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

Erin Schmidt
Alto Section Leader

Jesse Cannon II
Tenor Section Leader

John Sikon
Tenor Section Leader

Da-On Boulanger-Chatman
Bass Section Leader

Lance Newman
Bass Section Leader

Dinah Menger
Mezzo-Soprano

Marisan Corsino
Mezzo-Soprano

David Grogan
Baritone

Jenna White
Camp Director

Karen Kenaston‐French
Artistic Director/Conductor

Karen Kenaston-French is Professor and Director of Choral Activities at the University of Texas Arlington (UTA), where she conducts the A Cappella Choir, teaches graduate and undergraduate conducting, and leads the Vocal Area. Under her leadership, the UTA A Cappella Choir has performed at prominent conferences, including the National Collegiate Choral Organization (2019), Southwestern Division American Choral Directors Association (2022 and 2016), Texas Music Educators Association state convention (2024, 2019, and 2014), and national ACDA conventions (2025 and 2015). She has prepared the choir for regional collaborations with esteemed ensembles such as the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Winds, Texas Ballet Theatre, and Fort Worth Chorale, as well as for the Rolling Stones and The Eagles. Additionally, the A Cappella Choir was recognized as a finalist for the American Prize for Choral Performance in 2021 and 2014.

In 2019, Dr. Kenaston-French became the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Fort Worth Chorale, making her the fifth conductor in the organization’s 57-year history.

Before joining UTA, Dr. Kenaston-French was the Director of Choral Activities at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, where her Chamber Singers performed twice at the Tennessee Music Education Association state conference and participated in master classes with Chanticleer, Cantus, and Libby Larsen. She has also taught conducting at Southern Methodist University (SMU) and the University of North Texas (UNT) and served as director of music ministries at Plymouth Park United Methodist Church in Irving, Texas, from 1986 to 1998. As a sought-after guest conductor, she has led honor choirs across the U.S., the Texas two-year college All-State choir, and numerous TMEA region choirs. An active lecturer and adjudicator, she has presented on topics such as choral tone, conducting, rehearsal techniques, and performance practice for organizations including SMU, Choristers Guild, Texas Choral Directors Association, and various universities, school districts, and churches.

A native of Huntington, West Virginia, Dr. Kenaston-French holds a B.A. in vocal performance from West Virginia Wesleyan College, dual M.M. and M.S.M. degrees in choral conducting from SMU, and a D.M.A. in choral conducting from UNT. While at UNT, she was recognized as the Outstanding Graduate Student in Conducting and Ensembles and received the Pi Kappa Lambda Outstanding Doctoral Student Award. Her conducting mentors include Jerry McCoy, Mel Ivey, Lloyd Pfautsch, Jane Marshall, and Larry Parsons. In 2011, she participated in the Choral/Orchestral Master Class at the Oregon Bach Festival under Helmut Rilling and Jeffrey Kahane. Her vocal studies include graduate work with Lynn Eustis (UNT) and Linda Baer (SMU).

Dr. Kenaston-French has contributed scholarly work, including her article “The Teachings of Jean‐Antoine Bérard,” published in the Journal of Singing (November 2009). She was a member of the Dallas Symphony Chorus from 1993 to 2003 and was part of the inaugural 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

Mrs. Antinone is the director of the L.D. Bell High School Choral Department.  This is Mrs. Antinone’s 24th year of teaching.  She was raised in Bryan, TX and received her Bachelor degree in Music Education from Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX and her Masters degree in Choral Conducting from Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY.  Mrs. Antinone is often called upon as a guest conductor around the DFW Metroplex and serves as a clinician and adjudicator for choral programs all over the state.  She has served as an officer in TMEA Region 31 and serves on staff at the UTA All-State Choir Camp.  Mrs. Antinone is the primary instructor for the A Cappella, Varsity Women’s, Varsity Men’s, Choralier Men’s, 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 is in her 12th year of teaching and currently in her 8th year at Coppell High School, serving as the Director of Choirs for the Coppell Choir program, where she leads a vibrant and accomplished choral community.

A native of South Korea and raised in The Woodlands, Texas, Coogle earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music Education, with a Certificate of Recognition in Vocal Performance, from the University of Texas at Austin. She has completed the Kodály Certification (Levels I, II, & III) at Texas State University and has also completed International Baccalaureate Music training (Categories I & II).

