Fort Showcase

Craig Engstrom is an alumnus of Luther College with a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education and he holds a Masters Degree from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in Educational Professional Development. Engstrom began his teaching in 1988 with a career in choral music with the School District of St. Ansgar, Iowa. Following that, he and his wife Denise moved to Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, where he spent the next 30 years teaching choral music before retiring in 2021. While in Fort Atkinson he conducted three concert choirs and directed two co-curricular competitive show choirs.  Additionally, he directed the school’s musicals each fall and was heavily involved in community theatre.

Nothing is more important to Craig than his family. His wife Denise and three children; Brittany, Hannah-Mae, and Ian are the lights of his life. In Craig’s free time he enjoys time with friends, traveling, and time with his grandchildren Kaleb,Brynnlee, and his newest grandson, Brecken. For just over 10 years, Craig has been a travel agent with Marvelous Mouse Travels; a privately owned agency based out of North Carolina. He specializes in anything Disney, Universal. He also works with all cruise lines, river cruises, and all inclusive resorts. He is excited to remain a part of the show choir community as an active judge and clinician throughout the Midwest.

Adam Miller hails from Minneapolis, MN and serves as a Solutions Engineer with Raptor Technologies, a Houston-based school safety software company. Before moving to the corporate world, he taught high school choir in Wisconsin and Minnesota from 2013–2021. His show choirs earned numerous awards for vocals, choreography, and overall performance, and his students were frequently selected for All-State and Honor Choirs, performed at the White House, sang with Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth, and supported many community events and fundraisers.

Beyond the classroom, Miller has led church music programs as Choir Director at St. Philip’s Lutheran Church in Fridley, MN and as Music Director at Falcon Heights United Church of Christ. In his free time, he works as a freelance music director and sound designer across the Twin Cities and stays active in the show choir community as a frequent judge and clinician.

In 2024, Miller partnered with Showchoir.com and Palu Tabulations to help create ezComp—a new show choir competition management tool—and is passionate about the impact it can have on the community. He’s thrilled to be here today and can’t wait to see the performances!

Dr. Andrew Last is the Weston Noble Endowed Professor and Director of Choral Activities at Luther College in Decorah, IA where he conducts the Nordic Choir, teaches conducting, and serves as the Artistic Director for Christmas at Luther. Last is part of an exciting choral program at Luther College that includes three choral faculty, nearly 400 singers, five choral ensembles, numerous regional and national ACDA convention performances, and regularly presents choral/orchestra works. Prior to his appointment, Last served on the voice faculty of Concordia University (NE). Last holds a DMA in choral conducting from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where he was named a Hixon-Lied Fellow. He received his Master of Music from Northern Arizona University and his Bachelor of Arts in music education and voice from Luther College. Ensembles under Last’s direction have been featured at the 2016 and 2022 regional and 2017 national ACDA conventions. Last made his Carnegie Hall conducting debut in 2019. A frequent clinician and guest conductor around the United States and abroad, Last has conducted All-State ensembles in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, Texas, and South Dakota.

Dallas James Pritt is currently an Equity Principal Actor at Walt Disney World and can be seen in the Frozen show at Hollywood Studios. He recently released his debut single, ‘Somehow (Beautiful To Me)’ with renowned musical theatre composer Joey Contreras. The song and music video has earned thousands of views and has played on Broadway show-tune radio stations around the world. For the past 12 years in the show choir world, Dallas has worked as a choreographer, show designer, and vocal coach for ensembles in 13 states, and has been a clinician/adjudicator for about 45 competitions. His groups have won many awards including Overall Grand Champions, Best Choreography, Best Show Design, and Best Overall Effect along with becoming consistent finalists and placing nationally. He is also the recipient of the national 2018 FAME Aspire Award for Best New Choreographer. As an actor, singer, and dancer, he has been seen across the country at various regional theatres, theme parks, and on television. He is most recognized from the film, 'A Heart's Calling’, the Toyota Tacoma Mall Terrain and Curology Pimple commercials, and co-starring as Chet alongside Billy Ray Cyrus in season two of 'Still The King' on CMT. Dallas holds a BFA in Musical Theatre after studying at Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts and Lipscomb University's College of Entertainment and the Arts. www.DallasJamesPritt.com 

