SMU Large School All-State Choir Camp

SMU Meadows School of the Arts is proud to offer All-State Choir Camp for the fourth consecutive year! Any high school choir students who are interested in learning the music for the Texas Music Educators Association All-State Choir auditions are welcome to attend. During the three days of the camp, participants will be introduced to the all-state audition music, and they will participate in break-out sessions that will include topics such as: audition techniques, sight-reading skills, drumming and games.

Camp choral director is Margaret Winchell, Director of Choral Activities at SMU. Section leaders for the camp are Christopher Ahrens, Cathy Koziatek, Josh McGuire and Clorese Porter, with Sharon Bailey, Jimmy Emery, and Jane Schmidt as collaborative pianists.

  • Dates: June 4 - 6
  • Times: Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a 3 p.m. informal concert for parents and friends
  • Cost: $300*
    • Includes: all-state music packet, parking, camp t-shirt, reusable water bottle, daily snacks, final day lunch and final day supper
  • Housing: There is no on-campus housing available for camp this summer.

*Inquire about reduced tuition for schools sending 10 or more students.

REGISTER HERE

All-State Choir Camp Faculty  

Margaret Winchell, Camp Choir Director, is Director of Choral Activities at SMU Meadows School of the Arts, where she conducts the Meadows Chamber Singers and Concordia. She also teaches graduate courses in choral conducting and literature. Winchell has completed coursework for a D.M.A. in Choral Conducting at Yale University and holds degrees from Western Michigan University and Wheaton College (IL). Her graduate teachers and mentors include Jeffrey Douma, David Hill, Felicia Barber and Kimberly Dunn Adams. Before her graduate studies, Winchell taught high school for several years in the Chicagoland area, where she also taught for several summers as a teaching artist at the Goodman Theatre. She is praised for her energetic and positive presence on the podium, and she has presented at state and regional conferences on topics related to rehearsal pedagogy, program culture and values, and exploring text and meaning with singers.

Joel Duarte, Camp Coordinator, is the head choral director at Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy and is a sought-after vocal clinician throughout Texas and the nation. Duarte regularly teaches at clinics, camps, and workshops, and has served as an honor choir guest conductor in several TMEA All-Region events. He has presented choral pedagogy sessions in school districts across Texas and at TMEA, OkMEA, SWACDA and ISME (Scotland). Vocalists under Duarte's direction consistently earn UIL Sweepstakes, superior results at State Solo & Ensemble, and place annually in TMEA region and all-state choirs. Beyond performance and director credentials, Duarte is tremendously passionate about impacting and mentoring students, the musicians of tomorrow, through heart, mind and soul! He is a graduate of SMU's master's degree program.

Courtney Wilson, Camp Coordinator, is very excited to begin her ninth year of teaching middle school choir and joining the Prosper Choir team. Prior to the 2025-26 school year, she taught at Faubion Middle School in McKinney ISD (2022-2024), Murphy Middle School in Plano ISD (2020-2022) and began her teaching career at Brandenburg Middle School in Garland ISD (2017-2020). Wilson grew up in Baton Rouge, LA, and earned her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Northwestern State University and her Master of Music in Music Education from SMU. In her free time, Wilson enjoys online shopping and going to the dog park with her dogs, Duke and Stella!

Christopher W. Ahrens, Bass Section Leader, joined the faculty of McKinney North High School as Choir Director in 2015. Prior to that, he served as the Choir Director at Vines High School in Plano, TX, and Assistant Choir Director at Plano Senior High School. Ahrens received both a Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Texas Christian University, where he performed and studied under the direction of Ron Shirey, Dr. Sheri Neill and David Brock. He serves as an active clinician and adjudicator throughout the state of Texas, and loves serving as section leader at All-State camps in the summer. He served TMEA as Region 25 Vocal Division Chair twice, and most recently as the Region 24 Vocal Division Chair. Ahrens was honored as the 2013 Teacher of the Year for Vines HS and went on to receive the Excellence in Teaching Award from Plano Independent School District. Choirs under his direction have consistently been successful at UIL and other competitions around the U.S. The Vines Chorale Women were selected to perform under Ahrens' direction at TMEA in 2014, and he had the pleasure of co-directing the PSHS Varsity Women at the ACDA National Convention in 2007 and at TMEA in 2009. Ahrens serves as the Youth Choir Director and Tenor Section Leader at Transfiguration Episcopal Church in Dallas.

