FACULTY

Karen Kenaston‐French
Artistic Director/Conductor

John Wayman
Conductor

Jo Ann Antinone
Soprano Section Leader

Pauline Sexton
Soprano Section Leader

Bona Coogle
Alto Section Leader

Kerra Simmons
Alto Section Leader

Eric Cooley
Tenor Section Leader

Da-On Boulanger-Chatman
Bass Section Leader

Lance Newman
Bass Section Leader

Christopher Curcuruto
Bass-Baritone

Jocelyn Hansen
Soprano

David Grogan
Baritone

Jenna White
Camp Director

Karen Kenaston‐French
Artistic Director/Conductor

Karen Kenaston-French is Associate Professor and Director of Choral Activities at the University of Texas Arlington, where she conducts the A Cappella Choir, teaches graduate and undergraduate conducting, and heads the Vocal Area. Under her direction the UTA A Cappella Choir performed at the Texas Music Educators Association state convention (2014), appeared with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra (2012 & 2016), and was named a finalist in the 2014 American Prize for Choral Performance for its CD, The Road Home. In February 2015 the choir served as Ensemble-in-Residence for the National Student Conducting Competition at the American Choral Directors Association conference in Salt Lake City, and in March 2016 will give an auditioned performance at the Southwestern Division Conference of ACDA in Kansas City.

Prior to her arrival at UTA, Dr. Kenaston-French served as Director of Choral Activities at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, where she led the Chamber Singers in two appearances at the Tennessee Music Education Association state conference, and in master classes with Chanticleer, Cantus, and Libby Larsen. She taught conducting at Southern Methodist University and the University of North Texas, and was director of music ministries at Plymouth Park United Methodist Church in Irving, Texas from 1986-1998. Dr. Kenaston-French has been guest conductor for honor choirs in Colorado, Tennessee, and for several TMEA region choirs. She cultivates a close connection with Texas high school programs, having conducted clinics for more than 80 choirs over the past six years, and runs the highly successful UTA All-State Choir Camp, which attracts 250 students each summer. She continues to share her experience in church music as a faculty member for SMU’s Church Music Summer Seminar and the Chorister’s Guild Midwinter Workshop.

Dr. Kenaston-French holds a B.A. in vocal performance from West Virginia Wesleyan College, M.M. and M.S.M. degrees in choral conducting from Southern Methodist University, and a D.M.A. in choral conducting from the University of North Texas, where she was named outstanding graduate student in conducting and ensembles and the Pi Kappa Lambda outstanding doctoral student. She studied conducting with Jerry McCoy, Mel Ivey, Lloyd Pfautsch, Jane Marshall, and Larry Parsons, and in 2011 was a conductor for the Choral/Orchestral Master Class of the Oregon Bach Festival, under Helmut Rilling and Jeffrey Kahane. Vocal studies include graduate work with Lynn Eustis at UNT and Linda Baer at SMU. Her article “The Teachings of Jean‐Antoine Bérard” was published in the National Association of Teachers of Singing Journal of Singing in November 2009. She sang in the Dallas Symphony Chorus from 1993-2003, and was in the first Robert Shaw Festival Chorus at Carnegie Hall in 1991.

John Wayman
Clinician

Dr. John Wayman is Associate Professor of Choral Music Education at the University of Texas at Arlington, where he conducts the University Singers and guides our future choral music educators. Prior to his arrival to UTA, Wayman served as Music Education Coordinator and Director of the Concert Choir at Young Harris College in Georgia. Dr. Wayman has a BAMEd from Wayland Baptist University, a MMEd and Ph.D. from Texas Tech University. As a choral director, Dr. Wayman brings a wealth of information having taught all levels (elementary-college in Texas and Georgia) in a variety of settings. He is in great demand as an adjudicator and clinician, regularly working with school music programs and directing honor choirs throughout the nation.

​Dr. Wayman’s areas of specialty consist of the male changing voice, music as an educational tool for the traditional classroom and the development of the preservice teacher. His research has been presented regularly at professional conferences in state (Texas Music Educators Association, Tennessee MEA and Georgia MEA), nationally (National Association for Music Educators, Society of Research for Music Education, Society of Music Teacher Educators) and international venues (International Society of Music Education [Greece and Brazil] , Research in Music Education [England], PASME [Uganda], and most recently working with the choirs and future music educators at the University of Internationalities in Chengdu, China). His work can be found in the Journal of Research in Music Education, Teaching Music, Georgia Music News and Symposium on Music Teacher Education: Enacting Shared Visions.

