Musical Direction

Dr. Julie Skadsem

DIRECTOR

Dr. Julie Skadsem (she/her) is an Associate Professor of Choral Music Education and Conducting at the University of Michigan where she conducts the Women’s Glee Club and teaches courses in conducting, choral techniques and vocal methods.  She has earned degrees in choral music education from St. Olaf College (B.A.), Florida State University (M.M.E.), and the University of Missouri-Kansas City (Ph.D.).

Before coming to Michigan in fall 2006, Skadsem was Associate Professor of Music Education at the University of Alabama where she taught courses in choir, conducting and music education, and was the Founding Director of the Birmingham Children’s Choir.  She taught vocal music (7-12) in Ironwood, Michigan and is an active clinician, adjudicator, and guest conductor.

She is a member of the VoiceCare Network and is certified in Dalcroze eurhythmics, Orff-Schulwerk and Kodaly. In addition to her choral work, Skadsem is also an active researcher.  Her research on choral conducting and rehearsal techniques has been presented at MENC, ACDA and the Southeastern Music Education Symposium, and is being published at the state, regional, and national levels.  She currently serves on the editorial board of the Southern Music Education Journal.

Gukhui Han

GRADUATE STUDENT INSTRUCTOR

Gukhui Han is a conductor and pianist with a strong background in higher education and community organizations. She has held positions as Lecturer in Choral Music at California State University, Los Angeles; Conducting Teacher at the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus; and Collaborative Pianist at Chapman University, California State University, Long Beach, and with the Long Beach Camerata Singers. Additionally, she has served as Music Director at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Long Beach and St. John’s Episcopal Church in Rancho Santa Margarita.

Her collaborative piano studies significantly shaped her artistry, leading to recognition such as an invitation to perform in the final round of the Wigmore Hall Song Competition in London and participation in summer festivals including the Fall Island Vocal Art Seminar, SongFest, the Franz-Schubert-Institut, and the Aspen Music Festival. At these festivals, she collaborated with artists such as Elly Ameling, Roger Vignoles, Martin Katz, Alan Smith, Jake Heggie, and Graham Johnson.

Han’s commitment to artistic growth as a conductor is reflected in her participation in leading summer programs. She was selected as a Choral Scholar at Chorus America’s Conducting Academy, working with mentors including Robert Istad, Eugene Rogers, Beth Willer, David Hayes, and Duain Wolfe. Last summer, she sang with Berkshire Choral International and joined a conducting workshop in Vratsa, Bulgaria, working with the Vratsa Symphony Orchestra. This spring, she studied with René Gulikers at the Conducting Studio in Zagreb, Croatia, and she returned to the Conducting Academy this summer as a Conducting Fellow.

She holds an MM and DMA in Collaborative Piano from the University of Cincinnati and the University of Southern California, respectively, as well as an MM in Choral Conducting from California State University, Fullerton. Currently, she is pursuing her DMA in Choral Conducting at the University of Michigan under Dr. Eugene Rogers, where she serves as a Graduate Student Instructor for Opera Chorus and the Women’s Glee Club, an ensemble she immediately fell in love with.

Mariah Boucher

PIANIST

Described as “unique and riveting” by Harmonie magazine, American pianist Mariah Boucher has distinguished herself as a leading collaborator, specializing in chamber music and vocal coaching.  Mariah has performed in venues across the United States, including the Aspen Music Festival, Bay View Music Festival, Detroit Institute of the Arts, and West Michigan Symphony Series.

As a strong performer of new music, she has worked closely with contemporary composers, including Gabriela Lena Frank, Pierre Jalbert, Evan Chambers, Michael Daugherty, Roger Zare, and Logan Skelton. Mariah has also worked with the Kresge Literary Fellow Terry Blackhawk, presenting her poetry with newly commissioned music at the Art X Festival, as well as poets Marsha Music and Justin Rogers. 

Mariah received both her Masters of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Michigan in Collaborative Piano, where she studied with Martin Katz and Logan Skelton. As an opera and art song coach, she works with singers at the South Bend Lyric Opera as well as the Bayview Music Festival. Mariah currently serves as a Collaborative Pianist/Vocal Coach at the University of Michigan.