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2022 ACDA Southern Region Conference

Performing Choirsorming Choirs
P e r f

Orpheus Men’s Ensemble Pinellas County Center for the Arts

Women’s Chorale

Founded in 2015, the Orpheus Men’s Ensemble is a
male chorus composed primarily of music educators and
church musicians from the Atlanta metro area. Unique
in its shared leadership approach and structure, the en- The Pinellas County Center for the Arts Women’s
semble utilizes the wealth of knowledge from its mem- Chorale is an outstanding SSAA ensemble that per-
bers, as there is no one single artistic director or conduc- forms the highest levels of treble choral repertoire. In
tor. Orpheus focuses on building a diverse community 2019 and 2020, the Women’s Chorale was selected as
of singers to demonstrate a rich and varied repertoire Critic’s Choice for the Florida Vocal Association District
composed for male voices. 9 Music Performance Assessment. The PCCA Women’s
Chorale regularly performs for a variety of community
Jeff rey Bauman is a founding member and state events supporting music education and arts ad-
of Orpheus. He is the director of choral vocacy. Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Jonathan
and vocal activities at Young Harris Col- C. Gibbs High School provides a comprehensive educa-
lege, where he serves as professor of music, tional program with preparation to compete for schol-
conducts the Concert Choir and Chamber arships toward advanced study in institutions of higher
Choir, teaches applied voice and conducting, and serves learning.
as chair of the music department. A former chair of the
NAfME choral council, Bauman has also served both Matthew David Clear is the director of
ACDA and GMEA at the state level. He is the minister choral activities at Pinellas County Center
of music at the First United Methodist Church in Blairs- for the Arts, where he directs the school’s
ville, Georgia. choral ensembles, sponsors the Tri-M Mu-
sic Honor Society, and teaches classes in
Paul Neal is proud to be one of the many vocal techniques. He also serves as director of traditional
conductors who perform with the Orpheus worship music and the arts at First Presbyterian Church,
Men’s Ensemble. Neal is the director of St. Petersburg, where he directs the choir program and
choral activities at Berry College, where he coordinates the annual concert series. He earned his
oversees the vocal program and serves as BME from Malone University and completed his MME
associate professor of music. Choirs under his direction at the Florida State University. Clear was the 2020 Sec-
have received invitations to sing for Georgia MEA and ondary Pinellas County MEA Teacher of the Year and
the Southern ACDA Region. Conducting opportunities 2021 Pinellas All-County Mixed Chorus Clinician.
include the Washington National Cathedral and at Al-
ice Tully Hall. He serves as past-president of Georgia
ACDA.

68 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2022 Volume 62 Number 5