Coogle began her teaching career in Round Rock ISD in Austin before joining Coppell ISD, where her choirs consistently achieve superior ratings at UIL contests. She has served as Section Leader for the 2022 and 2023 TMEA All-State Mixed Choirs and contributed to Texas music education as Region 31 Secretary for the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) from 2021-2024. In 2022, she was honored with the Coppell ISD Super Teacher Award, which recognizes educators who design engaging learning experiences that ignite students’ interests and transform teaching and learning. She is currently studying under the guidance of Dr. Julie Scott at Southern Methodist University, pursuing a Master of Music in Music Education to further advance her expertise in choral leadership and deepen her commitment to professional development and excellence.

Outside of Coppell, Coogle’s performance experience includes singing with the Austin Symphonic Chorus, the Conspirare Symphonic Chorus, and the Dallas Symphony Chorus.

Coogle is excited to continue her work with the talented students at Coppell High School, shaping future generations of musicians and leaders, and building a strong, thriving choir community.

Erin Schmidt
Alto Section Leader

Erin Schmidt is originally from Fargo, North Dakota, and is entering her eighth year as a music educator. She holds a Master of Music in Conducting from Baylor University and a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from St. Olaf College. Ms. Schmidt recently completed her graduate studies at Baylor University, where she regularly rehearsed and conducted each of the choral ensembles there, including the Baylor A Cappella Choir, Bella Voce, Chamber Singers, Women’s Choir, and Men’s Choir. While at Baylor, she also taught high school and junior high choir at Live Oak Classical School in Waco. She regularly returns to her hometown in the summer to teach musical theatre classes at Trollwood Performing Arts School.

Before moving to Texas, Ms. Schmidt taught middle school choir in Wayzata, Minnesota, for six years. She and her colleague in Wayzata presented at the state conference of ACDA-MN in 2018. She also directed and/or vocal directed several musicals per year at both the middle and high school levels throughout the district.

Ms. Schmidt is an active performer, most recently singing with several ensembles at Baylor, including a tour of Ireland with Baylor’s advanced treble ensemble, Bella Voce. In Minneapolis, she was a member of the soprano section of Magnum Chorum for six years. During her time at St. Olaf, she toured extensively with the renowned St. Olaf Choir and served as the choir’s president in 2013-2014. She also co-founded a vocal jazz ensemble at St. Olaf that is still in existence today.

Outside the choral rehearsal, Ms. Schmidt is an avid opera-goer and loves reading and staying up to date on pop culture.

Jesse Cannon II
Tenor Section Leader

Jesse Cannon II is the Executive Director of Visual & Performing Arts in Fort Worth ISD. Prior to his current role, he was the Director of Choirs in Duncanville ISD. He is the Past TMEA Vocal Vice-President and current TMEA Past-President, serves on the Country Music Association Foundation Board, and is a School Board Trustee in Mansfield ISD.

Mr. Cannon holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Dallas Baptist University and a Master’s in Music Education with an Emphasis in Choral Conducting from Mississippi State University. He has served in various capacities on the local, state, and national levels, including as Southwest ACDA Repertoire & Resources Chair for High School Mixed Choirs. He is also an active member of the American Choral Directors Association, Texas Music Adjudicators Association, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Music Fraternity, and has been the recipient of numerous grants and scholarships for study and arts advocacy initiatives.

Choirs under his direction have consistently earned superior ratings at regional and state contests, have been named Overall Outstanding and Grand Champion in competitions across the U.S., and grew to become one of the largest and most recognized choral programs in the area. His ensembles performed at the 2020 TMEA Convention and the 2021 National ACDA Convention and were recognized by The American Prize and The Foundation for Music Education Mark of Excellence as national winners.

Mr. Cannon has been honored as a Music Teacher of Excellence by the Country Music Association Foundation (2022), Duncanville High School Teacher of the Year (2021), and has received the Grammy Signature School Award for the Duncanville HS Choral Department. He remains an active region clinician and adjudicates for the UIL Concert & Sight-Reading Contest.

