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Susan Tevis, Founder, Artistic Director and Conductor of the five choirs of the Children’s Choir of Chico, Ms. Tevis holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in piano pedagogy and music education from California State University, Chico. She completed a Kodály Certificate at the Kodály Institute at McNeese State University (Lake Charles, Louisiana) and completed advanced studies both at the McNeese Institute and at the Kodály Pedagogical Institute in Kecskemét, Hungary.

Ms. Tevis has been an adjunct faculty member at McNeese State University, CSU Chico, Capital University Conservatory of Music (Columbus, Ohio), and the Kodály Pedagogical Institute in Kecskemét, Hungary. Susan has been on the faculty at the Kodály Institute at McNeese and the Kodály Institute at Capital University, teaching in summer courses for professional music educators.

As a choral specialist, Susan is active as a guest clinician and conductor for treble choirs, and is frequently invited to present music education workshops for various state and national music organizations and at regional, state & national music conferences. In addition to clinics and workshops, she also presented a scholarly paper, in conjunction with two colleagues, at the 1999 Symposium of the International Kodály Society. The Classroom Music Project, founded by Ms. Tevis at Citrus Elementary School in Chico, provided a field studies opportunity for music education majors at CSU, Chico for 5 years.

Founded in 2001, Children’s Choir of Chico has served over 1000 children, young people and women in the greater Chico area, performing for numerous organizations and community events each year. Bel Canto and Cantiamo have traveled to central and southern California, performed in Disneyland, and delighted audiences in Petaluma, Santa Rosa, and San Francisco; and Bel Canto members have sung on the historic stage at Carnegie Hall.

Artistic Staff

2011-2012

Susan Tevis, Artistic Director and Conductor of the Children’s Choir of Chico

Jim McKenzie, Assistant Conductor

Jennifer Anderson, Assistant Conductor

Justin McKay, Piano Accompanist

Cara Okano Herrick, Piano Accompanist

	Jim McKenzie earned his bachelor of arts in music education in 2002, graduating summa cum laude, and completed the teacher credential program in 2003 at CSU, Chico. He has completed two of the three summer Kodaly certificate programs and is planning to finish the program at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, LA.
	The McKenzie family moved to Chico from the Bay Area in 2000 and includes CCOC. Mrs. McKenzie and their three children have all sung in CCOC choirs. In the Bay Area, Mr. McKenzie began teaching music in 1993, and taught private trumpet, guitar and bass guitar lessons. He also worked for four years as an instructional assistant in the Palo Alto Unified School District where he taught elementary string classes, summer school jazz band, and high school jazz club.
	Since moving to Chico Mr. McKenzie has taught music at Palermo School, Chico Country Day School, and in several long-term sub positions for the Chico Unified School District. He also taught classes and directed orchestras in the Paradise Strings In Schools program, and served for two years as its program director. He worked as the rehearsal assistant for CCOC in 2005-2006. In addition to teaching with CCOC, Mr. McKenzie is the music teacher at Gerber School, Children's Community Charter School, and the band teacher at Paradise Charter Middle School.

	Pianist Justin McKay was trained at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music from 1989 to 1993, where his teachers included Albert Landa, Joshua Tsai and Judy Bailey. He subsequently attended the University of Western Sydney, where he earned his BA, with a double major in Performance and Music Technology.
	Since 1996, he has been a California resident, where he has appeared with such groups as the Apollo Baroque Orchestra (harpsichord), Auburn Symphony, North State Symphony, and Camerata California. Since 2006, he has been accompanist for Chico State's Opera Workshop, directing a small orchestra for productions of The Magic Flute, Carmen, The Mikado, The Merry Widow. Chico State Opera Workshop has also presented the premieres of Justin's comic operas Alice in Wonderland (2008) and The Salon (2009).
	Justin first joined the staff of the Children's Choir of Chico in 2005, at which time he accompanied each of the choirs. He is currently accompanist for Cantiamo, who, in Spring 2010, premiered Justin's Shakespeare settings Full Fathom Five and The Man in the Moon. Justin has taught piano privately since 1994, and currently teaches four days a week in Chico.