Mr. Taylor Strickland is an accomplished choral director and piano teacher, currently serving in his eighth year at Woodford County High School. He has been instrumental in elevating the school's choral program to exceptional standards, with three in-school choirs (Chorale, Treble Choir, and Woodford Singers) and three after-school a cappella groups. Mr. Strickland's choirs have performed at Carnegie Hall and St. John the Divine in New York, as well as the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, and the Cathedral of the Assumption in Louisville. He has received accolades for his direction, with the Chorale and Treble Choir receiving distinguished ratings in performance and sight reading at the KMEA choral assessment. Chorale performed as an invited choir at the KMEA Professional Development Conference in Louisville, KY in 2025.

Mr. Strickland serves as the choir director of the Capital City Chorale, a community choir that meets weekly in Frankfort, KY. He also serves as the conductor of the advanced choir for the Lexington Singers Children's Choirs.

Mr. Strickland is a graduate of the University of Kentucky where he earned a Bachelor of Music in Choral Music Education. As a student, he was an active participant in several choral ensembles, including Chorale, Men's Choir, Blue Note, and the Acoustikats.

Mr. Strickland currently lives in Lexington, KY with his dog, Coach.

Marla Smaltz inherited a strong musical background and that has continued through her children and grandchildren. She began taking piano lessons at age 7 and has played ever since. Marla has been involved in choirs and singing solos since elementary school age.

Since graduating from the University of Kentucky as a piano major with a degree in Music Education, Marla has conducted multiple musical groups including K-12 school choirs and various church choirs.

She was involved with the Bluegrass Theatre Guild for several years. In more recent years, Marla has accompanied multiple school choirs during concerts and district assessments. She played keyboard/synthesizer for musicals at Western Hills High School, Woodford County High School and Woodford Theatre. Marla is currently accompanist for the Capital City Chorale, a position she has held for several years.

Marla is thrilled and looking forward to working with Taylor Strickland and the choral program at Woodford County High School.