Paul Wiens, Conductor, earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Iowa where he studied with Don V. Moses, sang as a member of the Atlanta Symphony Chamber Choir under the legendary Robert Shaw and taught at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with Robert Fountain. During his 44-year academic career, he conducted choirs at Fulton High School-Atlanta (3), Clayton State University-Georgia (6), Bethel College-Kansas (1), University of Wisconsin-Madison (3) and Wheaton College (31). While a member of the Wheaton Conservatory of Music faculty from 1981-2012, he conducted the Concert Choir at 11 ACDA conventions: National (2), Central Division (6), State of Illinois (3). In 2012 he conducted Bach’s B-minor Mass with the Concert Choir and the Metropolis Chamber Orchestra. Under his leadership as Artistic Director and Conductor, the West Suburban Choral Union presented major choral/orchestral masterworks at Wheaton College from 1983-2006. He served as Chorus Master for five Wheaton College Artist Series performances under the baton of John Nelson: Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Britten’s War Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Berlioz’ Requiem and Brahms Requiem. Upon retirement and appointment as Professor of Music Emeritus in 2021, Wiens has conducted the Chamber Singers since its founding in 2015.
Roger Hale,Assistant Conductor, joined the faculty at Dixie State University in August of 2014. He received a Bachelor of Music Education (2001) and Masters of Choral Conducting (2006) from the University of Utah, and a Ph.D. in Choral Music Education and Conducting from Florida State University (2009). Dr. Hale studied closely with John Cooksey, André Thomas, Kevin Fenton, and Clifford Madsen. Dr. Hale is Director of Choral Activities at DSU where he conducts the Concert Choir, Chamber Singers, and Men’s Chorus. He is a sought-after clinician and guest conductor. His research interests include using technology in the classroom for a more engaged rehearsal. His teaching load includes Advanced Choral Conducting and Choral Literature. He enjoys living in the St. George area with his wife KayDe and their five children.
Rachel Cox, President, is both an active performer and voice teacher. She holds a Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from Brigham Young University with a minor in Choral Conducting. Following graduation she completed post-graduate opera studies at the AIMS Institute in Austria. Rachel has been a member and soloist with fine choral chamber ensembles including the BYU Singers, the Lexington Chamber Chorale, and the Deseret Chamber Singers. Rachel has toured and performed throughout the U.S. and abroad, including performances in Canada, South Africa, and throughout Western Europe. She is currently an Adjunct Professor of Voice at Dixie State, a Let’s Play Music teacher and also maintains a private voice studio.
Mark Robertson, Treasurer, has been been a life-long singer and supporter of the Arts. His participation in the Arts includes membership in the BYU Oratorio Choir and the Southwest Symphonic Chorale as well as many performances with the St. George Musical Theater including leading roles such as George Bailey in It’s A Wonderful Life, Scarecrow in Wizard of Oz, and the Stage Manager in Our Town. A supporter of local choral music, Mark has sung with Lieto Voices since its inception and has served as both president and board member for the organization. Mark has performed in Carnegie Hall under esteemed director John Rutter and has assisted local youth choruses for over ten years.
Jared Davis, Technical Specialist, has loved music his entire life. At an early age he learned to play violin and piano and enjoys music in a wide range of styles. A sought-after musician, Jared has conducted choirs, accompanied soloists and groups and has been featured in over 30 musical theater productions. Jared serves on the Chamber Singers board and has enjoyed the opportunity to expand his musical interests as a member of the St George Chamber Singers.
Amelia Gull, Community Outreach Specialist, began studying music at the age of 6, when she began private piano lessons in Knoxville, TN and continued her piano studies under Lucinda Duncan and JoAnn Jones in Cedar City, UT. Throughout her K-12 years, she participated in the National Federation of Music Festivals and received the 5th (Grand) Cup in Piano Solo and 4 Superior Cups in Piano Duet. In high school, she won 2nd place in the State NFMC Stillman Kelley Piano Competition. During her Music Minor in college, she performed with the SUU Concert Choir, Percussion Ensemble, and Symphony. She has taught piano to students ages 3 to 72 and has been involved with music extensively at her church, as both a chorister and as an accompanist on the piano and organ. She has been a member of the St. George Chamber Singers since Fall 2019.
Dan Sadler, Member at Large, began singing in children’s choirs at the age of 8, in his home town, Pittsburgh. At twelve, he was selected for the lead in a production of Amahl and the Night Visitors, but the inevitable and untimely voice change had other ideas. Dan played trombone for twelve years in school concert and jazz bands, brass choirs and orchestras. Friends introduced him to the St. George Chamber Singers. He recognizes that a choir with the quality, dedication and leadership of the St. George Chamber Singers is very rare in an area this size, and believes that there is a huge market for this kind of performance in St George. Dan hopes to help more people discover and hear the choir, so that there will be even more eager supporters.
