Central Illinois Youth Chorus > About > Meet the Staff

Meet the Staff

Central Illinois Youth Chorus Now Seeking
Pre-K / Elementary Music Conductor

Central Illinois Youth Chorus is seeking a conductor/teacher to lead Music Makers, CIYC's youngest group of singers (ages 5-8), and the early childhood music program (positions may be combined into one position or split by two people). Responsibilities include leading one hour of rehearsal per week with Music Makers and 2 half-hour singing sessions with pre-K participants monthly in the months of September through May. Additionally, the conductor will lead recruiting for these groups and partner with the Artistic Director to foster overall choral excellence in education and performance.

The mission of Central Illinois Youth Chorus is to enrich the lives of Central Illinois youth by sharing the joy, discipline, pride, and team-work of high-quality choral singing. Since its founding in 1978, CIYC has grown to four choirs, providing choral music instruction, vocal training, and performance opportunities for singers in kindergarten through twelfth grade. CIYC presents bi-annual concerts, collaborates with Illinois orchestras and choruses, and performs at choral festivals and community and private events. Music Makers helps beginning singers develop performance etiquette, healthy vocal production, learn solfege with musical games, and harmonize using partner songs.

Successful candidates will have several years of teaching experience and a proven record of teaching young musicians.  Applicants should submit a resume with three references and cover letter to [email protected] by August 20. CIYC is an equal opportunity employer.

Andrea Solya

Artistic Director, Chamber Choir and Youth Chorale Conductor

Andrea Solya, DMA is Interim Director of Choral Activities at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she is director of the UI Chamber Singers and Women's Glee Club, UIUC's premier treble choir. She teaches choral conducting and literature to undergraduate and graduate students. Each summer she teaches musicianship, conducting and choral methodology in the Master's program of the Kodály Institute at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. Her research interests include the choral music of Andreas Rauch (1592-1656), as well as the art of teaching sight singing to the choral singer and beyond. She has performed and presented on national and international stages and has been working on a critical edition of 25 motets from Andreas Rauch’s 1625 collection "Thymiaterium Musicale". Under her direction, the UI Women's Glee Club has received numerous concert invitations and has undertaken memorable tours to Nashville, New Orleans, Atlanta and to New York City. The UI Women’s Glee Club also appears on renowned composer Augusta Read Thomas's latest CD recording Astral Canticle, released in 2015 by Nimbus Records. Dr. Solya is Treble Choir Repertoire and Standards Committee Chair at ACDA-IL.

Ann Marie Morrissette

Concert Choir Conductor

Ann Marie is the choir director at Central High School in Champaign, IL. She received her teaching certification and Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in vocal performance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Mrs. Morrissette has performed in many musicals and operas with the Illinois Opera Theatre and Parkland College, as well as solo performances with the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra. Mrs. Morrissette is a former member of CIYC and sang under its founder, Carolyn Paulin.

Evan Stoor

Youth Chorale Conductor

A native to the state of New Mexico, Evan began his career directing middle and high school choirs in Albuquerque, earning his Bachelor of Music Education at New Mexico State University. He received his Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Western Michigan University in 2022 before moving to Champaign-Urbana for the PhD program in Music Education with a choral conducting cognate. Evan is a regular clinician, guest lecturer and conductor, a UIUC student teacher supervisor, and scholar. His research endeavors include generational studies, covid-impacted learning, Latinx/é representation in higher education, and social development in choir ensembles.

Kathy Kew Lee

Administrative Director

Kathy joined the staff of CIYC in July 2019 and also serves as Music Director at Community United Church of Christ in Champaign.  Since graduating from Brown University with a Bachelor of Arts in Music and Psychology, Kathy has performed as a soloist, member, and/or section leader of more than 20 choirs.  While living in Boston, Kathy worked as Business Director and sectional coach of VOICES Boston (formerly PALS Children's Chorus), as well as conductor of their youngest choir.  Her two sons have been members of CIYC since 2016.  Kathy's favorite musical collaborations are those she shares with her twin sister, husband, and sons.

Ingrid Kammin

Resident Voice Teacher

Ingrid Kammin, DMA, is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Voice at Illinois Wesleyan University where she also serves as the chair of the Voice and Choral area. Dr. Kammin has studied and performed extensively throughout Europe, specifically at Il Corso Estivo per Giovani Cantiti in Urbania, Italy and at La Sorbonne in Paris, France. She is comfortable performing and teaching a variety of styles of music from Early Music/Opera to Contemporary/New Music to Musical Theater to Pop. Dr. Kammin is incredibly passionate about teaching and vocal pedagogy and is an active member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and was recently awarded the NATS Emerging Leaders Award. She is especially passionate about arts advocacy, collaboration, and education throughout the community, region, and beyond. Dr Kammin also serves as the Director of the Ralla Klepak Community Music Scholars and Explorers Programs at Illinois Wesleyan University. These programs provide access to music lessons, instruments, and other musical experiences to students with disabilities and who are traditionally underserved in the Bloomington-Normal Community. She maintains a private studio in the Champaign-Urbana area where she loves working with students of all ages and abilities. She is the mama to Sybil and Theo (wife to Mike) and the human ambassador for Bug Puppy (aka Buggy Balogh), Dottie Dog, and King Kitty. Also… there are some fish.

Andrey Ivanov

Collaborative Pianist

Andrey Ivanov is a Brazilian conductor, pianist and opera coach. He received his Bachelor of Music in Conducting from São Paulo State University and his Master in Music in Opera Coaching from the University of Texas at Austin. Ivanov appeared as music staff and assistant conductor for opera productions in Brazil, Germany and the U.S. He was associated conductor and pianist with the Associacao Coral da Cidade de Sao Paulo and the Orquestra Academica de Sao Paulo between 2017 and 2021. He was also assistant conductor in the opera version of Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde made and directed by Yoshi Oida and produced in Sao Paulo in 2017. Ivanov also worked as pianist for the Theatro Sao Pedro in Sao Paulo where he worked in opera and ballet productions with the Sao Paulo Cia de Dança. Ivanov worked as music staff for the productions of the Butler Opera Center in Austin and with the Lyric Theatre at Illinois. Most recently, he played productions of The Marriage of Figaro and Hänsel und Gretel with the Berlin Opera Academy in Berlin. Ivanov is currently a DMA student in Vocal Coaching and Accompanying at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Simon Tiffin

Collaborative Pianist