Highlights

2021 Keynote Speakers

Angela Brown

Angela Brown personifies the ideal soprano: sheer vocal power; luxurious finesse; and shimmering, high pianissimos. With a charming personality larger than life, she unites opera, pops, and gospel in one sensational voice and has graced the leading opera and symphonic stages across six continents. A featured artist on the two-time Grammy Award® winning recording “Ask Your Mama,” Angela’s international reputation continues to grow.

Her highly successful Metropolitan Opera debut in the title role of Aida captured instant attention from international print and broadcast media and catapulted Angela onto the world's prestigious opera and symphonic stages. Headlines from The New York Times read:  “At last an Aida,” and CBS Weekend News proclaimed: “the future of opera has arrived!” followed by features on the front page of The New York Times, on CNN, in Oprah Magazine, Essence Magazine, Ebony Magazine, Classical Singer, Reader’s Digest, and Psychology Today.

While opera is the main catalyst for her career, Angela’s performance experience includes everything from star hostess on stage to producer, recording artist, and program creator. Her most recent endeavor is launching Morning Brown, Inc., a nonprofit with the mission of bridging the gap between accessible, live-music programs and underserved individuals, schools, and communities. Drawing on the success of her groundbreaking show, Opera…from a Sistah’s Point of View©1997, Morning Brown, Inc., works to bring cultural experiences and awareness to cultural deserts. In 2020, she launched a new podcast with Classical Music Indy and co-host Joshua Thompson titled “Melanated Moments in Classical Music.” The first season landed in the top 10% of all podcasts for listeners and plans for a second season are already in the works.

Other milestones for Angela include singing on the Grammy Award®-winning recording of “Ask Your Mama,” composer Laura Karpman’s setting of the poem by Langston Hughes of the same title and co-starring in the new American opera, Charlie Parker’s Yardbird in the 2015 world-premiere performance with Opera Philadelphia. She reprised the role of Addie Parker in historic performances at The Apollo in New York City in 2016, for Lyric Opera of Chicago and Madison Opera, and in London at The Hackney Empire in 2017. In early 2020, Angela sang Addie for Seattle Opera and and performed her outreach show Opera…from a Sistah’s Point of View in Portland, Atlanta, Indianapolis, and Seattle. Cincinnati Opera and Opera Birmingham are co-producing a virtual performance of Opera…from a Sistah’s Point of View to be released in the fall of 2020.

Earlier career highpoints include her collaboration with American composer Richard Danielpour. Her early success as Aida was immediately followed by world premier performances of Danielpour’s opera Margaret Garner in the role of Cilla with Opera Philadelphia, Cincinnati Opera and Michigan Opera Theater. The result was a triumph that led Mr. Danielpour to set the poetry of visionary Maya Angelou for Angela's voice in an orchestral song cycle, A Woman’s Life, co-commissioned by Pittsburgh Symphony and Philadelphia Orchestra, recorded in 2012 with the Nashville Symphony and released on the Naxos label in 2013. 

A noted interpreter of African-American spirituals, Angela released Mosaic, a collaborative recording featuring spirituals with guitar and piano, in October 2004 from Albany Records. In 2005, a live Christmas concert with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and Indianapolis Opera Chorus was recorded by WFYI-PBS and broadcast throughout the United States.  She guest starred on A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor radio show in 2009. In July 2010, Angela was presented in Shanghai at the World Expo 2010 as a guest of USA Pavilion and the United States Consulate.  Angela was the only opera singer invited to perform for the USA Pavilion.  She also opened the One Nation Working Together Rally in Washington, DC, by singing the National Anthem on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and was selected by Marvin Hamlisch to premier his song composed for her and the Indianapolis Children’s Choir in honor of The Indianapolis Prize.

Throughout her career, Angela has joined forces with symphonic pops legends Marvin Hamlisch, Jack Everly, and Erich Kunzel while traveling the world for classical performances at Lincoln Center, Paris Opera, Vienna State Opera, Capetown Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Edmonton Opera, Calgary Philharmonic, Shanghai World Expo, Moscow Performing Arts Center, and more. But, she always welcomes a return home for appearances with the Indianapolis Symphony for their Yuletide pops extravaganza, the Indianapolis Opera, or to sing the National Anthem for the Indianapolis Colts, Indiana Pacers, and Indy Eleven. Adding the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500 (2017) to this list only deepened her love affair with her beloved Indianapolis and it with her.