Jo Ann Antinone
Soprano Section Leader

Jo Ann Antinone is the Director of the LD Bell High School Choral Department. Mrs. Antinone was raised in Bryan, TX, and earned her Bachelor Degree in Music Education from Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX, and her Master Degree in Choral Conducting from Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY.  This is Mrs. Antinone’s 18th year of teaching. She is proud to have taught at Wilkinson Middle School in Mesquite and Euless Junior High in Euless before coming to LD Bell. Mrs. Antinone is often called upon as a guest conductor around the DFW Metroplex. This year she is performing with the choral ensemble Schola Cantorum. Mrs. Antinone is proud to serve as the TMEA Region 5 Chair-Elect and holds memberships in TMEA, TCDA, TMAA, as well as Pi Kappa Lambda. Mrs. Antinone serves as the primary instructor for the A Cappella, Varsity Women, Varsity Men, Choralier Men, and Bell System performance ensembles.

Pauline Sexton
Soprano Section Leader

Mrs. Pauline Sexton is excited to be the new Head Director of the outstanding Grapevine High School Choir Program. This is her 29th year teaching music in Texas public schools. After teaching elementary music in Mission and Edinburg, middle school choir in McAllen, and opening a brand new, very successful high school choir program at Robert Vela High School in Edinburg, she and her husband Brian decided to relocate from the Rio Grande Valley back to the DFW Metroplex, where her love of high school choir began at Berkner High School (‘88) under the direction of Glenda Casey. Mrs. Sexton is a member of TMEA and has served as Elementary Division Chair, Middle School Vocal Division Secretary/Treasurer, and High School Division Chair for Region XV. She has also served TMEA as the soprano and tenor section leaders for the Texas All-State Choir and the High School Vice-President for Texas Choral Directors Association. Mrs. Sexton and her band director husband have two children; David graduated from the Peabody Conservatory of Music (Johns Hopkins) in Baltimore, and Grace is attending Southwestern University in Georgetown.

Bona Coogle
Alto Section Leader

Bona Coogle serves as the Director of Choirs for the Coppell Choir program. Born in South Korea and raised in The Woodlands, Texas, Ms. Coogle received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music Education with a Certificate of Recognition in Vocal Performance from the University of Texas at Austin. She was previously the director of choirs in Round Rock ISD in Austin. While in Austin, she performed with the Austin Symphonic Chorus and the Grammy award-winning choral ensemble, Conspirare Symphonic Chorus. She has performed with the Dallas Symphony Chorus and served as the Alto Section Leader for 2021-2022 TMEA All-State Mixed Choir and Soprano Section Leader for 2022-2023 TMEA All-State Mixed Choir. In addition to leading the choir program at CHS, Mrs. Coogle serves as the Region 31 Secretary for the Texas Music Educators Association. 

Kerra Simmons
Alto Section Leader

Ms. Simmons is currently the Artistic Director of the Singing Girls of Texas (grades 7-12) at Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts and runs the Community Conducting Class for Texas Music Conservatory, all programs of Texas Center for Arts + Academics (TCAA). Kerra Simmons earned her BM from the University of North Florida (UNF) in Vocal Performance with a Choral Conducting cognate and her MM in Choral Conducting at Texas State University. Ms. Simmons has been involved with choral music since junior high, was a three year FMEA All-Stater, participated in three Divisional and National ACDA Honor Choirs, and sang in top vocal ensembles at her respective alma maters touring to places like South Africa, South Korea, and the Czech Republic. Most recently, Ms. Simmons was nominated for the GRAMMY© Music Educator Award.