Justin Steger is excited to serve as a judge for this year’s competition at Fort Atkinson High School. He is the high school band director, where he teaches two concert bands, two jazz bands, a marching band, introductory guitar, and music theory, and also directs the pit orchestra for the school musical. His ensembles have performed across the country, including appearances at the Wisconsin State Capitol, as well as performances in Traverse City, MI; Minneapolis, MN; Chicago, IL; Nashville, TN; and Orlando, FL. In addition, the show choir combo he directs has competed at Heart of America Nationals in Nashville and has earned multiple Best Band awards over the years. Most recently, his top jazz ensemble, the Jazz Ambassadors, earned first place in the Class B band division at the Eau Claire Jazz Festival.

Justin grew up playing the saxophone, and his passion for both performing and teaching led him to the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Music along with a Jazz Certificate. Prior to beginning his teaching career, he was honored with the Richard G. Gaarder Award from the Wisconsin Music Education Association. He remains an active performer, regularly playing with the Queue Saxophone Quartet and lead tenor saxophone in Main Street Big Band in Lake Mills, WI. Beyond teaching and performing, he continues to serve on the Wisconsin Music Education Association’s state advocacy committee.

Jack Porubsky holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from The New School and AMDA, as well as a Master of Arts Business Administration (MaBA) from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He currently works as the Broadway Engagement Program Coordinator for the Overture Center for the Arts, overseeing "The Jerrys" (Awards) while remaining active as a performer in the Madison area. Jack’s recent stage credits include Steady She Goes (Joshua, World Premiere) and The Hello Girls (Pvt. Matterson) with Four Seasons Theatre; Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella: Enchanted Edition (The Prince) and Matilda (Rudolpho) with Children’s Theater of Madison (CTM); How to Draw Frankenstein (Mike) with Theatre Now NYC; Into the Woods (Jack) with Sauk Prairie Theatre Guild; and It’s a Wonderful Life (Harry, staged reading) with Capitol City Theatre. Upcoming projects include a staged production of Steady She Goes with Four Seasons Theatre at the Overture Center for the Arts 3/28-3/29 and appearing as Jack Kelly (cover)/Ensemble in CTM’s Newsies at MyArts 5/2-5/17.

Aaron Athas is happy to be back as your host of this year’s Fort Showcase. A former show choir kid, he once performed as part of Fort High’s South High Street Singers. He has been a member of multiple semi-professional choruses in Northern Wisconsin and central Minnesota As a soloist, his voice has been featured in several major works including Handel’s “Messiah,” Bob Chilcott’s “Requiem,” Mozart’s “Regina Coeli,” and in Dan Forrest’s “Requiem for the Living” performed at L’eglise de la Madeline in Paris.

He is currently a school administrator in the Oshkosh Area School District and has previously taught in Sauk Prairie, Merrill, Eau Claire, and Sartell, MN. He graduated from UW-Platteville in 2010 with studies in music and broadcasting and graduated in 2014 with a Masters of Science from Minnesota State University and earned an education administration endorsement from Concordia University in 2022.  With colleagues, he has delivered educational technology integration lectures at major Wisconsin and Minnesota leadership conferences. He is a member of several professional and social organizations including the American Choral Directors Association, Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association, the UW-Platteville Alumni Association, and Phi Mu Alpha. He was a 2020 recipient of the Herb Kohl Fellowship for excellence in Education.  He is also an active judge with the Wisconsin School Music Association.

Ms. Snow is a native of Milton, Wisconsin and graduated from Milton High School, where she was an active participant in choir, show choir, swimming, and theatre. She graduated cum laude from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa with a degree in Music Education. Throughout her time in college, Ms. Snow earned multiple awards and distinctions for her work in the field. Previously, Ms. Snow was the Music Director at Regis Middle School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where she led three curricular choirs, one extracurricular show choir, and assists with the musical.

Outside of school, Kiah loves to hike, read, travel, and bake. One of her life goals is to hike the Appalachian Trail and her favorite book series is The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis.