007.  https://www.facebook.com/bwmenschorus    Building communities of singers through choral music has always and will always be Frank’s passion. He’s taught several thousand singers over the years at Brunswick and Medina High Schools, in the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus and here at BW.  He loves enjoying life with his sidekick and furry companion, Charlie.  Who by the way has attended every rehearsal for the BWMC since Frank brought him home nearly 8 years ago.

Nicholas S. Campagna holds a Master’s Degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Akron and a Bachelor of Music degree from Ohio University in Choral Music Education.  He began his teaching career in 2012 as the Vocal Music Director at Stow-Munroe Falls High School and Kimpton Middle School.  He currently directs eight choirs, several of which continuously earn Superior(I) Ratings at OMEA Adjudicated Events and qualify for State Contest.  Nicholas is the director for both SMFHS and Kimpton Middle School musical productions and also serves as an assistant director of the Stow-Munroe Falls High School Bulldog Marching Band.  When he isn't annoying teenagers with dad jokes or overtone singing, Nicholas is either walking his beloved black Labrador retriever, Bentley, or honing his golf skills for a future hypothetical golf match in which he honorably takes Eric Richardson for every last dime in his pocket.

Dr. Christopher L. Clark is the Director of Choirs at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He taught choirs in public schools in Ohio and Massachusetts for 15 years before receiving his PhD from the University of Hartford's Hartt School of Music. Dr. Clark also sings with Boston-based social justice choir Voices 21C, who last week participated in the Sama International Choral Festival, hosted by the Muslim Choral Ensemble, in Colombo, Sri Lanka.  https://case.edu/artsci/music/node/2336

David Croglio has been a member of the Baldwin Wallace Men’s Chorus for 12 seasons. He currently serves as Director of Choral & Liturgical Music at Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland. In addition to his regular roles at the school, he serves as music director for the annual Spring Musical. In his "free" time, David sings at St. Dominic Church in Shaker Heights. Originally from the Buffalo, NY area, he and his wife Patrice (also a music teacher) currently reside in Cleveland Heights. David holds degrees in music education from Baldwin Wallace University and Bowling Green State University. https://www.ignatius.edu/students/extracurriculars/chorus

Dr. Andrew Crow has served on the faculty of Ball State University since 2009. As Director of Choral Activities, he currently leads the Ball State Chamber Choir and the tenor-bass Cardinal Chorus, teaches conducting, and mentors students pursuing graduate degrees. In addition to teaching at the university, he has served as a church musician for twenty years. Crow earned degrees from University of Minnesota, Temple University, and The Ohio State University where he performed with the Men’s Glee Club under the direction of Jim Gallagher. Crow is also an experienced singer, orchestral conductor, and piano technician.

Douglas Droste is Director of Orchestral Studies at Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music where he conducts the Baldwin Wallace Symphony Orchestra and teaches conducting. Droste’s guest conducting appearances include the INSO-Lviv Symphony Orchestra (Ukraine), and the orchestras of Kansas City, Indianapolis, Columbus, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Midland-Odessa, Fox Valley (IL), Chappaqua (NY), and the Amarillo Virtuosi. Equally at home in the pit, he has conducted over 30 productions of opera, ballet, and musical theatre, and has also led many eclectic pops shows.

As an advocate of music education, Droste is active as a clinician and adjudicator. A talented violinist, he is also skilled on viola, trumpet, and sang tenor with The Ohio State University Men’s Glee Club. Droste holds degrees from The Ohio State University and Texas Tech University.

Jason Falkofsky, a charter member of the BW Men’s Chorus, recently earned his PhD at Case University and having earned his undergraduate and masters degrees from Baldwin Wallace and Kent State University.  Jason has taught vocal music at St. Ignatius High School, has conducted numerous musicals in NE Ohio, has served as organist and choir director at several NE Ohio churches and has presented musical theater workshops at OMEA and OCDA State Conferences.  Jason can be reached at jfalkofsky@gmail.com

James Gallagher is Professor Emeritus in the School of Music of The Ohio State University.   Following 18 years teaching in the Columbus City Schools, he served for 21 years as Director of Choral Activities, taught conducting, choral repertoire, and vocal pedagogy at OSU.   He also conducted the Symphonic Choir and the international award-winning OSU Men's Glee Club.  His ensembles performed at two national conventions of both the American Choral Directors Association and Music Educators National Conference, as well as numerous state and divisional conventions of ACDA and the Ohio Music Education Association.

