HONOR CHOIR CLINICIANS
HONOR CHOIR CLINICIANS
Cristi Miller is highly regarded across the United States as a master teacher, conductor and composer. After graduating from Oklahoma State University, she began her teaching career instructing grades 7-12. She eventually moved to the Putnam City School system in 1989 where she worked in the elementary classroom for 21 years. During her time at Putnam City, she was the co-director of the Putnam City Honor Choir. In 2008, Cristi became a National Board Certified Teacher and in 2010, Mrs. Miller became a part of the Fine Arts Staff atHeritage Hall Schools in the Oklahoma City area where she teaches middle school music. Many of her students have received All-State honors through her leadership and her choirs have maintained superior ratings at statewide contests.
Mrs. Miller’s honors include Putnam City Teacher of the Year, Putnam City “Excellent Educator” Award, Putnam City PTA Teacher of the Year and OMEA Exemplary Teacher. In addition, in 2014 she will be inducted into the OMEA Hall of Fame. Mrs. Miller is frequently in demand as a clinician and director across the United States and Canada. She has numerous choral pieces and books in publication through the Hal Leonard Corporation and has also been the recipient of several ASCAP awards for hermusic. Cristi and her husband, Rick, live in Oklahoma City.
As an innovative conductor, teacher, and vocalist, McKenna Stenson has built a career inspiring students to sing confidently and motivating communities to create lasting change through song. Stenson currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Choral Music Education at Florida State University. She conducts Levana, an advanced treble ensemble, and teaches undergraduate choral methods, graduate conducting, and graduate choral seminars. She is an active guest conductor, clinician, presenter, and adjudicator for choirs across the United States and abroad. Stenson has held state leadership positions and presented at state, regional, national, and international conferences, including the 2023 World Symposium on Choral Music in Istanbul. Shewas nationally recognized as a Country Music Association Foundation Music Teacher of Excellence in 2020 and was recently named a National Finalist for both the 2023 American Prize Conducting and Choral Performance Competitions. Before joining the faculty at Florida State, Stenson was an Assistant Professor at the University of Kansas, where she served as Associate Director of Choral Activities, conducting the KU Glee Club and Oread Singers. She earned her Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conductingfrom the University of North Texas, a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Michigan State University, and dual Bachelor of Music degrees in Music Education and Vocal Performance from The Ohio State University. In her free time, Stenson enjoys running, traveling with her son Luka and husband Bryan, and amplifying the voices of women conductors through her podcast conduct(her), which she co-founded with her sister Kyra Stahr.
According to Hinshaw Music, “Sherry Blevins, a luminary in the world of choral composition and education, orchestrates harmonies that resonate with the soul. Her musical expertise is surpassed only by her dedication to nurturing the next generation of voices, making her a revered figure in both composition and education. ” Ms. Blevins is published with 8 different publishing houses including her own series with Hinshaw Music and currently has over 40 published works. She is also Founder and Artistic Director of the International Choral Composers Institute for emerging composers and lyricists which has hosted over 100 students in its first two summers in Charlotte, North Carolina. Ms. Blevins is a sought-after artist and award-winning composer, lyricist, conductor, and music educator who has taught music teachers and conducted singers from Beijing, China to Vancouver, Canada and whose music has been performed around the world from Lucca, Italy to Western Alaska. She has also adjudicated choirs fromher home state of North Carolina for the ACDA Honor Choir to Thessaloniki, Greece where she judged an international choral festival in May 2025. She was also honored to be included in GIA's 2025 book, Choral Repertoire by Women Composers.
Ms. Blevins has been commissioned by over 55 ensembles including eight all-state choirs, the American Choral Directors Association National Commission Consortium, and CCDA for the California All-State Junior High SATB Choir. Several of her works have premiered at Carnegie Hall including “Awaken” in 2024 as well as with her conducting her own multi-movement work, "Tipping Point" at Carnegie in 2025, and another multi-movement work, “To Truly Love” composed by her and internationally acclaimed composer, Raphael Fusco in May 2026. She will partner with the preeminent choral lyricist of our time, Charles Anthony Silvestri to create a work for the National Youth Chorus to premiere at Carnegie Hall in 2027. Ms. Blevins has a bachelor’s degree in music education with a principal in voice fromthe University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a master’s degree in music education with a concentration in choral conducting from Appalachian State University. Her hope is that whether through composing or teaching, that the music she shares will bring hope, life, and light to others. Contact Sherryat sherryblevinsmusic.com