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2026 ACDA Western Region Conference March 4-7, 2026 San Jose, California

Interest Sessions

Kellori Dower is the dean of visual and University of Mississippi (DA), and the New Zealand
performing arts at Cypress College in School of Music (G.Dip.). She is nationally certified in
Cypress, California. She was the director Orff Schulwerk and Zoltán Kodály pedagogies and re-
of two award-winning high school choral mains an active guest conductor, clinician, and vocalist
music programs prior to serving as direc- throughout the Midwest. She resides in Saint Joseph,
tor of choral activities at the collegiate level. Past ap- Missouri, with her husband, Matt, and their three cats.
pointments have also included high school principal,
asst. principal, and district arts administrator. She is
a past recipient of the Outstanding Music Educator (re)sounding Joy:
Award from the California MEA. Dower is published
through Hal Leonard and continues to conduct honor Best Choral Practices for Turbulent Times
choirs nationally. She currently serves as the director of
DEIAB for the California Choral Directors Association Utilizing trauma-informed pedagogy and group-co-
and is the immediate past president of NCCO. hesion practices, this session addresses the unique
challenges choral leaders face in these unprecedented
Iris S. Levine, a nationally recognized times. By examining current (and past) choral practic-
choral conductor, is the founder and ar- es, attendees will gain strategies to help reframe or re-
tistic director of VOX Femina Los Ange- place potentially triggering or trauma-centered music.
les, LA’s premier women’s chorus. Under Additionally, we will explore current challenges and
her leadership, VOX Femina has gained common shortcomings of DEI work in choral spaces.
national prominence, performing at ACDA and Cho- This session will conclude with a comprehensive list of
rus America conferences and GALA Chorus events. accessible repertoire and resources that will help par-
Levine is faculty emerita at Cal Poly Pomona, where ticipants shift their choral practices and create more
she served as director of choral activities, dean of the welcoming, safe, and joy-centered choral spaces.
College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences, inter-
im dean of the College of Education and Integrative Alyssa J. Cossey is a conductor, singer,
Studies, and provost and vice president for academic educator, and scholar. She is a contribut-
affairs. Levine holds a DMA from USC and an MM in ing author for a new textbook on women
choral conducting from Temple University. A leader in composers (edited by Hilary Apfelstadt),
ACDA, she has served as state, regional, and national an inaugural member of mirabai, and is
R&R chair for women’s choruses. currently serving as interim director of choral activi-
ties at Wellesley College. Before relocating to the East
Elise Hepworth is the dean of the Col- Coast, she was an assistant professor of choral music
lege of Arts, Communication, and Social at the University of Arizona. Prior to that, she taught
Sciences at Northwest Missouri State both middle and high school choir in Southern Cali-
University. Before her appointment, she fornia for nearly a decade. Cossey holds degrees from
spent a decade at Missouri Western State Michigan State University; California State University,
University as a tenured professor, leading the choral Fullerton; and California State Polytechnic University,
music program and later serving as assistant vice pres- Pomona.
ident and vice provost for academic affairs. She previ-
ously taught at Wayne State College in Nebraska. Hep-
worth holds degrees from Northwest Missouri State
University (BME), UMKC Conservatory (MME), the

190 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2026 Volume 66 Number 5