High School Choral Workshop
Welcome to the SUNY Schenectady School of Music High School Choral Workshop! Join us for a unique opportunity to explore various aspects of choral singing under the guidance of renowned professionals.
Choral Workshop Overview
Led by our distinguished faculty and featuring internationally acclaimed conductor and clinician Dr. Jo-Michael Scheibe, this workshop promises to be an exceptional learning and performing experience.
Dates
The workshop will take place on Friday, October 23, 2026
Registration Fee
- $300 per school choir
- An additional $150 for a second choir
- Deadline is Monday, October 5, 2026
- An additional lunch fee applies this year
- Please bring payment (check, made payable to "SUNY Schenectady School of Music") on the day of the workshop
Register for the High School Choral Workshop
Lunch
This year, lunch will be provided for all participants: a pizza lunch prepared by SUNY Schenectady's Hotel & Culinary Arts students, shared together as a social time for students from all participating schools. An additional per-student fee will be billed to each school to cover the cost (fee amount to be confirmed).
Workshop Highlights
- Choral Masterclasses: Engage in a masterclass with guest conductor, Dr. Jo-Michael Scheibe, where directors conduct their own choir and then receive feedback.
- Multiple Sessions: Attend sessions on various topics, including Pop & Jazz Singing, Musical Theatre Singing, Audio Recording, Choral Warm-Ups and more.
- Sessions and/or lessons will be scheduled for students during the choral masterclass time when their high school choir is not working with Dr. Scheibe.
- Each choir performs first, then receives feedback from Dr. Scheibe during that same masterclass slot. Students should check their choir's own masterclass time before signing up for elective sessions, so they don't miss their turn.
- New this year: before social lunch, all students will gather in the Auditorium to watch a performance by the SUNY Schenectady Chorus.
Contact Information
Please direct your inquiries to Dr. Joseph Han at hanj@sunysccc.edu.
Limited Morning Performance Slots
Please note that we can only fit approximately 6 choirs into the morning masterclass block this year. When registering, please indicate both your tentative arrival time and the latest time your choir is able to stay, and if at all possible, plan for your choir to be available through the afternoon session — this helps us schedule fairly and accommodate as many morning requests as we can. That said, we want to be upfront that not every choir will be able to receive a morning slot. As soon as possible after the registration deadline, we will share a draft schedule and work with schools to make adjustments where needed. If your choir needs to know its masterclass time earlier — for example, to book a bus — please let us know before the deadline, and we will do our best to accommodate that request.
Tentative Workshop Schedule
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 8:30-11:45 a.m. | Choral Masterclass — choirs rotate through the Auditorium to perform and receive feedback from Dr. Scheibe; elective sessions run concurrently in other rooms |
| 11:45 a.m.-12:00 p.m. | Performance by the SUNY Schenectady Chorus |
| 12:00-1:00 p.m. | Lunch |
| 1:00-4:00 p.m. | Choral Masterclass continues — remaining choirs perform and receive feedback; elective sessions continue |
| 4:00 p.m. | End |
Faculty
Dr. Jo-Michael Scheibe
Dr. Jo-Michael Scheibe is Professor Emeritus of Choral and Sacred Music at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music, where he chaired the Department of Choral and Sacred Music from 2008 to 2020 and led the USC Chamber Singers for over a decade before his retirement in 2022. A native of Southern California, he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from California State University, Long Beach, and his Doctor of Musical Arts from USC.
Prior to returning to his alma mater, Dr. Scheibe built an extensive academic career that included fifteen years as Director of Choral Studies at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music and a faculty appointment at Northern Arizona University, along with earlier teaching posts at Long Beach City College and two Southern California high schools.
Dr. Scheibe served as National President of the American Choral Directors Association from 2011 to 2013, following earlier terms as the organization's Western Division President and National Repertoire and Standards Chairperson for Community Colleges. Under his direction, the USC Chamber Singers earned the American Prize in Choral Music in 2015, performed at seven ACDA National Conventions, and were among a select group of choirs invited to the World Choral Symposium in Seoul, South Korea.
Over the course of his career, Dr. Scheibe has collaborated with artists including Luciano Pavarotti, José Carreras, Sir Elton John, the Rolling Stones, and Jennifer Hudson, and has prepared choruses for conductors such as Sir Colin Davis and the London Symphony Orchestra, Michael Tilson Thomas and the New World Symphony, and Franz Welser-Möst and the Cleveland Orchestra. He is the editor of a widely performed choral series distributed internationally by Walton Music, Colla Voce Music, Pavane Publishing, and Santa Barbara Music Publishing, and he co-edited two volumes of Teaching Music Through Performance in Choir. In 2023 he was named a Fulbright Scholar and spent the following year teaching and conducting in Ireland.
Dr. Scheibe remains active internationally as a clinician, guest conductor, and adjudicator, continuing to lead workshops, masterclasses, and honor choirs across the United States and abroad.
