Artistic Staff
Taylor Gudbrandson
Artistic/Executive Director, Chamber Singers Director
Taylor Gudbrandson is a vocal music educator and Mezzo-Soprano in the West Michigan area. After receiving her Bachelor of Music Education in 2013 from Central Michigan University, Taylor taught Middle School and High School Choir at Otsego Public Schools for seven years as well as serving as the Bella Voce director for the Kalamazoo Children’s Chorus- an organization which she sang in herself as a growing musician. KCC was an integral experience that inspired her to become the choral director that she is today. During the 2020-2021 season, Ms. Gudbrandson stepped back from the public schools to take on the role of Artistic/Executive Director for the Kalamazoo Children’s Chorus. She is eager to carry on the legacy of excellent choral music while also stressing the importance of community and togetherness that choir can provide. In addition to working with hundreds of students each year, Taylor enjoys performing onstage at The Kalamazoo Civic Theatre as well as other featured solo work in the area.
Meredith Hunt
Rising Voices Director
Meredith Hunt is a passionate and dedicated choir director with a strong commitment to music education and choral excellence. A 2020 graduate of Central Michigan University, Meredith earned a degree in music education, where she developed a deep love for vocal performance and conducting.Since graduating, Meredith has been teaching at her Alma Mater, Otsego High School. She leads five choirs at OPS, and helps students grow both musically and personally.
Meredith strives to create a positive and inclusive environment where every student feels valued and inspired to reach their full potential through music. In her free time, Meredith enjoys reading, participating in musicals, and spending time with husband Sam and goldendoodle Milo!
Jeanna Cervantes-Hickman
Songbird Director
Jeanna Cervantes-Hickman believes in the power of music to transcend boundaries and connect people through song and dance. She strongly encourages her students to use their voice to make the world a better place; while also personally setting musical goals of self discovery through the art of song.
Jeanna received her Bachelors of Music in Vocal Performance from The University of Michigan and also holds a Teaching Certificate and a Masters in Music Education, with a concentration in Vocal Music Education/Early Childhood Music Education, from Michigan State University. She taught early childhood music classes through Crescendo Music Academy’s Music Together program for infants, toddlers, and young children in Kalamazoo for many years. Jeanna is returning to the Kalamazoo Children’s Chorus after piloting a Song Makers young prep course for early elementary children in the early 2000s.
Currently, Jeanna is a dedicated and passionate elementary K-5 general music educator for the Kalamazoo Public Schools. As a public school music educator, she leads her students in weekly music lessons, conducts her elementary choir, facilitates a musical theater and drama club, and prepares multiple performances for her students. She enjoys preparing her students for middle and high school involvement in choral arts education. Many of her students continue to sing and be a part of the arts community after leaving high school.
Jeanna believes strongly in professional development and advanced education. Currently, she is in the process of acquiring certifications in both the music education methodologies of Orff Schulwerk and Zoltán Kodály. She holds a Level I Orff Schulwerk Certification and a Kodály Level I Certification from The University of St. Thomas, Minnesota. It is her hope to be certified in all three levels within the next few years. She is a member of the American Orff Schulwerk Association, West Michigan Orff Chapter and the Organization of American Kodály Educators.
Jeanna lives in Kalamazoo with her husband, Kip Hickman. She is the mom of three daughters who are Kalamazoo Children’s Chorus alumni. Jeanna loves knitting, crochet, cross stitching, gardening, baking, watching movies, and traveling with her family.
Patricia Hughey
Chamber Singers Collaborative Accompanist
Patricia Hughey has been the accompanist for the Kalamazoo Children’s Chorus since 2003. She has worked in several other choirs during her tenure with KCC. Patricia has spent nearly her entire life in Kalamazoo. She graduated from Kalamazoo Central High School and received her Bachelor of Music degree from Western Michigan University. Patricia is also a much sought-after performer and a private piano teacher.
Kay Satoh
Rising Voices Collaborative Accompanist
Kay is originally from Minnesota, and has been working as a freelance piano accompanist in the Kalamazoo area since 2013. Over the years, she has accompanied different school choirs in the area, along with many musical theater pit orchestras. She also tutors Japanese online, and is a kindergarten teacher at the Battle Creek Saturday Japanese School.
Jake Walter Schott
Songbirds Collaborative Accompanist
Jake Schott is a collaborative pianist based in Kalamazoo. He accompanies choirs, ballet classes, and instrumentalists. He also teaches piano lessons to students of all ages. Currently, Jake is pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance at Western Michigan University. Jake believes music education should be accessible for everyone, as it provides an artistic outlet for children in our community. He looks forward to being a supportive pianist and mentor for the KCC program.
Administrative/Development Staff
Malin Andersson
Program Manager
Malin Andersson is a professional editor, writer, poet, and musician who has her B.A. in Creative Writing & Literature with a Minor in Writing and a Minor in Music from the University of Michigan.
In addition to managing the Kalamazoo Children’s Chorus, Malin writes for the Center for Socially Engaged Engineering & Design at the University of Michigan, dives into story as a Developmental & Line Editor for various freelance clients, and develops grants, written content, and other copy for various organizations. She is also a published poet, fiction writer, and journalist!
Beyond writing, Malin is a trained cellist, pianist, and vocalist. Her love for music performance and education has led her to groups such as the Kalamazoo Philharmonia, the Michigan Pops Orchestra, the Michigan Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Farmington Vocal Harmonics a cappella group, and the Kalamazoo Kids in Tune.
Ultimately, Malin is dedicated to using her experience in music, writing, and supportive communication to pursue KCC’s mission of inclusivity, song, and vibrant community.
