Vocal Arts

Bio: Karen Kenaston-French is Professor and Director of Choral Activities at the University of Texas Arlington, where she conducts the A Cappella Choir, teaches graduate and undergraduate conducting, and heads the Vocal Area. Under her direction the UTA A Cappella Choir given invited performances at prestigious conferences including National Collegiate Choral Organization (2019), Southwestern Division American Choral Director’s Association (2022 & 2016), the Texas Music Educators Association state convention (2019 & 2014), and served as Choir-in-Residence for the undergraduate and graduate conducting competition at national ACDA (2015). She has prepared the choir for numerous regional guest appearances, including with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Texas Ballet Theatre, Fort Worth Chorale, the Rolling Stones and The Eagles. Under her direction, the UT Arlington A Cappella has been named a finalist in the American Prize for Choral Performance in 2021 and 2014. In 2019 Dr. Kenaston-French assumed the position of Artistic Director/Conductor of the Fort Worth Chorale, only the fifth conductor in the organization’s 57-year history. Prior to her arrival at UTA, Dr. Kenaston-French served as Director of Choral Activities at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, where she led the Chamber Singers in two appearances at the Tennessee Music Education Association state conference, and in master classes with Chanticleer, Cantus, and Libby Larsen. She taught conducting at Southern Methodist University and the University of North Texas, and served as director of music ministries at Plymouth Park United Methodist Church in Irving, Texas from 1986-1998. Dr. Kenaston-French has been guest conductor for honor choirs in Colorado, Tennessee, and for many TMEA region choirs. A frequent lecturer and adjudicator, she has given presentations on choral tone, conducting, rehearsal technique and performance practice for SMU, Choristers Guild, Texas Choral Directors Association, and various universities, school districts and local churches. A native of Huntington, WV, Dr. Kenaston-French holds a B.A. in vocal performance from West Virginia Wesleyan College, M.M. and M.S.M. degrees in choral conducting from Southern Methodist University, and a D.M.A. in choral conducting from the University of North Texas, where she was named outstanding graduate student in conducting and ensembles and the Pi Kappa Lambda outstanding doctoral student. She studied conducting with Jerry McCoy, Mel Ivey, Lloyd Pfautsch, Jane Marshall, and Larry Parsons, and in 2011 was a conductor for the Choral/Orchestral Master Class of the Oregon Bach Festival, under Helmut Rilling and Jeffrey Kahane. Vocal studies include graduate work with Lynn Eustis at UNT and Linda Baer at SMU. Her article “The Teachings of Jean‐Antoine Bérard” was published in the National Association of Teachers of Singing Journal of Singing in November 2009. She sang in the Dallas Symphony Chorus from 1993-2003, and was selected for the first Robert Shaw Festival Chorus at Carnegie Hall in 1991.

Bio: Dr. John Wayman is the Associate Director of Choral Activities, Associate Professor, and Area Coordinator for Music Education at the University of Texas at Arlington. He conducts the University Singers and helps guide future choral music educators. He is in great demand as a conductor, adjudicator, and clinician. Dr. Wayman has appeared as a guest conductor and adjudicator at numerous state and regional events. He has given frequent clinics at the state, national, and international platforms on choral pedagogy for the maturing adolescent voice, programming, and rehearsal strategies for choral music educators. Much of Dr. Wayman’s research focuses on the changing male voice and teacher preparation. He has presented at the state (Alaska MEA, Georgia MEA, Louisiana MEA, New Mexico MEA, Oklahoma ACDA, Tennessee MEA, and Texas MEA), national (National Association for Music Educators, National American Choral Directors Association, Society of Research for Music Education, Society of Music Teacher Educators, Southwestern American Choral Association) and international venues (Greece, Brazil, England, Uganda, China and most recently in Scotland and Ireland). He has published in the International Journal of Research in Choral Singing, the Journal of Research in Music Education, the Teaching Music, Texas Music Educator Research, Missouri Journal of Research in Music Education, Kansas Music Review, the Ala Breve: Alabama Music Education Journal, and Georgia Music News. Dr. Wayman also serves on the Editor Advisory Board for the national Music Educators Journal. In 2019, Dr. Wayman was selected as the 2019 Sunrise Rotary Professor of the Year Award for the College of Liberal Arts. Above all, he loves teaching and inspiring those who love to sing!

