Executive Board

Dr. Merrin Guice Gill is the Director of Choral Activities at Bethel University. Her choirs have received international awards including first and second prizes in the Riva Del Garda International Choral Competition, Silver Medal at the World Choir Games, and as finalists in the American Prize for Choral Performance. She is an accomplished soprano in opera and new music, frequent guest clinician, and scholar whose research has been presented widely. With NCCO, she has served on the National Board, published in The Choral Scholar, and presented “Feldenkrais Method and Mental Health in the Choral Room” at the 2023 National Conference.

Dr. Jonathan Talberg is the Director of Choral Studies at California State University, Long Beach, where he conducts the internationally acclaimed Bob Cole Chamber Choir. His ensembles have appeared at three NCCO Conferences, multiple Western regional and national ACDA conventions, and won numerous first-place awards at international competitions. A devoted mentor to emerging conductors and educators, Dr. Talberg’s teaching has shaped a generation of collegiate choral artists. He is invited frequently as a guest conductor and clinician, and CSULB alums hold significant positions nationwide. He is committed to advancing artistic and scholarly excellence, equity, and collaboration in higher education, which reflects the values and mission that define and guide the National Collegiate Choral Organization.

I currently serve as the Associate Director of Choral Activities at Harvard University, where I conduct the Radcliffe Choral Society and co-conduct the Harvard–Radcliffe Collegium Musicum alongside my colleague, Andy Clark. Before joining Harvard, I held faculty appointments at Lehigh University and Ithaca College. I gave a presentation at NCCO10 on breaking down the choral hierarchy and cultivating the morale of treble choirs and am serving as a National Board member for the Eastern Division. In that capacity, I was on the adjudication panels for the conducting masterclass and scores for NCCO11. My Mandarin diction guide for choral conductors and singers is published in The Choral Scholar & American Choral Review.

Dr. Jenny Bent is Director of Choral and Voice Activities at Sonoma State University and Choral Director of the Santa Rosa Symphony. Dr. Bent's contributions to the field of choral music have been recognized through accolades including the 2019 CMEA Bay Section Outstanding Choral Educator Award and the 2023 CMEA Pearson/Scott Foresman/Silver Burdett Choral Educator Award. The San Francisco Classical Voice described her symphony chorus as “superb” with “excellent diction and well-controlled dynamics,” and her ensemble SonoVoce performed at the 2023 California All State Music Education Conference. Dr. Bent is currently Repertoire & Resources Collegiate Choirs Coordinator for National ACDA and Western Region Representative for NCCO. From 2007 to 2014, Dr. Bent enjoyed hosting The Choir Loft on the Sonoma County NPR affiliate, KRCB-FM. She holds degrees from Boston University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Dr. Cordara Harper is a native of Cove City, North Carolina, the Director of Choral Activities, Voice Area Coordinator, and Assistant Professor of Music Education at Grambling State University. Harper is an international presenter and acclaimed versatile musician active as a music educator, choral conductor, instructional leader, and vocal musician. Dr. Harper completed a Ph.D. in Music Education with a cognate in Choral Conducting at the University of Memphis.

Dr. Angelica Dunsavage [she/they] serves as Artistic Director for the Phoenix Girls Chorus and Valley Women’s Ensembles in Phoenix, AZ. She has previously taught at the K-12 and university levels in Ohio, Arizona, Washington, and Tennessee. She received her DMA in Choral Conducting and Music Education from University of Arizona. Dr. Dunsavage currently serves as Chief Editor of Publications for the National Collegiate Choral Organization. She has presented posters and interest sessions for ACDA, NCCO, NAfME and College Music Society conferences. She remains in demand as a clinician, composer/arranger, vocal teacher, professional chorister, and mezzo-soprano soloist. Her primary research interests are early secular music and Alexander Technique.