Board of Directors
Whitney Weiner
President
Whitney is a licensed K-12 music teacher and counselor-in-training who’s lived in the Kalamazoo area for the past 15 years. She is a proud graduate of Western Michigan University and holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Music Education (Secondary/Choral) and is currently working on a Master’s degree in Counseling Education/Counseling Psychology.
Whitney served as the choir director at Reeths-Puffer High School, Edwardsburg Public Schools, and Portage Northern High School, where she conducted several ensembles and was vocal director for the school musicals. Currently, she’s a teaching artist with Education for the Arts and works with the advanced musical theater class. Whitney also works as a professional singer and actor in Southwest Michigan and has appeared on the Farmers Alley Theater’s stage in numerous productions and cabarets.
Jane Pearson
Vice President
Jane Pearson graduated from Central Michigan University, earning both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Music Education with a vocal focus. She taught music in the public school systems of Mt. Pleasant, Alma, and Plainwell area schools, as well as teaching at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. She has received certification for Level III in Orff-Schulwerk and Level II in Creating Artistry, Indianapolis Children’s Choir. Jane is a former director of Prep and Concert choirs for Kalamazoo Children’s Chorus, as well as a former accompanist.
While working as a public school teacher, Jane also served as Secretary for the Kalamazoo Area Music Teachers Association. We are fortunate to have not only a former KCC director serving on our board, but also one who is a caring Mother and Grandmother to a musical family.
Sheila Clothier
Secretary
Sheila is a retired teacher with over 30 years of experience with elementary age children. She earned her teaching certificate at Western Michigan University.
She had the pleasure of collaborating with Education for the Arts teachers for over 10 years bringing music, visual arts, and theater to life for her students. Additionally, Sheila has assumed leadership roles as a Site Liaison and Coach for Girls on the Run.
She maintains her enthusiasm for coaching half marathon training groups in the community. As a parent, Sheila was actively involved with her children’s Suzuki lessons for over 12 years. Currently, Sheila enjoys playing the piano recreationally and is a member of the JuBellation Bell Choir.
Dr. James T. Brand
Representative
James T. Brand AuD., CCC-A, graduated with his doctorate in clinical audiology from Salus University and lives in beautiful Cincinnati, Ohio, where he works as a pediatric audiologist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.
During his tenure at Salus University, he served as the Student Member of the Board of Trustees, A member of the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee, and as a student ambassador. He earned a degree in biomedical sciences from Western Michigan University with a WMU Signature in Diversity and Inclusion in 2017. During his tenure at WMU, he sang with Western Michigan University Collegiate Singers.
An alumnus of the Kalamazoo Children’s Chorus, he sang with the choir for six years and has been proud to continue serving the organization as a board member in various roles since 2016.
Jada Blake
Representative
Jada sang with the Kalamazoo children’s chorus for 11 years. While in KCC, they had the opportunity to sing in Costa Rica and participate in the “We Have A Dream” choral festival in Washington DC, where we celebrated the 60th anniversary of MLK’s famous speech with a performance at the Kennedy Center and a special recital on Juneteenth at the Martin Luther King Jr’s Memorial.
As a graduate of Portage Central High School, Jada immediately began a full-time career as a Tattooer at 1018 Tattoo in Portage. Jada is still heavily involved in music within Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Detroit.
Rebekah Hill Hendricks
Representative
Rebekah Hill Hendricks is a performer and teacher with a deep love for creating and storytelling through music and performance. Rebekah is currently the graduate assistant for the voice program at Western Michigan University, teaching undergraduate classes and applied lessons while taking classes towards her Master of Music in vocal performance. Rebekah has performed in musical theatre and opera across the East Coast as well as in Michigan. Favorite roles include Maria in The Sound of Music, Belinda in Dido and Aeneas, Katherine Plumber in Newsies, and Lucy in The Telephone. Along with performing, Rebekah is a versatile teacher, maintaining her own private voice studio in Southwest Michigan. She also teaches with the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre, Homeschool Performing Arts, and has been working with students in KCC! Rebekah has also enjoyed conducting and music directing with Hopkins Public Schools, Servant Stage Company, Revival Productions, and her church, Community OPC. Rebekah is an alum of KCC.
Dr. Rhea Olivaccé
Representative
Adjunct Assistant Professor at Western Michigan University, Dr. Rhea Olivaccé, soprano, is known for her “wonderfully warm lyric soprano voice.”
She has performed the leading soprano roles of Tatyana in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin and Mimi in Puccini’s La Bohème, both conducted by Martin Katz at University of Michigan–Ann Arbor. Other roles at UMAA include La Contessa in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and Suzel in Mascagni’s L’amico Fritz. Being from the performing arts, she offers an exciting perspective for the chorus and a lot of knowledge.
Katie Grubaugh
Parent Representative
Katie Grubaugh works as an Office Admin and is currently working on her MA in Social Change and Community Engagement. She lives in Kalamazoo and has a varied and rich history with the arts community going back to her own elementary years. As a mother of three, she stays busy managing schedules and has been part of the KCC family for three years.
She values the opportunities each KCC student has to feel the developmentally important responsibility of being counted on and respected within their choirs. The support of teachers, students, and parents is palpable, and the respect and encouragement the students show for each other has been truly touching and amazing to witness. She is proud of the community KCC has built, the excellent education all choristers receive, and the greater Kalamazoo community’s support of the KCC program.
Elizabeth Honeysett
Parent Representative
A 20+ year art educator, Liz Honeysett currently serves as the Dean of Culture, Climate, and Holistic Learning at Northwestern Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts in Battle Creek. Liz is passionate about providing artistic opportunities for children in the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek Area and is excited to serve on the KCC Board as a parent advisory member. Liz and her husband Chris are proud parents to Claire, an avid dancer, singer, and animal lover.