Schedule & Adjudicators
SCHEDULE
(Schedule subject to change. Click on image to download a PDF)
ADJUDICATORS
Chad Alexander
His 25+ years in entertainment & public music education has allowed him the privilege of working with show choirs from coast to coast, and at professional regional theatres such as: The Rep (MO), Little Theatre On the Square (IL), Chicago Shakespeare Theatre (IL), & La Mirada Performing Arts Center (CA). As an educator, he has been the guest speaker at state and regional ACDA conventions including guest choreographer for the Missouri All State Show Choir (founder) and the Arizona All State Show Choir. His work has been featured on the SWACDA, and National ACDA conventions, and his groups have won numerous awards coast to coast. In 2014, Chad launched Heart of America (HOA), and went on to produce some of the countries most prestigious and competitive show choir competitions in Chicago, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Nashville, Orlando, & New York City. Chad is a graduate of Millikin University in Decatur IL and recently relocated to SoCal with his dog Baxter. Last May, Chad was inducted into his high school’s “Hall of Fame” for excellence in education and the arts.
Sarah Berry
Sarah Uriarte Berry is a Broadway veteran noted for creating the role of Franca in The Light in the Piazza for Lincoln Center (Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle noms.) She starred as Belle in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Eponine in Les Miserables, Nicola in Taboo, Diana in Next To Normal, Cinderella for New York City Opera, Julie for the Royal National Tour of Carousel (Dramalogue Award Best Actress, Ovation nom.) to name a few. Sarah has starred in dozens of regional productions, most recently in the award-winning Pasadena Playhouse production of A Little Night Music, and been a soloist at Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and with symphonies throughout the country. Sarah has also toured with Disney Princess The Concert, and will soon be starring on the Disney Magic cruise lines. as well as touring her For The Love Of Judy concert in venues across the United States. Broadway Cast recordings include The Light In The Piazza, Taboo, The Boys from Syracuse,Tenderloin, Bernstein’s Mass (Baltimore and Philadelphia symphonies) and her debut EP, For the Love of Judy, now available on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon, Music. TV and film: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Law and Order CSI, Frontera, Pretty Bird, Six Degrees, the Dave Letterman Show, and The Light in the Piazza (PBS). Sarah is a graduate of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, and teaches voice privately in Southern California.
Matthew Ferrell is a theatre director, musical director, and former university professor with more than 30 years of experience in live entertainment and theatrical production. His work includes Broadway national tours and collaborations with Six Flags Entertainment, Disney Cruise Line, Cirque du Soleil, the Radio City Rockettes, and Universal Studios. Matthew holds an MFA in Theatre Pedagogy/Performance from Virginia Commonwealth University and a BFA in Musical Theatre from Emerson College.
A dancer, choreographer, singer, and actor, Erik has been involved with theater and performance since age 8. Los Angeles based, he works locally and across the US with award winning show choirs and dance teams. Some professional credits include music videos for Pharrell Williams and Ally Brooke, television appearances on GLEE, The Voice, and The Good Place, national commercials for Xfinity, Nissan, and The GAP, and live events like the Billboard, Kid’s Choice, and Grammy Awards. Erik worked off-Broadway as associate choreographer for award winning musical ¡Americano! and is expanding his outreach in NY working with RWS Productions as a director and choreographer. Most recently Erik worked in Japan choreographing for Universal Studios and the Tokyo Halloween festival. Throughout his years, Erik has developed a rich passion for education and mentorship, and is honored to instruct performers of all ages in many cities across the globe.
Cara Jennings is the associate director, dance instructor, and choreographer with the Los Alamitos High School Choir Program. For over a decade, she has been an integral part of the team leading the program to both local and national acclaim.
Originally from Missouri, Cara received her bachelor’s degree in music education from Webster University in St. Louis. From a young age, she trained in various styles of dance and later studied at the St. Louis Ballet School. She continues to refine her skills in ballet, jazz, modern, and aerial dance in Los Angeles.
