Tenor/Bass and Treble Choir Festivals

Dr. Frances Fonza serves as the Director of Choral Activities at Southeastern Louisiana University, where she imparts her passion for music education and conducting to both undergraduate and graduate students and directs the Concert Choir, Bella Voce (Treble Ensemble), and Gospel Choir.

Dr. Fonza has a rich background in choral music education, having taught at the middle and high school levels in Kentucky and served as the choir director and sight-singing teacher at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C. She earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Missouri-Columbia and master’s and doctoral degrees in choral music education and conducting from Florida State University.

 Prior to her role at Southeastern, Dr. Fonza was Assistant Professor of Music Education and Director of Choral Activities at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. She has also been a faculty member at Stephen F. Austin State University and the University of Central Arkansas. Choirs under her direction have performed at state, regional, and national music festivals.

Dr. Fonza is an active singer, clinician, and adjudicator, frequently engaged for guest conducting opportunities both nationally and internationally. She has conducted all-state, honor, public school, community, and church choirs, and had the honor of leading the All-National Honor Choir in 2020 and 2023. Her research interests include community partnerships, healthy singing in Gospel music, the versatile voice, and innovative tone-building strategies for the choral classroom. She is an active member of the National Association for Music Educators and the American Choral Directors Association.

Jabarie Glass is a conductor and educator with experience across university, secondary, community, festival, and church choral settings. He currently serves as Director of Choral Activities in the School of Music at the University of Oklahoma, where he conducts the OU Chorale and leads the graduate choral conducting program. Known for his dynamic leadership and compelling programming, Glass brings a commitment to musical excellence, collaboration, and inclusive practice to every ensemble he leads. Choirs under his direction have been featured at the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Southern Region Conference, the Mississippi-ACDA Conference, and the South Carolina Music Educators Association Conference.

 In addition to his passion for conducting works from the choral-orchestral repertory, he is a fervent advocate for new music, dedicated to enriching the choral canon by commissioning and premiering works that embrace diverse artistic perspectives. He has presented interest sessions at regional and national conferences of the American Choral Directors Association, led conducting masterclasses, and published in The Choral Journal. He continues to invest in the musical growth of young choral artists by conducting honor choirs and all-state ensembles across the United States. Recent engagements include conducting the ACDA Southwestern Region 10-12 Mixed Choir; all-state choirs in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Wisconsin; as well as regional honor choirs in Oklahoma and Tennessee. He also holds leadership positions in professional choral organizations, having served as the Student Activities Coordinator for the ACDA Southern Region and as a member of the National Board for the National Collegiate Choral Organization.

A native Mississippian, Glass earned dual bachelor's degrees in business management and music education from the University of Mississippi, where he was inducted into the University's Student Hall of Fame, a university-wide honor bestowed upon only ten seniors annually based on leadership, scholarship, and service. He earned a master's degree in music education from the Florida State University College of Music and a doctoral degree in conducting from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance. He pursued additional conducting studies as a conducting fellow with the Chorus America Conducting Academy and the Yale-Norfolk Chamber Music Festival Choral Conducting Workshop.