This site provides information about the OMEA District 4 and District 7 Choral Honors Festival, which is hosted by the Cleveland State University School of Music.  You will find information on the clinicians, an events calendar, and the nomination form for the two Honors Choirs. 

Lisa Wong

Lisa Wong, a distinguished choral conductor and educator, serves as Director of Choruses for The Cleveland Orchestra, where she has prepared The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus and Blossom Festival Chorus for acclaimed performances under conductors Franz Welser-Möst, Klaus Mäkelä, John Adams, Jane Glover, Susanna Mälkki, and Eric Whitacre, among others. Her work has been described as “nuanced” (The New York Times) and “sensitive, yet powerful” (Cleveland Classical).

Wong served for 16 years as the Olive Williams Kettering Professor of Music at The College of Wooster. As director of the award-winning Wooster Chorus, she elevated the ensemble to national prominence through annual tours, performances at state and regional conferences, and the premieres of 15 new works. Her expertise in music education is informed by 32 years of classroom experience and extensive work as a clinician, adjudicator, and guest conductor. She has directed choirs at all levels, from elementary and secondary schools to universities and professional community organizations.

A sought-after leader in the field, Wong has shared her expertise internationally through engagements in Kenya and Singapore, served as a grant panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts and Chorus America, and presented at state and national conferences on varied topics, including choral repertoire, rehearsal techniques, and women in leadership. She is President-Elect of the Ohio Choral Directors Association and served as the Repertoire and Resource Chair for World Music and Cultures and on the Committee for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Ohio Music Education Association.

With degrees from West Chester University and the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Wong’s academic foundation is complemented by a rich career dedicated to inspiring and nurturing musicians of all ages. Her contributions to both the professional and academic spheres have significantly impacted the choral landscape.

Treble Honors Choir Clinician

Dr. Brian Bailey

Brian Bailey

Brian Bailey is the Director of Choirs in the Cleveland State University School of Music, where he conducts the CSU Chorale and University Chorus and teaches choral conducting and aural skills. Under his leadership, the CSU Chorale was selected to perform at the statewide Ohio Music Education Association Conference in 2017, 2023, and 2025. He was also a Visiting Assistant Professor of Conducting in the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Fall 2024, conducting the Oberlin College Choir. He has sung in the Cleveland Chamber Choir, Quire Cleveland, and the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus.

Before joining the CSU faculty in 2009, Dr. Bailey taught at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, and was also the Visiting Director of Choirs at The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA for the 2008–2009 year. He earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral conducting from The University of Iowa, where he conducted programs with the Camerata Singers and with Kantorei, the select chamber choir. He also holds degrees from Augustana College (Illinois), The Eastman School of Music, and Indiana University (Bloomington, IN). His choral teachers have included Timothy Stalter, Donald E. Morrison, and Robert Porco. He has held a variety of positions as a church musician and is currently the director of music and organist at St. Anselm Anglican Church in Lakewood, OH. He is married to Dr. Elena Mullins Bailey, who is on the music faculties of Case Western Reserve University and CSU. They are the parents of a delightful two-year old daughter.