Utilizing her music education background along with her passion for dance and show choir, Cara became the assistant director and dance instructor with Troy Buchanan High School Choirs in Troy, Missouri, where she taught for over ten years. During her tenure, she choreographed numerous musical productions and also served as the color guard instructor and choreographer.
Since 2014, Cara has played a pivotal role in choreographing and assisting in the direction of all seven award-winning choirs at Los Alamitos High School and has also been the assistant director and choreographer of Xcite! Show Choir Summer Camps. She has been instrumental in the continued success of the program, most notably helping the choirs achieve multiple national grand championships. Throughout her career, every group she has taught has won numerous choreography awards and received consistently high visual scores.
In addition to her work at Los Alamitos, Cara has choreographed for other competitive show choirs, worked as a show choir adjudicator and clinician across the country, and served as the choreographer for the Missouri All-State Show Choir in 2022.
Through the power of music, she enjoys helping students reach their full potential as dancers, musicians, and artists — empowering them to grow as performers and individuals.
The founder and Artistic Director of the Los Angeles-based “Sterling Ensemble”, Dr. Jensen is a choral director, clinician, and teacher. Currently serving as the Director of Graduate Choral Studies and conducting the Chamber Singers and teaching Music Education at Azusa Pacific University, she has also served as an adjunct instructor at the University of Southern California where she earned her BM, MME in Music Education and DMA in Choral Music. Dr. Jensen was a member of both SAG and AFTRA with an extensive performance resume including commercials, voice-overs, music videos, guest-star roles on television and live performances. Prior to joining the faculty at APU, she was the founding director of the choral program at Burbank High School and choreographed for many programs across North America, including John Burroughs High School and the Youth Singers of Calgary.
Under her direction, the APU Chamber Singers has traveled to four continents, with featured performances at the Sydney Opera House, St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel, and Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The APU Chamber Singers was invited to perform for the National Collegiate Choral Organization National Conferences in Fort Collins, Colorado in 2011, Portland, Oregon in 2015 and Atlanta, Georgia in 2023. Under her direction, the Sterling Ensemble performed at the 2023 ACDA national conference in Cincinnati and at the 2024 ACDA conference in Pasadena. In the summer 2013 under Dr. Jensen, the APU Chamber Singers was selected to represent the United States at the 50th International Competition of Choirs in Spittal an der Drau, Austria where they were awarded first place in every category. Under her direction, they competed during 2015 and 2023 in the International Eisteddfod in Llangollen Wales, winning first place in three categories.
In 2019, Dr. Jensen served as the conductor for the ACDA Connecticut All-State Mixed Honor Choir. She continues to serve as a conductor, clinician, adjudicator, honor choir conductor, and guest artist throughout the United States and abroad.
Brian McCallister is a Los Angeles–based session singer, arranger, and producer. He records choral demos for Hal Leonard and Alfred Music and works as a freelance tenor/baritone vocalist from his home studio. He remains active as a professional backing vocalist and has performed with artists including Kenny Loggins, The Chieftains, and Ben Folds.
Brian writes arrangements for Silver Dollar City, Six Flags Great America, Purdue University Choirs, Uniting Voices Chicago, Show Choir Camps of America, and competitive show choirs and vocal jazz ensembles nationwide. During his years in Illinois, he served as show band director at Wheaton North and Wheaton Warrenville South High Schools and maintained a private voice studio during the school day.
He will begin recording his next project in April. In the meantime, his Holiday Jazz EP is available on all streaming platforms.
B.M., Indiana University Jacobs School of Music (2018)
Eron Smith has served as the Director of Choirs at Auburn High School in Auburn, Alabama, for the past 19 years. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Auburn University and a Master’s degree in Commercial Music and Music Technology from Southern Utah University.
For the past 15 years, Mr. Smith has also composed and arranged choral and show productions for performing groups throughout the Southeast. In addition to his work in music education, he serves as the Director of Worship Ministries at Parkway Baptist Church in Auburn. He is passionate about developing young musicians and fostering excellence in choral performance.
Eron and his wife, Mary, have been married for 17 years and are the proud parents of five children.