John Sikon
Tenor Section Leader

John Sikon has been conducting choirs at Byron Nelson High School since the school opened in 2009. During his time at Byron Nelson, choirs have consistently earned Sweepstakes at UIL Concert and Sight-Reading Contest. Additionally, members of the BNHS choir program consistently earn placement in TMEA All-Region and All-State ensembles. Choirs at Byron Nelson have been invited to sing all over the DFW metroplex including the “Cutting Edge” performance with Oklahoma State University at FUMC Fort Worth in 2017 and Mozart’s Requiem at White’s Chapel UMC in 2018. Mr. Sikon was named Byron Nelson Exemplar Educator of the Year in 2024.

Mr. Sikon holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Louisiana State University where he attended on a full tuition vocal scholarship. While at LSU, Mr. Sikon studied conducting with Dr. Ken Fulton and Dr. Sara Lynn Baird and he studied voice with Robert Grayson.

John Sikon is in his twenty second year of teaching high school choir. Mr. Sikon is also the baritone soloist and section leader for the sanctuary choir at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church in Dallas. When he is not singing or teaching music Mr. Sikon enjoys spending time with his children Abigail and Isaac, his wife Tara, and their dog Roux.

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.

Dinah Menger
Mezzo-Soprano

Dinah recently retired as the Director of Vocal and Elementary Music for the Fort Worth ISD, overseeing 134 music programs. Prior to her appointment in Fort Worth, Dinah served as conductor/lecturer at Baylor University from 2013-2015 and was the Choir Director at Arlington High School in Arlington, Texas from 1995-2013. Choirs under her direction performed at the 2005 and 2009 TMEA Conventions and the 2007 and 2013 national ACDA conventions, as well as several European performance opportunities. Dinah’s passion for public school education has led her to work in organizations that promote and support equitable fine arts programs for all teachers and their students. She has served in leadership roles in the Texas Music Educators Association, the UIL Prescribed Music Committee, the Texas Music Adjudicators Association, and Texas Fine Arts Administrators. She is a member of TMEA, TCDA, ACDA, SAI, and serves on the Board of Directors for Theatre Arlington, Voices of Fort Worth, and Awaken Ensemble. She is honored to have recently received the Choral Excellence Award from Texas Choral Directors Association. Dinah received her BFA as a Graduate of Distinction from the University of Arizona and her Masters in Conducting from Texas State University. Dinah is a frequent UIL judge, clinician, voice teacher/coach, teacher consultant, and professional development presenter. She loves spending time with her 3 grandchildren, her new goldendoodle Molly Mae, and singing in the Dallas Symphony Chorus.

Marisan Corsino
Bass-Baritone

Marisan Corsino has captivated audiences with her “deep and honeyed tone voice and alluring stage presence” (Candace Evans- director). She believes that “music is the art of communication that unites people around the world and therefore a key instrument for life itself.”

She has performed with renowned orchestras, opera companies, and festivals, such as the Fort Worth Symphony and the Dallas Opera, and presented recitals nationally and internationally in Austria, Spain, Puerto Rico, China, Bolivia, Boston’s Jordan Hall, and NY’s Carnegie Hall. She has portrayed different operatic roles, from Hansel in Hansel and Gretel to Carmen by Bizet, among others.

As an equal lover of both operatic and jazz repertoire, Ms. Corsino’s vocal and dramatic versatility has allowed her to portray the roles of Carmen as well as debut, as a Jazz singer, at South on Main in Little Rock (AR) singing repertoire of Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughn.

Marisan is an avid performer of new music, premiering roles such as Clementine from the opera Clara by Victoria Bond, at the Cutting Edge New Music festival in NYC, with much success. As a concert artist, she has been an active recitalist and oratorio performer making her debut as a soloist with the Fort Worth Symphony. She has presented recitals nationally and internationally, in places such as China, Puerto Rico, Boston’s Jordan Hall, and New York’s Carnegie Hall. She has also performed with members of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Santa Cruz in Bolivia as part of their recital summer series.

She has taught voice at places such as the University of Georgia, Southern Methodist University, and the University of Central Arkansas. Ms. Corsino has also has presented international lectures and masterclasses, in places such as the East China Normal University (Shanghai, China), and with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, among others.

Ms. Corsino received her Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Music in Vocal performance, with a concentration in music in education, from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, MA. She obtained her Doctorate in Musical Arts from the University of Georgia Hugh Hodgson School of Music.

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.