Melanie Popejoy is Associate Director of Choral Activities at the University of North Dakota where she conducts the Allegro Choir and Vivo Chamber Ensemble, and instructs courses in Music Education Methods. In addition, she is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Grand Cities Children’s Choir, serving as conductor of the elite Primo Voce choir. 

She holds the Bachelor of Music Education degree and the Master of Arts degree in Music Education from Central Missouri State University, and has taught in Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, and Texas prior to coming to North Dakota. In over 40 years of teaching, Mrs. Popejoy has taught at the elementary, middle school, high school, and collegiate levels. She has conducted numerous honor and festival ensembles, including the North Dakota ACDA JH/MS Mixed All-State Choir, the Northern Plains Kodaly Festival Regional Honor Choir, the Missouri Choral Directors Association 9-10 Honor Choir, and the UND Women’s Honor Choir. 

Mrs. Popejoy has earned numerous teaching awards throughout her career, including selection as the Raytown South Middle School (MO) Teacher of the Year; Meadowbrook Elementary (TX) Teacher of the Year; Waco Independent School District (TX) Teacher of the Year; the DeLay Middle School (TX) Teacher of the Year; a Community Leadership Award from the North Dakota Chamber of Commerce; Wal-Mart/Sam’s Club North Dakota Teacher of the Year; Distinguished Alumnus award from the Central Missouri State University Department of Music; an Athena Award for Professional Excellence and Community Leadership; North Dakota Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Leadership Award; Grand Forks Thursday Music Club Gold Note Award; the Phenomenal Woman Award from UND Multicultural Student Services; North Dakota Choral Director of the Year, North Dakota Music Educators Association Educator of the Year, as well as being nominated twice for the UND Undergraduate Teaching Award. The UND Vivo Chamber Choir has presented featured concerts at North Dakota American Choral Directors Conferences. Her Waco Girls Choir was selected to perform at the Texas Music Educators Association Conference, while her Grand Cities Children’s Choir has presented concerts at the North Dakota Music Educators Association Conference, the American Choral Directors Association North Central Conference, and the North Dakota ACDA Conference, and two featured performances at Carnegie Hall. She is active as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator, and is a member of the North Dakota Music Educators Association, National Association for Music Education, North Dakota Choral Directors Association, American Choral Directors Association, Chorus America, and the Organization of American Kodaly Educators.

This Bio was borrowed from https://campus.und.edu/directory/melanie.popejoy

Laura Odden Quaintance is in her 18th year as a vocal music educator. She currently directs the Concert Choir and Voice Ensemble. She teaches private voice lessons, sight singing & ear training, and various music history courses at Minnesota State Community & Technical College Fergus Falls. Prior to joining the M State faculty, she spent 12 years in the Milaca Public School District, directing the 6th through 12th grade choirs and Chamber Choir.  

Quaintance is a 2002 graduate of Fergus Falls High School, where she was a member of three State Honor Choirs and sang in the A Cappella Choir and Chamber Singers. She began college at Fergus Falls Community College (now M State Fergus Falls), earning her Associate of Arts degree in 2004. She performed her first formal recital in the spring of 2004 under the training of Teresa Ashworth.  

She went on to pursue her love of music by earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Vocal and Classroom Music Education from Minnesota State University Moorhead, graduating in 2007. While at MSUM, Quaintance sang in numerous choirs, competed in solo vocal contests and was one of the lead singers for a vocal jazz percussion ensemble, Fuego Tropical. She was the winner of the college-level North Dakota National Association of Teachers in Singing competition and the Tri-College winner and soloist with the Fargo Moorhead Symphony Orchestra in 2006. Following graduation, she was inducted into the Pi Kappa Lambda music honor society. After teaching for several years, she completed her Master of Music Education at North Dakota State University in 2013.  

Quaintance is an active member of the National Association for Music Educators and the American Choral Directors Association, where she has co- chaired the Grade 9-10 All-State SSAA Honor Choir since 2013 and chaired the organization’s Northwest District for the State of Minnesota. In November of 2015, she was named the “Outstanding Young Choral Director” of the year. She is often sought out as a guest conductor and adjudicator for choirs and singers in North Dakota and Minnesota.  

Assistant Principal, Osgood Elementary- West Fargo, ND. 

Artistic Director of the Fargo Moorhead Youth Choir

Josh Dahl of Fargo, ND, has a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Concordia College, Moorhead, a Masters of Education from Southwest Minnesota State, a Masters in Educational Leadership from MSUM, as well as Kodaly certification from MSUM and Orff training from NDSU.  Mr. Dahl spent over 15 years teaching classroom music and choir in elementary schools in Grand Forks, ND, Lake Park, MN, and most recently in Fargo, ND.  Mr. Dahl currently serves as an elementary assistant principal in West Fargo, ND.  Mr. Dahl also works as the artistic director of the Fargo Moorhead Youth Choir and has directed a variety of festival choirs in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Nebraska.  

Dr. Michael J. Johnson serves as Director of Choral Activities and Vocal Music Education at Minnesota State University Moorhead. He directs the Concert Choir, University Choir, and Solfire while also teaching a range of choral and general music education courses. Previously, Dr. Johnson conducted choirs and taught conducting classes at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he earned a Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting with a Composition minor. While at the University of Wisconsin, his doctoral research centered on the modern choral music of social justice. He also holds a Master of Music degree in Conducting from the University of Denver and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education from Luther College. Dr. Johnson has taught K-12 music and choir in Minnesota and within an array of community, collegiate, and church choirs around the country. Dr. Johnson was the recipient of the 2020 Mullen Prize for composition and took first place in the 2018 ACDA conducting competition in Oklahoma City. He studied with Stefan Parkman as a 2019 Conducting Fellow for the International Choral Conducting Masterclass at Baylor University and was named a 2019 University of Wisconsin-Madison Honored Instructor by his students. He spends his free time biking, composing, and enjoying life with his wife Kelsey, son Shea, daughter Summer, and French bulldog Dot.

Bio taken from: https://www.mnstate.edu/academics/majors/music/faculty-staff/