At UNF, she was deeply involved in Choral Leadership and was the Assistant Conductor to the UNF Chorale, UNF Chamber Singers, and UNF Women’s Chorus. During her time at Texas State, she was the Assistant Conductor of the Men’s Chorus, Women’s Chorus, University Singers, and the Texas State Chorale. She also assisted in creating an undergraduate lab choir, was the Teaching Assistant for the undergraduate conducting class, and had the opportunity to work with Dr. Craig Hella Johnson during conducting seminars and to perform his masterwork, Considering Matthew Shepard, as a member and soloist of Texas State Chorale with Dr. Johnson as the conductor. Her Master’s research was on Gender Bias in Choral Conducting and The Development of Korean Choral Music.

After completing her MM, Ms. Simmons used her gap year to teach Music and English in Seoul, South Korea where she rewrote an English as a second language music curriculum and taught ages 5 to 12. After her gap year, she served as the Associate Artistic Director and Interim Artistic Director of the world-renowned and GRAMMY© award-winning, Texas Boys Choir, a program of TCAA. During her transition from directing Texas Boys Choir, she re-established the Singing Girls of Texas as its own independent organization within TCAA and helped to bring the singers to the same level of professionalism as the Texas Boys Choir through advocacy that the singers in her program were worthy of the same experiences and opportunities as the boys. Ms. Simmons is incredibly passionate about equity and consistently works to bring opportunities to her students that she feels will give them lifelong lessons, experiences, and stories to share.

Ms. Simmons’ goal in her teaching is to not only inspire the singers to produce a beautiful and healthy sound but to also encourage them to tap into their individual and unique strengths as musicians and human beings. She believes in the power of music to bring together all people from different backgrounds and uses creative programming to intertwine various artistic mediums such as poetry and visual art. Her favorite pieces to conduct and teach are those of the non-Western tradition and her current research is on the advocacy and visibility of female composers, conductors, and musicians. She is currently working on a new project with composer Sarah Quartel, and in partnership with Texas Center for Arts + Academics called, “The Songbird Symposium”, which will offer treble honor choir clinics, promote the commissioning of new treble works by female and female-identifying composers, and eventually provide services to conductors and future educators on wellness and skills to help them build tight-knit communities in their ensembles. Additionally, Singing Girls of Texas and Ms. Simmons have partnered with Sarah Quartel for a two-year residency in which Mrs. Quartel will be writing a new masterwork to be premiered in Spring of 2024. In her free time, she likes to cook vegetarian food, do yoga, and hang out with her cats, Bubba and Peaches.

Eric Cooley
Tenor Section Leader

Mr. Cooley is thrilled to begin the 17th year of his teaching career with Ms. Kozi and the students of the Walnut Grove High School Choir Program. Prior to coming to Walnut Grove, Mr. Cooley served as the director of choirs for Centennial High School in Burleson ISD. Choirs under his direction at CHS were consistent “Sweepstakes” recipients at UIL Concert & Sight-Reading Contest and are frequently named “Best-In-Class” at local and regional festivals. Most recently, the CHS Chamber Singers were honored with a top five finish at the North Texas Madrigal Festival in Plano, TX (2022). Prior to his arrival at Centennial, Mr. Cooley served as the assistant director of choirs at LD Bell High School, the artistic director of the HEB ISD Elementary Honor Choir, and the director of choirs at Ferguson JH in Arlington ISD. Professionally, Mr. Cooley maintains active membership in the Texas Music Educator’s Association, the American Choral Director’s Association, and the Texas Choral Director’s Association. He is currently in the middle of his second term as the Coordinator of the Graded Honor Choirs for the SWACDA Conference next year in Denver, Colorado. Mr. Cooley received his bachelor of Music Education at Baylor University (BME ’07) and Master of Music Education from Florida State University (MME ’12). “Go ‘Noles!” Mr. Cooley looks forward to joining the Walnut Grove family and working with the staff and students to build upon the traditions of excellence and service that exist within Prosper ISD and the Walnut Grove community.

Da’On Boulanger-Chatman
Bass Section Leader

Mr. Boulanger-Chatman  is currently the Director of Choirs at Lakeview Centennial High School. Prior to his post at Lakeview, Mr. Boulanger-Chatman held the post as Associate Director of Choirs at Prosper High School. Mr. Boulanger-Chatman is a graduate of Stephen F. Austin University. While at SFA, Mr. Boulanger-Chatman earned a bachelor’s degree in Music Education with all-level certification and a master’s degree in Music Conducting.