Cathy Koziatek, Soprano Section Leader, is associate director of choirs at Allen High School. With over two decades of experience since 2000, she has served in various choir director roles at Plano West Senior High School, Lovejoy High School, Wylie East High School and Walnut Grove High School (Prosper). Her choirs have performed at the Texas Music Educators Association convention and the Southwest ACDA conference, consistently winning sweepstakes at UIL competitions. Many of her students have earned Texas All-State Choir placements and gone on to teach music nationwide. A frequent adjudicator, honor choir conductor, and clinician specializing in vocal technique, Koziatek teaches at All-State camps and provides professional development in music education and leadership. She holds bachelor's and master's degrees in vocal performance from the University of North Texas, with focus areas in music theory and vocal pedagogy. She maintains an active professional singing career alongside her teaching duties.

Josh McGuire, Tenor Section Leader, serves as one of the choir directors at Rock Hill High School. Previous to Rock Hill, he was a choir director at Sachse High School for 15 years in the Garland Independent School District. During his tenure at Sachse High School, choirs performed for the Music Educators National Conference, served as demonstration choirs for the American Choral Directors Association, were honored with placement at the American Classic Madrigal and Chamber Choir Festival in San Antonio and North Texas, and were consistently awarded Sweepstakes at UIL Concert & Sight Reading. Originally from Illinois, he taught at the middle school and high school levels in the Chicago area. McGuire has been honored to serve the directors and students of Texas in various roles within the Texas Music Educators Association as a Region Vocal Chair, All-State Choir section leader, All-State Choir organizer, the TMEA Convention Vocal Division Clinic & Convention Coordinator, Area B Vocal Division Chair, and Area C Vocal Division Chair. Most recently he served as a Vice-President of the Texas Music Educators Association and State Vocal Chair from 2023-2025.

Clorese Porter, Alto Section Leader, is the Director of Choirs at Richland High School in Prosper ISD will begin her 20th year of teaching choral music. Prior to Richland, she was the head choral director at Plano Senior High School for the last seven years. Choirs under Porter's direction have consistently received sweepstakes awards at UIL Concert and Sight-Reading, and her former AP Music Theory students have been highly successful earning college credit and scholarships due to her tutelage. A graduate of Paul Dunbar High School in Fort Worth, Porter attended Texas Christian University, earning a Bachelor of Music in Education degree. While at TCU, she was a member of the Women's Chorus, Choral Union, and Concert Chorale and participated in performances for the TMEA and SWACDA conventions and at Carnegie Hall. Porter holds a Master of Music in Music Education from UNT. A member of TMEA, TCDA, and TMAA, she is the 2010 recipient of TCDA's Distinguished Young Director Award. She resides in Lewisville with her wonderfully patient husband, Patrick Porter.

Sharon Bailey, Collaborative Pianist, is currently the choral accompanist and rehearsal pianist for opera and musical theatre productions at Dallas Baptist University. She holds Bachelor of Arts and Master of Music degrees from Hardin-Simmons University. Bailey has collaborated with a variety of soloists and ensembles, and has accompanied many school choirs in the Dallas area. She frequently plays for Region choirs and clinics, and has served as an accompanist for a TMEA All-State choir and the Youth Chorus of Greater Dallas. Bailey maintained a private piano studio for many years and is the pianist at Lakepointe Church in East Dallas. She lives in Garland with her husband Bill, and has two grown children. Her most cherished time is spent with her granddaughter, Reese.

Jimmy Emery, Collaborative Pianist, serves as Director of Music Ministry at Lovers Lane United Methodist Church in Dallas. He also serves on the staff of Dallas College as Fine Arts Specialist/Collaborative Piano Specialist and is the owner of Elegant Piano Dallas. Emery earned Bachelor of Music degrees in Piano Performance, Piano Pedagogy, and Music Education and a Master of Music degree in Music Education, summa cum laude, from SMU.

Jane Schmidt, Collaborative Pianist, is in high demand as an accompanist throughout North Texas for choral groups, voice studios, soloists and instrumentalists. Schmidt has performed organ/choir concerts in the U.S., England, Spain and Wales. She also maintains a piano studio in her home in Plano, TX. Schmidt earned a Master of Music degree in Organ Performance from SMU in Dallas, TX, and Bachelor of Music degrees in Organ Performance and Music Theory/Composition from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. She also completed post-graduate study of early Spanish keyboard music at the Conservatorio Superior Municipal de Música de Barcelona, Spain. Schmidt is a member of the American Guild of Organists and the Texas Music Educators Association.

For further information about SMU Music Educators Workshops, or to register for one of these classes, visit https://admission.smu.edu/portal/musicworkshops; or contact Dr. Julie Scott at muedworkshops@smu.edu.