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2026 ACDA Southwestern Region Conference March 4-7, 2026 Albuquerque, New Mexico

10th-11th Grade Mixed High School Jazz

Rollo Dilworth is vice dean and profes- Christine Helferich Guter is a renowned
sor of choral music education at Temple jazz vocalist, studio singer, and educa-
University’s Center for the Performing tor based in Los Angeles. Her studio
and Cinematic Arts, where he has taught credits include dozens of Hollywood
since 2009. He conducts the Temple soundtracks such as Disney’s Wish, Hocus
University Singing Owls, serves as artistic director of Pocus 2, Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, Mulan,
Singing City, and leads the Philadelphia All-City High Star Wars: Rogue One, Jurassic World, and Sing! Guter is
School Chorus. He has over two hundred published in demand internationally as a lecturer, adjudicator,
choral works, many in the Henry Leck Creating Artistry Se- and conductor of all-state jazz and honor choirs. She
ries with Hal Leonard. In demand nationally and inter- serves on the board of Jazz Education Abroad, is the
nationally, he is a frequent conductor of all-state, hon- jazz voice instructor for the Thailand Jazz Workshop,
or, festival, and professional choirs. His research and and is a teaching artist on the Imagineering Campus at
presentations focus on African American choral music, Disneyland. In 2018 she received DownBeat Magazine’s
composition and arranging, social justice, social-emo- Jazz Education Achievement Award. She is currently
tional learning, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. director of vocal jazz at the Bob Cole Conservatory of
Dilworth serves on the boards of Chorus America, Music, California State University Long Beach, where
NCCO, and the Presser Foundation. she leads the award-winning ensemble Pacific Stan-
dard Time.

12th Grade Mixed
Collegiate

Elena Sharkova, a native of St. Peters-
burg, holds a graduate degree in con- Jonathan Talberg, recipient of the Cal-
ducting from the Rimsky-Korsakov Con- ifornia MEA’s President’s Award for ex-
servatory, and has built an international traordinary accomplishments in music
reputation as a versatile conductor, clini- education, is director of choral activi-
cian, and educator. Since 1999 she has served as cho- ties at California State University Long
rus master of Symphony San Jose, preparing over fifty Beach’s Bob Cole Conservatory, where he conducts the
major works for distinguished conductors and leading internationally acclaimed Chamber Choir and Univer-
annual orchestral and choral programs. As artistic di- sity Choir. He holds the Frank Pooler Endowed Chair
rector of Cantabile Youth Singers of Silicon Valley as the Conservatory’s first endowed professor. Under
since 2004, she has expanded the program to 250 sing- his leadership, the Chamber Choir has won top priz-
ers, performed at the 2019 ACDA National Confer- es at the Austrian Spittal International Choir Festival
ence, toured eighteen countries, won two international and the prestigious Choir of the World competition
gold medals, and recorded at Carnegie Hall. Sharko- in Wales, and has performed with ensembles ranging
va has guest conducted ensembles including the BBC from the Kronos Quartet and Pacific Symphony to the
Singers and Seraphic Fire, and has led festival and all- Rolling Stones. Talberg is a frequent conductor of all-
state choirs worldwide. She has been a member of the state and national honor choirs. He is also an editor for
World Choir Council since 2015. Pavane Publishing and a dedicated mentor.

CHORAL JOURNAL January 2026 Volume 66 Number 5 171