Kerry Glann grew up in Huron, Ohio, and attended Bowling Green State University, where he sang in the BGSU Men’s Chorus and Collegiate Chorale under the direction of RD Mathey. He taught in the public schools of Ohio for five years, earned his master’s degree at Kent State University, and then served on the Kent State faculty for seven years. He earned a DMA in conducting from the University of North Texas and is now associate director of choral activities at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. His choirs have appeared at OMEA, IMEA, and ACDA conferences. A lover of musical theatre, Kerry served as musical director & conductor for The Huron Playhouse for 17 seasons and is now on the directing staff of the Bigfork Summer Playhouse in Bigfork, Montana.

https://www.bsu.edu/academics/collegesanddepartments/music/about-us/faculty-and-staff/ensembles-and-conducting/glannkerry

Peter Jarjisian  grew up near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he had two loves: singing and baseball. Sadly, the Philadelphia Phillies never called -- so he followed his love for music -- singing every week on a CBS TV program at the age of 10, and later earning music degrees at Susquehanna University, Temple University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Professors Robert Summer, Robert Page, and Robert Fountain were models of integrity, ingenuity, and industry.

He taught for 10 years at Pequea Valley High School (Lancaster County, Pennsylvania), then for 33 years at Ohio University in Athens, where he served as Director of Choral Studies from 1984 - 2012. For 15 seasons he was active in the Cleveland area as Assistant Conductor of Robert Page’s professional choir, The Cleveland Singers, also singing as time allowed in the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus and Blossom Festival Chorus.

A Life Member of ACDA, Dr. Jarjisian served several times on the board of the Ohio Choral Directors Association, including a term as President. This summer, he was humbled to be presented with the OCDA Distinguished Service Award.

Living now in the Chicago-area, Dr. J. is grateful to direct gifted singers in the Chancel Choir at Grace United Methodist Church-Naperville peter.jarjisian@peopleofgrace.org and to sing in the philanthropically centered community choir, NaperVoice, which donates half of all concert proceeds to benefit a different community organization. The choir’s objectives are: Sing well. Do good.

Though his baseball-playing days are behind him, you may find Peter on the golf course, reminding himself to swing musically, and attempting to shoot his age.

Dr. Jami Lercher (she/her) is excited to be starting her fourth year as choral music education professor at BW. She has taught and lived in Iowa, Wales, Minnesota, and Florida, and is happy to be settled in Northeast Ohio with her husband, fifth-grade daughter, and fruit and vegetable gardens. Her family just completed an epic tour of national parks in the Southwest and is always up for adventure! You may catch her this coming year at conferences for NCCO, Indiana Music Educators, and Southern Region ACDA.

 https://www.bw.edu/academics/bios/lercher-jami

Bradley M. Naylor, DMA (he/him/his)

Conductor and tenor Dr. Bradley Naylor serves as Director of Choral Activities at the Ohio University School of Music in Athens, where he directs multiple choral ensembles and teaches courses related to conducting and choral music.  He has appeared recently as a member of the LancasterChorale, Vocal Arts Ensemble - Cincinnati, and the Santa Fe Desert Chorale.  Bradley has two amazing, smart, and musical kids - Abby and Luke, who play the clarinet and sing, respectively.  You can find out more about Dr. Naylor here: https://www.ohio.edu/fine-arts/naylorb

Eric Richardson [ersings1@yahoo.com] is a retired secondary and collegiate choral director, having taught most of his years at Strongsville High School, Strongsville, OH.  He is an active clinician and adjudicator, as well as Honor Choir Conductor.  He and his wife, Joanne, have five adult children and 3 1/2 grandchildren.  They reside in Avon Lake where he still can’t seem to get a decent golf handicap.

Jordan Saul at The Ohio State University, she serves as professor of practice for Choral Music Education, conducts the Women’s Glee Club, University Chorus, and advises student organizations and student teachers. Prior to joining the Ohio State School of Music faculty, she was associate director of choral activities and professor of music education at the Conservatory of Music at Baldwin Wallace University. Saul holds degrees from the University of Arizona and Westminster Choir College, and currently serves the community at North Broadway United Methodist Church as director of music in Clintonville, Ohio. Conductor, educator and mezzo-soprano Jordan Saul demonstrates compassionate rigor and social relevance in teaching and engaged programming in performance. As a conductor, Saul emphasizes musical and personal skill building through programming by prioritizing historically underrepresented voices.

Richard Schnipke serves as Associate Professor Music Performance and Choral Activities at Bowling Green State University where he conducts the Collegiate Chorale and Men’s Chorus and teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in choral conducting and choral literature.  Previously, Dr. Schnipke was a member of the faculty at Xavier University and The Ohio State University, and was a public-school choral director in Ohio for fifteen years.  He holds degrees from Bowling Green State University and The Ohio State University, and has done additional studies at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.  As a vocalist, Dr. Schnipke has sung professionally with Cincinnati’s Vocal Arts Ensemble, the Cincinnati Fusion Ensemble, Collegium Cincinnati, Cincinnati Opera, and Opera Columbus.  Rich lives in Toledo with his husband, Mike Crandall, and their two adorable miniature schnauzers, Kenzie and Cooper.

https://www.bgsu.edu/musical-arts/faculty-and-staff/richard-schnipke.html

https://www.bgsu.edu/musical-arts/ensembles/choral/mens-chorus.html