Career Highlights Include:
- National President, American Choral Directors Association (2011–2013)
- Chaired the USC Thornton School of Music Department of Choral and Sacred Music (2008–2020)
- USC Chamber Singers awarded the American Prize in Choral Music (2015)
- Seven appearances at ACDA National Conventions leading the USC Chamber Singers
- Selected performance at the World Choral Symposium, Seoul, South Korea (2014)
- 2023–2024 Fulbright Scholar, Ireland
- Choral collaborations with Luciano Pavarotti, José Carreras, Sir Elton John, the Rolling Stones, and Jennifer Hudson
- Prepared choruses for the London Symphony Orchestra, the New World Symphony, and the Cleveland Orchestra, among others
- Editor of the Jo-Michael Scheibe Choral Series, published internationally by Walton Music, Colla Voce Music, Pavane Publishing, and Santa Barbara Music Publishing
- Co-editor, Teaching Music Through Performance – Choir (Volumes 4 and 5)
Visit Dr. Scheibe's USC Thornton profile
Dr. Joseph Han
Joseph Kyungjin Han is an active conductor and performer with a well-established international career, with engagements reaching audiences throughout the United States, Italy, France, Mexico, Japan, Taiwan, and Korea.
As a choral conductor, Dr. Han served as Artistic Director of the Catskill Choral Society, and, beginning this fall, joins Albany Pro Musica as its new Assistant Music Director. At SUNY Schenectady, he has led the college's large-scale choral-orchestral performances of Brahms' Ein deutsches Requiem and Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, featuring combined choral and orchestral forces. He has conducted at the NYSSMA Area All-State Festival at Proctors Theatre in Schenectady, NY, has led performances at All-County Music Festivals in Fulton, Montgomery, and Schoharie Counties, and has been invited to lead a masterclass at the National Conservatory of Music in Mexico City.
Dr. Han continues to develop his conducting through advanced training, including fellowships at the University of Michigan Choral Conducting Symposium, the Conductors Retreat at Medomak, and the Conductor's Institute of South Carolina, and this fall he begins a Master's degree in Orchestral Conducting at the Bard College Conservatory of Music.
Beyond the podium, he made his solo debut at Carnegie Hall with the Philharmonia Boston Orchestra String Players and has also appeared at Lincoln Center as a performer. He remains deeply engaged in the Capital Region's music community as an active member of the American Choral Directors Association, and previously served as President of the Eastern New York Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS).
Previously, he served as an adjunct professor at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego and also taught undergraduate students at Carnegie Mellon University and SUNY Stony Brook. He received certificates in choral conducting and vocal pedagogy at Westminster Choir College. Currently, he holds the position of Assistant Professor, Choral Director, and Vocal Area Coordinator at SUNY Schenectady County Community College's School of Music.
Choral Workshop FAQs
Q: Who can participate in the workshop?
A: The workshop is exclusively designed for high school choirs. Adult local choir members and conductors are welcome to participate and observe. Please email Dr. Han at hanj@sunysccc.edu for the arrangements.
Q: When and where is the workshop taking place?
A: The workshop will take place October 23, 2026, at SUNY Schenectady. The address is 78 Washington Avenue, Schenectady, NY 12305.
Q: How much is the registration fee?
A: $300 per school choir. If the school brings multiple choirs, there will be a $150 additional charge.
Q: How can I register my choir for the workshop?
A: To register your choir, please complete the online application. This will direct you to the registration form where you can provide the necessary information for your choir's participation. Please bring payment (check, made payable to "SUNY Schenectady School of Music") on the day of the workshop. Please direct your inquiries to Dr. Joseph Han at hanj@sunysccc.edu.
Q: What is included in the registration fee?
A: The registration fee covers participation in all workshop sessions and activities. Lunch is covered by a separate fee this year — see below.
Q: Is lunch provided?
A: Yes, this year lunch is a pizza lunch prepared by SUNY Schenectady's Hotel and Culinary Arts students, shared together as a social time for students from all participating schools. An additional per-student fee will be billed to each school to cover the cost (fee amount to be confirmed).
Q: Can parents or other family members attend the workshop?
A: The workshop is primarily designed for participating choirs and their conductors. However, arrangements can be made for limited attendance by parents or family members. Please direct your inquiries to Dr. Joseph Han at hanj@sunysccc.edu.
Q: What Is a Masterclass?
A masterclass is a session in which a choir performs in front of peers and a master teacher, then receives feedback on how to improve. Typically, the choir performs, observing directors and students share their own constructive observations, and the clinician then adds further insight and works directly with the choir to demonstrate immediate improvements.
Benefits of a Masterclass:
- The choir gains the experience of performing in front of an audience of peers
- Observing students and directors practice turning their impressions into constructive, positive feedback
- The performing choir receives a working session with a master teacher, addressing skills or habits they may not have otherwise had the chance to explore
- Observing choirs often recognize similar habits in their own singing and take home new ideas to try in their own rehearsals