In addition to his teaching tenure, Mr. Boulanger-Chatman is an avid performer. He is a former 7-year member of the Dallas Symphony Chorus and has been invited to sing with the Mesquite Symphony Orchestra as a tenor soloist. His professional performing career has taken him to many states and countries, most frequently in Europe. A highlight would be a choir tour with a performing stop in the Pope’s very own Vatican. Mr. Boulanger-Chatman is very active throughout the choral community, providing choral clinics for colleagues in and around Dallas to as far as East Texas. Mr. Boulanger-Chatman is most grateful for the daily opportunity he has to work with his students and he hopes that his students learn by his example, that passion and perseverance in what you love can touch the lives of others and leave a lasting mark on the world making it a better place.

Lance Newman
Bass Section Leader

Lance Newman is in his 12th year of teaching overall and 2nd year as head choir director at Trinity High School in Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD. Mr. Newman has consistently achieved Sweepstakes ratings at UIL and has consistently placed students in TMEA and TCDA Honor Choirs. Mr. Newman previously assisted at Arlington High School for one year, and, before that, led the choral program at Euless Junior High for six years. He started his career as assistant choir director at Briarhill MS in Lewisville ISD for three years.

Mr. Newman grew up in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford area where he was a student at Harwood Junior High and graduated from Trinity High School in 2007. He spent his junior year of high school in the Raleigh area of North Carolina and attended the Governor’s School of North Carolina for choral studies in Summer 2006. He attended the University of North Texas College of Music and received a Bachelor’s of Music Education with honors. In 2011, Mr. Newman was chosen to represent UNT as a TCDA Student Conductor. While at UNT, Mr. Newman served the All-State Choir Camp for three summers as camp counselor and three additional summers as assistant camp director. In 2020, Mr. Newman finished his second journey at UNT by completing the Master’s of Music Education program. 

Outside of teaching, Mr. Newman serves as senior bass section leader in the University Christian Church Chancel Choir, and has previously been honored to perform with Fort Worth Chorale, Voices of Fort Worth, Highland Park Chorale, and the Dallas Symphony Chorus. Mr. Newman enjoys spending time with his wife Nadia (herself a Trinity alum whom he met in choir!) In his spare time, he enjoys watching movies, listening to his record collection, playing video games, and participating in trivia competitions.

Christopher Curcuruto
Bass-Baritone

Christopher Curcuruto, a seasoned bass-baritone in the realm of opera, is renowned for his exceptional vocal artistry and unwavering dedication to the stage. His career boasts a diverse repertoire and a profound passion for both opera and theatrical presentation.

Christopher’s operatic journey encompasses a rich tapestry of roles, spotlighting his remarkable versatility and artistic depth. He has excelled in pivotal roles including Mozart’s leading funny-men Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro) and Leporello (Don Giovanni), and demonstrated stentorian gravitas balanced with compassionate pathos in roles such as Donizetti’s Raimondo (Lucia di Lammermoor), and Rossini’s Alidoro (La Cenerentola). His performances as Zweiter Soldat in a concert production of Strauss’ Salome presented by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Maestro Fabio Luisi, Melani’s Giove in L’Europa for the Olomouc Baroque Festival under Maestro Paul Leenhouts, and Alidoro in Rossini’s La Cenerentola with Nashville Opera under Maestro Dean Williamson marked noteworthy milestones in Christopher’s career. 

Beyond the stage, Christopher’s commitment to opera education is evident in his involvement in productions like Jack and the Beanstalk with The Dallas Opera and Frida Kahlo and the Bravest Girl in the World with Fort Worth Opera, designed to introduce opera to a broader audience. Christopher’s dedication to opera education extends to his current role as Director of Opera, Instructor of Vocal Pedagogy, and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Voice at the University of Texas at Arlington, having commenced in the fall of 2023. His comprehensive training includes experiences as an Emerging Artist with Nashville Opera, an Education Artist with The Dallas Opera, and a Studio Artist with Fort Worth Opera, all contributing to his exceptional skill set. Christopher is currently a doctoral candidate and will complete his Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance from the University of North Texas in May 2024.