Bio: Jing Ling-Tam, Professor of Music has garnered international recognition in North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia. A brilliant conductor, Ling-Tam has conducted over thirty- five All-State Choirs and numerous American Choral Directors Association national and divisional honor choirs. An innovative and much sought after clinician/master teacher, she has been featured as a headliner at prestigious international, national, regional and state choral conferences. As Director of Choral Studies at the University of Texas at Arlington (1999-2009), her choirs have performed at national and regional ACDA conferences, Texas Music Educators Association Conferences (1997 and 2001) and toured in the US, Mexico, Canada, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Austria. Ling-Tam served as Associate Conductor/Chorus Master /Principal Coach Pianist for the Ft. Worth Opera Association for sixteen seasons, and was on the faculty at the American Institute of Musical Studies, Graz, Austria for eleven summers. Ling-Tam’s recent credits include conducting the Taipei Symphony, the Coro de Madrigalistas of Mexico, and presenting workshops/lectures for the Children’s Palaces of NingBo, Xiamen and GuangZho in China; Festival 500, Newfoundland, the Ontario Vocal Festival & Choral Conductors' Symposium, Toronto, Podium 2008, New Brunswick, Canada; the 2006 International Youth Choral Festival, Hong Kong and the 2007 and 2009 Salzburg Pedagogical Institute Winter Workshops. Ling-Tam also served on juries for the 2007 Third World Children's Choral Festival, Hong Kong, the Spittal an der Drau 45th International Choral Competition in Austria, and the 2008 World Choir Games in Austria. This July she made her Australian conducting debut with the 2010 Australian National Choral Association’s Honor Choir and was a member of the international jury for the 2010 World Choir Games in China. Currently, Prof. Ling-Tam is scheduled to conduct the 2010 New York All-State Choir, 2010 Washington All-State Choir, and 2010 Louisiana Youth All- State Choir. Prof. Ling-Tam serves on the board of Chorus American A choral series in her name is published by Alliance Music of Houston, Texas.

Bio: David Grogan, baritone, has performed extensively throughout the Southwest to critical acclaim. The Dallas Morning News hailed Mr. Grogan as the “perfect Christus” after a performance of the St. Matthew Passion with the Dallas Bach Society. The Albuquerque Tribune, in reference to a performance of Messiah with the New Mexico Symphony, said, “David Grogan had all the range and power required of the part, sounding like the voice of doom in ‘The people that walked in darkness’ and the light of revelation in ‘The trumpet shall sound.’" A recent performance of Elijah had critics praising his ability to “move easily from stentorian declamation to lyrical aria.” Another critic said that he “….brought an impressive vocal power to the lead role of Elijah, and his rich emotive gift set the level for the other chief performers.” He has performed as a soloist with many Dallas area arts groups including the Dallas Bach Society, Texas Baroque Ensemble, Orpheus Chamber Singers, Mesquite Civic Chorus, and the Allegro Artists, as well as at several Texas universities. Recent performances include Elijah with the New Mexico Symphony, Orff’s Carmina Burana with the Arlington Master Chorale, and the Beethoven Missa Solemnis with the Plano Civic Chorus. Grogan looks forward to his performance of the Brahms Requiem under Helmuth Rilling this fall. Grogan joined the faculty at the University of Texas Arlington in the fall of 2009, first as visiting professor and in 2010 as tenure-track Assistant Professor of Voice. In addition to providing private vocal instruction for voice majors, Grogan teaches vocal pedagogy, voice class, and choral methods. His background in choral music education is extensive, including experience directing programs in both private and public schools across the metroplex. As choir director at Dallas Christian School from 1996 to 2000, Dr. Grogan increased choir participation from 15 members to 115, and took the choir to one of the first TPSMEA competitions. He has taught voice and served as assistant choral director in some of the most prominent programs in the area, including at Arlington High School under Dinah Menger, and Manor Middle School under Tommy Haygood. Grogan holds Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Music degrees from Texas Christian University, where he studied voice with Sheila Allen and pedagogy with Vincent Russo. His love of choral music was solidified under the tutelage of the late Ronald Shirey, who taught Grogan much of his musicality. He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy in 2010 from the University of North Texas, where he studied voice with Jeffrey Snider, pedagogy with Stephen Austin, and worked closely with Lyle Nordstrom in the early music program. Dr. Grogan’s dissertation was on the vocal pedagogy of Frederic W. Root, who was an American vocal pedagogue of the 19th century. A shorter version of the dissertation was published in the January 2010 Journal of Singing under the title, “The Roots of American Pedagogy.”

