Meet the Conductors
Judith Chan
Children’s Choir – SSA grades 4-5
Judith Chan is an experienced music educator. She has taught in private and public schools in California and in Australia. Originally from Hong Kong, she grew up singing in a children’s choir where she received the foundation of musical learning based on the Kodály philosophy. Currently as a K-5 Vocal Music Specialist at Horace Mann School in the Beverly Hills Unified School District, she has previously taught general music and directed a choral program of multiple levels for 19 years at Beverly Vista School. Her middle school choir was selected to perform as the featured choir at the 2016 OAKE National Conference and 2017 World Strides Music Festival at Carnegie Hall. In 2019, her choir participated in
the Music Celebrations Rome Choral Festival and performed in the St. Peter’s Basilica, the Sistine Chapel and the Pantheon.
Judith received the Graduate Diploma in Music Education from Queensland University of Technology in Australia where she was first trained in the Kodály pedagogy. She then completed her Master of Music Education with a Kodály Emphasis at Holy Names University. In addition, Judith served as the Kodály Musicianship instructor for the National Children’s Choir in Los Angeles for several years. She has also taught methodology and musicianship classes at the Holy Names University Summer Institute and the California State University at Bakersfield. While living in the Bay Area, she sang with the California Bach Society and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus.
Judith is an active member of OAKE. She served on the National Choir Committee for six years and had students selected by audition to perform at the conference regularly. She is currently serving as the past president for the Western Division.
Sandy Knudson
Youth Treble Choir – SSAA grades 6-8
Sandy Knudson is the Artistic Director of Oklahoma Youth Sing! and has successfully taught K-5 music for 30 years. She holds a M.M.E. and Kodály certification from The University of Oklahoma. Since 1990, Sandy has served on the faculty of The University of Oklahoma Kodály certification program teaching solfege, conducting, and choir. She holds National Board certification in Early and Middle Childhood Music. Well-known as a clinician and master teacher, Sandy has presented at numerous state and national conferences. She has conducted honor choirs in Louisiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. In 2015, she conducted the OAKE National Children’s Choir in Minneapolis.
Sandy has earned an Artist-Teacher Diploma under the mentorship of Doreen Rao in the Choral Music Experience Institute. Recognized by OMEA as an Exemplary Teacher in 2010, Sandy was inducted into the OMEA Hall of Fame in 2013. In the spring of 2014, Sandy was awarded the Pam Golden Honor Award by the Oklahoma Kodály Educators chapter for contribution to Kodály music education and the children and teachers of Oklahoma. In 2018, Sandy was awarded Outstanding Educator by OAKE.
Tracy Wong
Concert Treble Choir – SSAA grades 9-12
Dr. Tracy Wong is a choral conductor, music educator, composer, vocalist, and pianist. Currently residing in Ontario, Canada, Dr. Wong is the Assistant Professor of Choral Studies at Western University, where she conducts Chorale and Les Choristes ensembles and teaches choral conducting, and conducts the Grand Philharmonic Youth Choir in Kitchener. She holds a Doctor in Musical Arts and Master in Music Performance (Choral Conducting) degrees from the University of Toronto under the tutelage of Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt and is a recipient of the 2016 & 2017 Elmer Iseler National Graduate Fellowship in Choral Conducting.
She is passionate about helping choral educators to provide unique experiences for their students through collaborative commissions, customized workshops, festivals, and artist residencies. She had conducted workshops for choirs in North America and internationally. Dr. Wong’s strong commitment to community choral organizations is reflected in her work as Co-Conductor of the Asia Pacific Youth Choir 2023 (International Federation of Choral Music), atelier leader of Europa Cantat Junior 2023 (Flanders/Belgium), Conductor of the Grand Philharmonic Youth Choir (Kitchener, Ontario), singer with Babεl (Toronto), and founding member of the International Choral Conductors Federation (ICCF). She was the 2019 Canadian Composer Feature for the Canadian Kodály Journal, Alla Breve, and her choral works are featured at numerous reading sessions. Her choral works are available on Cypress Choral Music (Canada), Graphite Publishing (US), and Young Choral Academy (Malaysia). They have been performed by choirs at international competitions and festivals. (www.tracywongmusic.com)
Árpád Tóth
Chamber Choir – SATB grades 9-12
Dr Árpád Tóth has been a lecturer of methodology, solfège, chamber music and choral conducting at the Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest since 2012. He also delivers University training at the High School of the Hungarian University of Arts. He is Artistic Director of Csíkszerda, Hungary’s largest community choir and of the Night of Choirs – Hungary’s largest one-day choral festival. He is an award-winning choral conductor and internationally recognized teacher who has taught for many years in Europe, but also South Korea, Australia, China, Philippines, Mexico and Malaysia.