Jocelyn Hansen
Soprano

Praised for her “creamy and effortlessly produced soprano” (Texas Classical Review), Iowa-native soprano Jocelyn Hansen is emerging as a versatile performer in the realms of opera and musical theatre. In 2020 Ms. Hansen finished a two year tenure as an Education Artist with The Dallas Opera, singing the roles of Laurette in Doctor Miracle and Manuelita in Pépito. She will make her mainstage debut with The Dallas Opera in their 2022 season. Pre-pandemic musical theatre performances include Ens. Nellie Forbush in South Pacific and Cinderella’s Stepmother in Into the Woods with The Ohio Light Opera in 2019.

Her vocal flexibility has also been showcased on the concert stage, including performing as the soprano soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and the Amarillo Symphony, and with the Abilene Philharmonic in Broadway A La Carte. Other role highlights include Pamina in The Magic Flute and Soeur Constance in The Dialogues of the Carmelites. In addition to performing, Ms. Hansen is an active voice teacher, clinician, and pedagogue, specializing in crossover training between genres. Jocelyn holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Iowa State University and a Master’s Degree from Michigan State University and is completing her doctorate at the University of North Texas.

David Grogan
Baritone

David Grogan has performed extensively throughout the Southwest to critical acclaim. The Dallas Morning News hailed Mr. Grogan as the “perfect Christus” after a performance of the St. Matthew Passion with the Dallas Bach Society. The Albuquerque Tribune, in reference to a performance of Messiah with the New Mexico Symphony, said, “David Grogan had all the range and power required of the part, sounding like the voice of doom in ‘The people that walked in darkness’ and the light of revelation in ‘The trumpet shall sound.’” A recent performance of Elijah had critics praising his ability to “move easily from stentorian declamation to lyrical aria.” Another critic said that he “….brought an impressive vocal power to the lead role of Elijah, and his rich emotive gift set the level for the other chief performers.” He has performed as a soloist with many Dallas area arts groups including the Dallas Bach Society, Texas Baroque Ensemble, Orpheus Chamber Singers, Mesquite Civic Chorus, and the Allegro Artists, as well as at several Texas universities. Recent performances include Elijah with the New Mexico Symphony, Orff’s Carmina Burana with the Arlington Master Chorale, and the Beethoven Missa Solemnis with the Plano Civic Chorus. Grogan looks forward to his performance of the Brahms Requiemunder Helmuth Rilling this fall.

Grogan joined the faculty at the University of Texas Arlington in the fall of 2009, first as visiting professor and in 2010 as tenure-track Assistant Professor of Voice. In addition to providing private vocal instruction for voice majors, Grogan teaches vocal pedagogy, voice class, and choral methods. His background in choral music education is extensive, including experience directing programs in both private and public schools across the metroplex. As choir director at Dallas Christian School from 1996 to 2000, Dr. Grogan increased choir participation from 15 members to 115, and took the choir to one of the first TPSMEA competitions. He has taught voice and served as assistant choral director in some of the most prominent programs in the area, including at Arlington High School under Dinah Menger, and Manor Middle School under Tommy Haygood.

Grogan holds Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Music degrees from Texas Christian University, where he studied voice with Sheila Allen and pedagogy with Vincent Russo. His love of choral music was solidified under the tutelage of the late Ronald Shirey, who taught Grogan much of his musicality. He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy in 2010 from the University of North Texas, where he studied voice with Jeffrey Snider, pedagogy with Stephen Austin, and worked closely with Lyle Nordstrom in the early music program. Dr. Grogan’s dissertation was on the vocal pedagogy of Frederic W. Root, who was an American vocal pedagogue of the 19th century. A shorter version of the dissertation was published in the January 2010 Journal of Singing under the title, “The Roots of American Pedagogy.”

Jenna White
Camp Director

Jenna White is currently an assistant director at the Arlington High School choral department. Ms. White was raised in Arlington, TX and is a proud graduate of Arlington High School. Upon her graduation from college, she was the assistant director at Ousley Junior High School in Arlington ISD.

Ms. White received her Bachelor of Music from The University of Texas at Arlington and studied voice with Dr. Jennifer Ciobanu. While at UTA, Ms. White sang with the A Cappella choir under the direction of Dr. Karen Kenaston-French. She was a member of the choir that performed at the 2019 TMEA Convention in San Antonio.