CLINICIANS

Tom Anderson is one of the most decorated and prolific a cappella arrangers of this century and the owner and creative director of delightfully anagrammatic arranging studio Random Notes. Tom's arrangements have been heard on NBC's "The Sing-Off" and have racked up nearly half a billion (with a "b") YouTube views and counting. His arrangements have appeared on releases by artists like - some would say exactly like - the Swingles, the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson, Sabrina Carpenter, Home Free, and multiple ICHSA champions and ICCA finalists, as well as on Royal Caribbean cruise lines, at Disney and Busch Gardens theme parks, and, somehow, as backing vocals for Vampire Weekend. Tom is a seasoned educator on arranging-related topics at vocal music events nationwide. He resides in the liminal space between Milwaukee and Chicago and is currently hiding from his cat, who has the zoomies.

Katherine is a CARA-nominated arranger and composer from Minneapolis, MN. She has a Masters in Composition from the Jacobs School of Music, and her musical focus is on layering, texture, and nuance within emotional story arcs. Her arrangements are featured on Voices Only & BOHSA compilations, and her work has helped clients make it to ICHSA finals and ICCA Open finals. She judges for Varsity Vocals competitions, masterclasses and teaches at regional & CASA festivals, and consults with groups to unlock the depth of their vocal expression. Katherine’s choral and chamber music has premiered throughout the US and internationally, and she hopes her work will continue bridging the gap between the contemporary a cappella and choral realms.

Trist Ethan Curless – A resident of Glendale, CA, Trist grew up in Cheyenne, WY where he became addicted to vocal harmonies! He attended Northwest College and the University of Northern Colorado, majoring in music education. In 1995, he co-founded the pop-jazz vocal group m-pact. Trist has also been known to work on the other side of the microphone, as an audio engineer for several vocal groups and bands, including Pentatonix, Straight No Chaser, VoicePlay, Accent, and Take 6. When he's not performing and mixing, Trist also finds time to participate as a clinician and adjudicator in clinics and festivals worldwide which enable him to share his love of music with others. Trist is having the time of his life making music and feels fortunate to have performed with m-pact, Take 6, Bobby McFerrin, New York Voices, The Swingle Singers, Vox Audio, Naturally 7, and for 10 years as a member of The Manhattan Transfer.

Stephen Lanza has been referred to many times by his friends as a walking encyclopedia of a cappella music. He graduated from the University of Missouri in spring 2015. As a student, he sang with and eventually ran the all-male group Add9 for four and a half years and was a member of Hitt Street Harmony, the contemporary music group through the School of Music, for a year and a half. In summer 2013, Stephen had the privilege of performing alongside “The Sing-Off” contestant Groove For Thought as a vocal percussionist during their exhibition performance at VoCALnation. Currently working as an industrial engineer in the Milwaukee area, Stephen continues his love of a cappella by writing for the Recorded A Cappella Review Board (RARB) and has penned nearly 150 reviews. He is currently the music director for Focus, an award-winning extracurricular a cappella group at Port Washington High School, an active arranger and an active a cappella clinician in Southeastern Wisconsin.

Heather David (she/they) revels in the exciting a cappella scene here in Milwaukee! She has spent over 10 years involved in a cappella, both performing, judging, and teaching. She happily reps Syracuse University's Main Squeeze, an all-treble collegiate group, and boasts personal ICCA awards for Best Choreography and Best Vocal Percussion. She has worked on the production teams for both SoJam and BOSS Festivals, taught many a masterclass, and continues to judge with Varsity Vocals for the ICHSA/ICCA season. When not querying the finer points of dims and dohs, Heather is actively involved in the Milwaukee-area theatre community living out her theatre kid dreams, or obsessively playing Baldur's Gate 3. 

Jordan Roll is a founding member of the internationally touring a cappella group, Six Appeal. He was born and raised in North Dakota, which is statistically the last state most people visit. Since then, he has had the joy and pleasure of touring to all 50 states, 49 of them at least three times. He earned a degree in Opera Performance yet has spent the last decade+ singing high tenor pop music and making strange noises on stage for thousands of audiences around the world. When not touring, Jordan is an avid music producer, husband, and dog owner.

Hey all! My name is Alex Sheafor from Audio Max Production. When I was in high school, I became interested in running lights and sound with one of my friends. During that time, I quickly learned my love for audio which drove me to start Audio Max Production in 2018. Since then, I have run audio at numinous concerts in locations such as Napa CA, Milwaukee WI, Chicago IL, St. Louis MO, Minneapolis MN, Centerville OH and many in my home town Galesville, WI! I’ve learned that every concert is a new experience where you get to meet new people and make so many connections!

Lee Stovall (he/him) currently teaches high school vocal music and music technology at Rufus King High School in Milwaukee Public Schools. Outside of school, he is the Assistant Artistic Director for Our Voice Milwaukee and sings in the chorus for the Florentine Opera Company and Aperi Animam. A veteran teacher of 16 years, he has taught students from 4K to college in urban, suburban, and rural school districts. His life passions are to use vocal music to spread joy in his students and their communities and using music to break down societal barriers. A founding member of the collegiate a cappella group, Fundamentally Sound, he has been interested in promoting contemporary a cappella education since college and has arranged and coached groups from around the world since then. Previous experiences and accolades include arranging for "Broadway Goes A Cappella 3" at Feinstein's/54 Below in New York City to rave reviews, and ICCA and CARA awards from the high school to the professional level. Stovall is a board member for multiple local and state music associations, and has been a part of the music expansion at Milwaukee Public Schools: in the past 5 years the number of students who have had access to music classes has increased from 19% to 92%. Outside of his current teaching position, performance schedule, and volunteer work within music education, Stovall enjoys playing volleyball, nerdy board games, and Battlebots. 

Ryan Stuempges was the choral director for the Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau School District in western Wisconsin where he spent 18 years there where he eventually was able to get close to half of the school involved in the choir program. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and is currently in his 20th year teaching. Ryan stumbled upon a cappella during college while watching a PBS special featuring Rockapella. It wasn't long before he and four other buddies were arranging and singing those same tunes at campus events. His interest grew as a high school director, when he introduced a cappella to get kids excited about his program. Ryan has directed mixed choirs, treble choir, bass choirs, musical theatre productions, and two a cappella groups at his school. Vocal Point, his premier high school a cappella group, has performed in the ICHSA for many years, progressing several times to ICHSA Finals over the past 10 years, and earning awards for Outstanding Soloist and Outstanding Vocal Percussion. Vocal Point has performed as a featured group at the National A Cappella Convention in Memphis, the 2012 World Choir Games in Cincinnati, at Carnegie Hall with Deke Sharon, as an opener for the nationally touring group Vocalosity in Madison, for Andy Grammar and Rascal Flatts, and regularly throughout Western Wisconsin. Ryan also teaches a cappella masterclasses, educator sessions, and interest sessions throughout the a cappella community. He judges various competitions and video submissions for the A Cappella Education Association and Varsity Vocals.