Accompanists
Regina Roper, Principal Accompanist, built her career in the Silicon Valley of Northern California before semi-retiring to Southwest Utah. Prior to moving to Ivins in 2015, she had spent the previous 36 years teaching, evaluating, accompanying, performing, and presenting pedagogy workshops in the San Francisco Bay Area. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance and Music Theory, with graduate studies under the tutelage of harpsichord virtuoso, the late Fernando Valenti. As a graduate-assistant accompanist at San Jose State University in the 1970’s, she was engaged to play for the University Choir, the SJSU Choraliers (world-class a cappella singers), SJ Opera rehearsals, various studio vocal and instrumental lessons on campus, as well as the city of San Jose’s Children’s Musical Theater productions. In 1987 she had the good fortune to accompany a group of Suzuki-trained string students. As a result of this collaboration, Ms. Roper pursued training to become one of the earliest Suzuki piano instructors in the Bay Area and over the course of the next 28 years became one of the most respected and sought-after piano instructors in the Santa Clara valley.
A current and long-standing member of the Music Teacher’s Association of California, Ms. Roper has held offices at branch, regional and state levels in various capacities. She is also co-author of an 11-level series of theory workbooks for students preparing for the California “Certificate of Merit” examinations as well as Texas students preparing for their State MTNA theory tests. For over 37 years, her students have consistently earned high marks in their examinations and frequently are chosen to perform on county and state-wide Honors recitals. Several have gone on to earn music degrees and establish their own careers while others have simply developed a skill which continues to bring them joy and self-fulfillment.
Paul Wiens, Conductor, earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Iowa where he studied with Don V. Moses, sang as a member of the Atlanta Symphony Chamber Choir under the legendary Robert Shaw and taught at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with Robert Fountain. During his 44-year academic career, he conducted choirs at Fulton High School-Atlanta (3), Clayton State University-Georgia (6), Bethel College-Kansas (1), University of Wisconsin-Madison (3) and Wheaton College (31). While a member of the Wheaton Conservatory of Music faculty from 1981-2012, he conducted the Concert Choir at 11 ACDA conventions: National (2), Central Division (6), State of Illinois (3). In 2012 he conducted Bach’s B-minor Mass with the Concert Choir and the Metropolis Chamber Orchestra. Under his leadership as Artistic Director and Conductor, the West Suburban Choral Union presented major choral/orchestral masterworks at Wheaton College from 1983-2006. He served as Chorus Master for five Wheaton College Artist Series performances under the baton of John Nelson: Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Britten’s War Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Berlioz’ Requiem and Brahms Requiem. Upon retirement and appointment as Professor of Music Emeritus in 2021, Wiens has conducted the Chamber Singers since its founding in 2015.
Roger Hale, Assistant Conductor, joined the faculty at Dixie State University in August of 2014. He received a Bachelor of Music Education (2001) and Masters of Choral Conducting (2006) from the University of Utah, and a Ph.D. in Choral Music Education and Conducting from Florida State University (2009). Dr. Hale studied closely with John Cooksey, André Thomas, Kevin Fenton, and Clifford Madsen. Dr. Hale is Director of Choral Activities at DSU where he conducts the Concert Choir, Chamber Singers, and Men’s Chorus. He is a sought-after clinician and guest conductor. His research interests include using technology in the classroom for a more engaged rehearsal. His teaching load includes Advanced Choral Conducting and Choral Literature. He enjoys living in the St. George area with his wife KayDe and their five children.
Rachel Cox, President, is both an active performer and voice teacher. She holds a Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from Brigham Young University with a minor in Choral Conducting. Following graduation she completed post-graduate opera studies at the AIMS Institute in Austria. Rachel has been a member and soloist with fine choral chamber ensembles including the BYU Singers, the Lexington Chamber Chorale, and the Deseret Chamber Singers. Rachel has toured and performed throughout the U.S. and abroad, including performances in Canada, South Africa, and throughout Western Europe. She is currently an Adjunct Professor of Voice at Dixie State, a Let’s Play Music teacher and also maintains a private voice studio.
Jared Davis, Technical Specialist, has loved music his entire life. At an early age he learned to play violin and piano and enjoys music in a wide range of styles. A sought-after musician, Jared has conducted choirs, accompanied soloists and groups and has been featured in over 30 musical theater productions. Jared serves on the Chamber Singers board and has enjoyed the opportunity to expand his musical interests as a member of the St George Chamber Singers.
Amelia Gull, Community Outreach Specialist, began studying music at the age of 6, when she began private piano lessons in Knoxville, TN and continued her piano studies under Lucinda Duncan and JoAnn Jones in Cedar City, UT. Throughout her K-12 years, she participated in the National Federation of Music Festivals and received the 5th (Grand) Cup in Piano Solo and 4 Superior Cups in Piano Duet. In high school, she won 2nd place in the State NFMC Stillman Kelley Piano Competition. During her Music Minor in college, she performed with the SUU Concert Choir, Percussion Ensemble, and Symphony. She has taught piano to students ages 3 to 72 and has been involved with music extensively at her church, as both a chorister and as an accompanist on the piano and organ. She has been a member of the St. George Chamber Singers since Fall 2019.
Dan Sadler, Member at Large, began singing in children’s choirs at the age of 8, in his home town, Pittsburgh. At twelve, he was selected for the lead in a production of Amahl and the Night Visitors, but the inevitable and untimely voice change had other ideas. Dan played trombone for twelve years in school concert and jazz bands, brass choirs and orchestras. Friends introduced him to the St. George Chamber Singers. He recognizes that a choir with the quality, dedication and leadership of the St. George Chamber Singers is very rare in an area this size, and believes that there is a huge market for this kind of performance in St George. Dan hopes to help more people discover and hear the choir, so that there will be even more eager supporters.