2024 All-State Conductors

All-State Children's Chorus - Tom T. Shelton, Jr., Conductor

Thursday, February 1, 5:00 PM, Hyatt Regency Ballroom

Tom T. Shelton, Jr. is a native of Greensboro, N.C. and a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he earned both a Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Music in Choral Conducting. He is associate professor of Sacred Music at Westminster Choir College. Focusing on children’s and youth music at Westminster, he teaches classes in conducting, sacred music and music education. In addition, he is the director of Children's and Youth Choirs at Princeton United Methodist Church.  He is also conductor of the Westminster Neighborhood Children’s Choir.

Mr. Shelton has a passion for music education in all areas: church, school and community. He taught middle school choral music in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County for 18 years. During that time he was selected Teacher of the Year for both Atkins Middle School and Kernersville Middle School. In 1999 the North Carolina Music Educators Association presented him with the North Carolina Middle School Music Teacher of the Year award. Full Bio

All-State Orchestra - Jonathan Taylor Rush, Conductor

Friday, February 2, 2:00 PM, CC Union Station Ballroom

Hailed as a continually rising talent in the conducting world by the Baltimore Sun, Jonathan Taylor Rush brings passion, unique interpretation, and a refreshing energy to the orchestral experience.

In the fall of 2020, Rush was appointed as the Assistant Conductor for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. In the fall of 2022, he was promoted to Associate Conductor. Previously, Jonathan served as Music Director of the Buckeye Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as Conducting Fellow for the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras. In 2018, Rush was a Project Inclusion Conducting Fellow with the Chicago Sinfonietta, and in 2019, was named Assistant Conductor. With the Chicago Sinfonietta, Jonathan worked alongside music professionals and fellow conductors to help, redefine classical music, by changing its face, and encouraging diversity in Orchestras across the United States.  

Currently, Jonathan continues to conduct both nationally and internationally, with notable debuts including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Sinfonietta, Reno Chamber Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and Nairobi Philharmonic. Full Bio

All-State Band - T. André Feagin, Conductor

Friday, February 2, 8:00 PM, CC Union Station Ballroom

Dr. T. André Feagin serves as Director of Bands in the Department of Music at Central Washington University. In this position, he serves as administrator of the entire band program that includes the Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Concert Band, Wildcat Marching Band, and Pep Band. He heads the graduate wind conducting program and serves as the conductor of the Wind Ensemble, the preeminent wind band at CWU. Under his leadership, the Wind Ensemble was a featured performer at the 2022 College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) Western/Northwestern Division Conference and has been selected as a featured ensemble at the 2024 World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensemble (WASBE) International convention in Gwangju, South Korea. 

In addition to his role in the department of music, he serves as Dean Fellow of Student Success in the College of Arts and Humanities where his programming and mentorship focus on student academic success, community engagement/building, and creating a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. He currently serves as chair of the diversity, equity, and inclusivity committee in the College of Arts and Humanities. In 2023, Dr. Feagin was the recipient of two President’s Diversity Awards at CWU in the" faculty" and "community" categories, respectively for his work in fostering equity and belonging at CWU and the surrounding community. Full Bio

All-State Jazz Ensemble - Doug Beach, Conductor

Saturday, February 3, 12:30 PM, Hyatt Franklin Ballroom

Doug Beach is a performer, publisher, educator and an award-winning composer and arranger.

At Elmhurst University, where he taught 1978-2021, he served as director of the widely acclaimed Elmhurst College Jazz Band and as director of jazz studies. Under his direction, the Jazz Band made over 30 European tours (twice at the invitation of the U.S. State Department) and performed in jazz festivals across the world.

Beach is equally well known for his work as a publisher and composer. His company, Doug Beach Music, is one of the world’s leading publishers of educational jazz music, and each year since 1995 he has been the recipient of a Plus Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP). In 1996, the Count Basie Orchestra and New York Voices recorded his arrangement of Cottontail on a CD that went on to win the Grammy Award for best large jazz ensemble. Other awards include a 2003 President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching from Elmhurst University (the University’s highest teaching award), the 2012 Faculty Merit Award and a 2015 Jazz Education Achievement Award from Downbeat Magazine. Full Bio

All-State Choir - Hilary Apfelstadt, Conductor

Saturday, February 3, 2:00 PM, CC Union Station Ballroom

Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt is Professor Emerita of Choral Studies at the University of Toronto where she held the Elmer Iseler Chair in Conducting and received the inaugural Teaching Excellence Award in 2013. Previously she taught at the Ohio State University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, after receiving her doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She also holds degrees from the University of Toronto and the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. Her teaching experiences range from teaching public school to directing community ensembles and church choirs. From 2013 – 2018, she was Artistic Director of Exultate Chamber Singers in Toronto.

A native Canadian, she has performed with her university choirs at conferences of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), and at Podium, the national conference of Choral Canada. She has conducted honors choruses throughout Canada and the U.S., including almost 40 all-state high school choirs. She has directed choral festivals at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and throughout Europe. Full Bio