Girl Choir

Karrie Been

Karrie Been, Conductor of Primo, has been teaching general music for 16 years, mostly in the Kimberly School district. She is currently teaching at the new Woodland School in Kimberly. Previously, she taught in Franklin, Wis., where she taught elementary music as well as middle and high school choirs and worked as the orchestra conductor of the high school's musical theatre production. Been graduated from Carroll College with a degree in music education and earned her master's degree in music education with a Kodaly emphasis from Silver Lake College. She was the founding chair of the Association of Wisconsin Area Kodaly Educators (AWAKE) Children's Choir Festival and served on the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association (WCDA) choir festival committee as a festival coordinator in Waukesha. She has served Lawrence University's Conservatory of Music by inspiring future music educators, and working as cooperating teacher and practicum advisor.

Karen Bruno

Karen L. Bruno is the conductor of Bel Canto, vocal coach for Cantabile, and the artistic director of the Girl Choir program. She received the Bachelor of Arts degree from Smith College, a teaching certificate from Lawrence University's Conservatory of Music, and the Master of Music degree from Boston University. She has taught choral music in the Appleton and Oshkosh school districts, and at an international school in Senegal, West Africa. She is currently the director of the Lawrence Academy of Music.

Ms. Bruno serves as the Repertoire and Standards Chair for Children and Community Youth Choirs in the North Central Region of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), is a member of the Music Educators National Conference (MENC), the VoiceCare Network, and serves on the committee advocating the Comprehensive Musicianship Through Performance (CMP) method of teaching. She is a past staff member of the Wisconsin School Music Association's Treble Honor Choir and has conducted numerous clinics for middle and high school choirs. Ms. Bruno has served as repertoire and standards chair, treasurer, and convention registration chair for the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association (WCDA) and has served as a conductor in its annual Singing in Wisconsin festival. She is a two-time recipient of WCDA's Five-Star Award, a recipient of Lawrence University's Pi Kappa Lambda award for excellence in music education, and was recognized by the Danbury (CT) Music Centre for providing outstanding musical opportunities for youth.

Amber Evey Schmidt

Amber Evey Schmidt, conductor of Arioso, graduated from Lawrence University with a Bachelor of Music in choral and general music education and earned a Master of Music in music education from Northwestern University. She worked as a student teacher in the Appleton Area School District and was awarded the Pi Kappa Lambda Award for excellence in Music Education. While at Lawrence, Evey Schmidt performed with the Women's Choir, Concert Choir, and Vocal Jazz Ensemble. Evey Schmidt has been actively involved in the Girl Choir program for many years. She was the manager for Intermezzo for four years and a conducting intern for Cantabile for one year. Evey Schmidt taught elementary general music in Mequon, Kiel and Appleton; middle school choir and general music in Appleton and recently accepted a choral director position at Appleton North High School where she directs four ensembles. Evey Schmidt is a member of the VoiceCare Network, Wisconsin Music Educators Association (WMEA) and the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association (WCDA). In 2006, she was the chair of WCDA's All-State Children's Choir. Amber has also been a counselor and instructor for the Academy of Music Band Camp where she taught music theory, guitar, and voice.

Jaclyn Kottman

Jaclyn Kottman, conductor of Capriccio, is thrilled to join the Lawrence Academy of Music Girl Choir program as a director this year. She previously served as an ensemble manager and conducting intern with the Intermezzo, Cantabile, and Bel Canto Choirs. Ms. Kottman graduated from Lawrence University with a Bachelor of Music degree in Choral and General Music Education and a minor in Religious Studies, and has taught in New Zealand, Costa Rica, Appleton, and Boston. She is currently teaching Choral, General, and Exploratory Music in the Appleton Area School District at Einstein Middle School and Classical Charter School, and also teaches voice through the Lawrence Academy of Music. Ms. Kottman is a member of the Wisconsin Music Educators Association (WMEA), the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), the Sigma Alpha Iota music fraternity, and is the recipient of Lawrence University’s Pi Kappa Lambda Award for excellence in Music Education.

Debbie Lind

Debbie Lind, conductor of Cantabile, is a graduate of the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, with a Bachelor of Music Education degree, vocal and instrumental. In June 2011, she retired from twenty five years of teaching vocal and choral music in the Appleton Area School District, having served most recently as Choral Music Director at Appleton East High School. She taught in Omaha, NE, and Schofield, WI, before coming to Appleton. Ms. Lind has been a clinician for WSMA and a guest conductor for WCDA's Singing in Wisconsin. She has been actively involved in church music as a choral director, accompanist and singer throughout her career. She is a member of the VoiceCare Network, Wisconsin Music Educators Association (WMEA) and the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association (WCDA). Ms. Lind has worked and continues to work with future and new music educators, as a cooperating teacher, a practicum adviser, and a mentor in the AASD new-teacher mentoring program.

Patricia Merrifield

Patricia Merrifield, conductor of Ragazze, teaches elementary general music in the Appleton Area Schools where she has also taught general and instrumental music at the middle school level. Mrs. Merrifield holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Michigan State University and teaching certification and Master’s Degree in Music Education with a Kodaly emphasis from Silver Lake College. Previous to entering teaching, Mrs. Merrifield worked in the orchestra management field. Mrs. Merrifield is a past Board member of the Association of Wisconsin Area Kodaly Educators (AWAKE), has co-chaired the AWAKE Singing Games Festival, and is a member of the Wisconsin School Music Association and Music Educator’s National Conference.

Cheryl Meyer

Cheryl Meyer, conductor of Allegretto, received her Bachelor of Music degree from UW-Madison and joined the Academy in 1992 as a conductor in the Girl Choir Program. A vocal music specialist with the Appleton Area Schools, she is an advocate for the Comprehensive Musicianship through Performance (CMP) method of teaching. As a member of the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association, she has conducted Singing in Wisconsin Youth Choirs, presented sessions at state conventions and served as Children’s Choir Repertoire and Standards Chair. She is also a member of the Wisconsin Music Educators Conference and the Organization of Kodaly Educators, serving as a past conductor of the AWAKE Youth Honor Choir. Currently an adjudicator for the Wisconsin School Music Association, Ms. Meyer also conducts the Camp Choir during the Academy residential summer band camp.