Bio: Praised for his “satisfyingly rich” and “resonant” tone, bass-baritone Christopher Curcuruto “simply owns the stage whenever he is on it”. Hailing from Sydney, Australia, Curcuruto has enjoyed an international operatic career across a diverse repertoire. In the United States, Curcuruto’s recent notable engagements include Alidoro in La Cenerentola with Nashville Opera as a Mary Ragland Emerging Artist, and Zweiter Soldat in Salome with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Fabio Luisi. This April, Curcuruto performs the role of Simone with Amarillo Opera and has been awarded a grant from the Wagner Society of NSW to coach the role of Alberich from Wagner's Das Rheingold this summer. In addition to Nashville Opera, Curcuruto has been highly sought after by young artist residencies, performing as Studio Artist with Fort Worth Opera (2019-2021), Education Artist with The Dallas Opera (2020-2021), and Resident Artist at the Pittsburgh Festival Opera and Mastersingers Program for Young Dramatic Voices under dramatic soprano Jane Eaglen. Curcuruto recently completed requirements for a Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance with related fields in Opera Performance, Opera Directing, and Vocal Pedagogy at the University of North Texas, in addition to previous graduate qualifications in theatre performance from the University of New England (Australia). Curcuruto's previous roles include the title roles of Gianni Schicchi and Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro), Raimondo (Lucia di Lammermoor), Horace Giddens (Regina), Leporello (Don Giovanni), Harašta (The Cunning Little Vixen), Kecal (The Bartered Bride), Dulcamara (L’Elisir d’Amore), and Collatinus (The Rape of Lucretia).

Bio: Known for her sparkling tone and expressive artistry, Jessica Ferring Glenn has enjoyed success on operatic and concert stages alike. Most recently, Glenn was seen as Blanche DuBois in UNT Opera’s production of A Streetcar Named Desire by André Previn (2023), Gretel in Denton County Opera’s Hansel and Gretel (2023), Europa in Antonio Melani’s L’Europa at the Olomouc Baroque Festival in the Czech Republic, and Lucia in UNT Opera’s The Rape of Lucretia (2022). An avid art song recitalist and concert singer, Glenn specializes in 20th and 21st century song repertoire and champions new and under-represented composers. Recently, Glenn was a Fellow at SongFest in Nashville, TN, where she worked closely with composer John Musto and performed works by living composers John Harbison, Tonia Ko, and Alan Louis Smith. Other recital projects have included Things Unexepected and An Evening of Song Inspired by Poetry Written by Women and Lieder Inspired by Goethe. Recent concert appearances include Orff’s Carmina Burana with UTA Symphony Orchestra, Barber's Knoxville Summer of 1915 with the University of North Texas Orchestra, and the 2023 Spring Concert with the North Texas University Band and Concert Band where she was the featured soloist. Presently, Glenn is a Doctoral Candidate at the University of North Texas under the tutelage of internationally recognized pedagogue Dr. Stephen F. Austin. Jessica holds a Master of Music degree in Voice Performance and Pedagogy, earned with distinction from Westminster Choir College. During her MM studies, she honed her expertise in Voice Pedagogy under the mentorship of Dr. Kathy Price and Dr. Christopher Arneson. Glenn received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Voice Performance from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where she was a Donaghey Scholar. With a profound commitment to nurturing emerging vocal talent, Jessica has distinguished herself as an exceptional educator. She has been on faculty at UTA since 2023. From 2020-2030 she was a Teaching Fellow in Voice at UNT. Beyond academia, Jessica has made a significant impact as a private voice and piano instructor, and she notably served as the Director of Voice at Vivaldi Music Academy in Houston, TX from 2016 to 2020.

