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2024 ACDA Western Region Conference March 6-9, 2024 Pasadena, California

The Sterling Ensemble Los Angeles The Sunday Night Singers

The Sunday Night Singers (SNS), founded by
Sterling Ensemble Los Angeles is a semi-profes- Palmdale High alumni and artistic director Mike Mc-
sional choir founded in 2018 by Artistic Director Mi- Cullough in 2005, is a thirty-two-voice community
chelle Jensen. This community of singers specializes in ensemble in the Antelope Valley, CA. From inception,
performing historic literature from diverse voices and SNS celebrates and uplifts diverse communities, mir-
workshopping new music with local artists. Collabora- roring an authentic and organic representation of the
tions include Grammy-winning artists Hila Plitmann, diversity found in LA County. SNS has won the Mixed
Sangeeta Kaur, Danaë Vlasse, and Ben Bram. While Chamber Choir category at World Choir Games and
most members studied music in college, teachers, mili- has made appearances at WACDA, CCDA, Llangollen
tary members, business leaders, and entrepreneurs International Musical Eisteddfod, and Montana Inter-
join with professional musicians two hours a week to national Choral Festival. Collaborations with compos-
make excellent choral music. The ensemble performed ers nationwide have yielded three albums, including
at the 2023 ACDA National Conference. Sterling En- Didn’t It Rain by Stacey V. Gibbs.
semble is currently in residence at St. Andrew Catholic
Church in Pasadena. Michael McCullough assumed the role
of director of choral music at Palmdale
Michelle Jensen is a Los Angeles-based High School in 1995. He holds a BM in
choral conductor, clinician, and teacher. voice and an MM in choral conducting
In addition to directing Sterling Ensem- from California State University, North-
ble, she serves as the director of choral ac- ridge. He continued his professional certification at
tivities at Azusa Pacific University, where Chapman University. With a rich thirty-two-year his-
she is also the director of graduate choral studies and tory as part of the Antelope Valley College faculty, Mc-
the conductor of the university’s Chamber Singers. Cullough has conducted the AV Master Chorale and
Jensen has led choirs to place first in such prestigious College Singers. He has also taught individual voice,
international music competitions as Chorwettbewerb music history, and music theory. McCullough is the ar-
Spittal an der Drau and the Llangollen International tistic director of The Sunday Night Singers, which was
Musical Eisteddfod. In 2019 she was invited to conduct founded to allow former students to continue their pur-
the Connecticut All-State Mixed Choir. suit of choral excellence. Notable recordings encom-
pass works by Joshua Shank and Stacey V. Gibbs.

CHORAL JOURNAL January 2024 Volume 64 Number 5 177