Ms. Brown’s previous solo appearances include: Metropolitan Opera; National Opera of Paris; Bilbao Opera, Spain; Teatro La Fenice; Hamburg Opera; Vienna Staatsoper; Capetown Opera; Deutsche Oper Berlin; Opera Philadelphia; Cincinnati Opera; Pittsburgh Opera; Opera Pacific; Florentine Opera; Indianapolis Opera; Michigan Opera Theater; Opera Birmingham; Dayton Opera; Florida Grand Opera; The Philadelphia Orchestra; Pittsburgh Symphony; Auckland Philharmonia; Leipzip Radio Orchestra; Latvian National Symphony; Moscow Symphony Orchestra; Festival of St. Denis, France; Indianapolis Symphony; Cincinnati Pops; Cincinnati Symphony; Brevard Festival Orchestra; Phoenix Symphony; Roanoke Symphony; Madison Symphony; El Paso Symphony; Knoxville Symphony; Chautauqua Institution; Carmel (Indiana) Symphony; residencies and recitals at Skidmore College and Acadiana Symphony Orchestra; Calgary Philharmonic; Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra; Buffalo Philharmonic; The Trumpet Awards; The Walker Theatre in Indianapolis; The Sun Valley Writers’ Conference; The Marian Anderson Award Ceremony; the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.  Angela has performed in recital throughout the United States, Canada, Spain, New Zealand and Africa.  

A 1997 National Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions Winner, Ms. Brown received her Bachelor of Music degree in voice from Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama, where she studied with Ginger Beazley. She attended the Indiana University School of Music as a student in the studio of Virginia Zeani. Ms. Brown received the Indiana University African American Arts Institute's inaugural Herman C. Hudson Alumni Award in 2006, given annually to recognize outstanding contributions made in the arts by former members of the Institute. Ms. Brown is featured in “Nineteen Stars of Indiana,” a book by Michael S. Maurer about nineteen, living Hoosier women with successful and inspirational life stories, released by Indiana University Press in December 2008. Angela is a proud recipient of the Indiana University Distinguished Alumni Service Award, the Governor’s Arts Award from the Governor of Indiana, a Spirit of the Prairie Award from Conner Prairie in Indiana, and a member of the Indianapolis Public Schools Hall of Fame

Dr. Nola Jones

Dr. Nola Jones, a veteran music educator for over 25 years, is currently Director of Educational Programs for Conn-Selmer Inc. Previously, she served as Director of Visual and Performing Arts for Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools in Nashville, Tennessee. In addition to providing support for over 400 arts education specialists, Dr. Jones helped structure and implement Music Makes Us, a public/private partnership among Metro Nashville Public Schools, the mayor’s office, and music industry and community leaders in Nashville.

An active clinician, guest conductor, and adjudicator, Dr. Jones has appeared in 40 of the United States, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands, and Singapore. She has presented multiple sessions at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic. At the request of NAfME, she was Director of the US Army All-American Band, presented at their National Conference and Collegiate Advocacy Summit, and served on a Blue Ribbon Committee to write National Standards for Marching Band. She has judged for WGI Sport of the Arts, Bands of America, and Drum Corps International and currently serves on the DCI Judge Administration Team.

Dr. Jones has served as a state chair for the National Band Association, President of the Eta chapter of Phi Beta Mu, Board member of the Middle Tennessee School Band and Orchestra Association, and Board member of the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. Other professional affiliations include the National Association for Music Education, Sigma Alpha Iota, Kappa Kappa Psi, Tau Beta Sigma, and Phi Mu Alpha.

Dr. Jones received a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Mississippi State University and the Master of Music Education degree from Mississippi College. She received her Doctorate of Musical Arts in Conducting from the University of South Carolina, where she was a student of Dr. William J. Moody.

Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser

Tim Lautzenheiser began his teaching career at Northern Michigan University. He then moved to the University of Missouri, and from there to New Mexico State University. During that time, Tim developed highly acclaimed groups in both instrumental and vocal music.

Following his tenure in the college band directing world, he spent three years with McCormick’s Enterprises working as Executive Director of Bands of America. In 1981, Tim created Attitude Concepts for Today, Inc., an organization designed to manage the many requests for teacher inservice workshops, student leadership seminars, and convention speaking engagements focusing on the area of effective leadership training. After thirty-plus years of clinic presentations, some three million students have experienced one of his popular sessions.

Tim presently serves as Vice President of Education for Conn-Selmer, Inc. He is a nationally recognized voice touting the importance of arts education for every child.

His books, produced by G.I.A. Publications, Inc., continue to be bestsellers in the educational community. He is also co-author of popular band method, Essential Elements, as well as the Senior Educational Consultant for Hal Leonard, Inc. Tim is also the Senior Educational Advisor for Music for All, and NAMM (The National Association of Music Merchants).

He holds degrees from Ball State University and the University of Alabama; in 1995 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the VanderCook College of Music. He continues to teach as an adjunct faculty member at: Ball State University, Indiana-Purdue/Ft. Wayne University, and Butler University. In addition, he is a member of the Midwest Clinic Board of Directors and the Western International Band Clinic/American Band College Board of Directors. He is presently the Chair of the National Association for Music Education Music Honor Society (Tri-M).