Bio: Dr. Jolene Webster is Program Director for Music in Worship Leadership at the University of Texas at Arlington. She is Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music teaching graduate and undergraduate music courses including Voice Class, Strategies and Assessment in Music Education, and Current Trends in Music Education. She also supervises music education student teachers in the schools. She holds a Doctorate in Education, Curriculum and Instruction from Texas Wesleyan University, 2015; Master of Music in Vocal Performance and Choral Conducting from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1988; two undergraduate degrees: Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Religious Education from Clear Creek Baptist College, 1985. Dr. Webster holds Lifetime All-Level Music Certification since 1990. She holds Supervisory Texas Teacher Evaluation & Support System Certification, 2019. Additionally, she is an ordained Minister of Word and Service in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Trinity Lutheran Seminary, 2004. She is currently Director of Music Ministries at Arlington Heights United Methodist Church, Fort Worth where she directs the Chancel Choir and oversees the music ministries of the church. Previously Dr. Webster served as Director of Music Ministries at University United Methodist Church, Austin 2015-21; St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Fort Worth, 2008-15; Rejoice Lutheran Church, Coppell 1993-2005; and several churches across Texas, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee spanning her career. Dr. Webster brings a wealth of experience in music education, academics, choral conducting, and church music. She instituted the choral music program and served as head choral director at Coppell High School, 1989-2006. She also served as head choral director at Paschal High School, 2006-2011, and in central administration where she coordinated Advanced Academic Activities at Fort Worth I.S.D. 2011-2015. Choirs under her direction have been invited multiple times to perform at Texas Music Educators Association and American Choral Directors Association. She is frequently an invited adjudicator, clinician, and conductor for regional, state, and national choral contests and presentations. Her creative and encouraging approach makes her a favorite among her choirs and students. Before coming to UTA Dr. Webster supervised music education student teachers for The University of Texas at Austin, while serving at University United Methodist Church as full-time Director of Music Ministries. She served as consultant to Del Valle I.S.D. Fine Arts, 2020-22 to redesign and reconstruct the choral music curriculum. She continues to be in high demand as a conductor, clinician and adjudicator for choral festivals and state and regional contests. Dr. Webster has a strong and extensive domestic and international conducting resume, including Carnegie Hall, JFK Center for Performing Arts, The National Cathedral, Chicago Symphony Hall, St. Peter’s Basilica, Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, and other noteworthy venues in many European countries and Canada. The list of Dr. Webster’s published articles and conference presentations is extensive. Her dissertation is titled: The effects of music education on academic, social and emotional outcomes: An investigation into the perceptions of high school students and their parents. Her teaching awards include: District Teacher of the Year; Texas Region XI Secondary Teacher of the Year; Bayard H. Friedman Teaching Chair for Excellence in Performing Arts; and Chesapeake Energy HERO Award.

Bio: Whitney studied musical theater and opera before falling in love with the music of Sarah Vaughan and pursuing a career in music singing jazz. She has been a working musician, composer, arranger and recording artist for over twenty-five years. She has worked extensively as a voice over artist, jingle singer and professional vocalist in genres that range from musical theatre to pop, soul, R&B, and jazz. Whitney has opened for Nina Simone, Betty Carter, Earth Wind & Fire, Macy Grey, The Roots, Maxwell, Mavis Staples, and Kurt Elling. She has studied with and performed with jazz greats Sheila Jordan, Jay Clayton, Dick Hyman, Mark Murphy, Nancy King, Chuck Owen, Rufus Reid, and Maria Schneider. James received her bachelor’s degree in music from Cornish College of the Arts in 1999. In May 2022, Whitney received her master’s degree in jazz studies from the University of North Texas. While at UNT, Whitney was a Teaching Fellow in the Vocal Jazz Department. As a TF, Whitney gained the invaluable experience of directing two vocal jazz ensembles, instructing, and redesigning the secondary jazz voice curriculum for non-vocal jazz majors and teaching private voice lessons. Her 2010 debut CD The Nature of Love spent 16 weeks on the National Jazz Charts and received critical acclaim from US and International Jazz Press. In 2012, Whitney was one of thirteen jazz musicians heralded as “Legends in the Making” and was featured on Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz: Rising Stars on NPR Radio hosted by Jon Weber. In 2015, Whitney was hired as the first woman on-air jazz disc jockey for NPR Station WUSF 89.7 FM, hosting the popular radio show All Night Jazz. Whitney’s seeks to use her experience, talent and expertise combined with her warmth and humor to help aspiring musicians develop their musicianship skills, discover their talent, and deepen their knowledge and love of music. As a vocal instructor she believes that everyone’s voice is unique. It is her job to help you explore your voice to discover your own sound - while focusing on pedagogy, vocal technique, expression, and artistry. Whitney has continued her vocal pedagogy studies by completing Somatic Voicework™ The Lovetri Method, Levels 1 & 2 in July 2023, and The Contemporary Commercial Music Vocal Pedagogy Institute at Shenandoah University Levels 1, 2 and 3 in July 2024.