IU Children's Choir: Indiana University Jacobs School of Music

Faculty

Penny DeYong, Administrative Assistant

Ruth Boshkoff, Director Emerita

Brent Gault, Allegro Choir, Program Director and Jacobs School of Music faculty

John Leonard, Youth Chorale

Maggie Olivo, First Voices

Katherine Strand, Descant Choir and Jacobs School of Music faculty

Vivian Ip, Chamber Choir

Ruth Boshkoff, a nationally recognized composer and music educator, has composed and published materials for children's choirs and led many workshops in her creative approach to teaching.

In 1998, Ruth was awarded the Outstanding Educator Award at the national meeting of the Organization of American Kodály Educators in New Orleans. This award is presented to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to Kodály-based education in the areas of scholarship, musicianship, and contributions to teaching.

Ruth holds a Bachelor's degree in Organ from Oberlin College and a Master's degree in Music Education from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She received both Kodály and Orff certification at Indiana University and has completed advanced work in both methods.

Throughout her career, Ruth has generously given her time and energy to children. She taught music at St. Charles School in Bloomington for 22 years, where she chose to teach the younger children so she could "get them off to a good start" in the curriculum she developed.

John P. Leonard is in his fourth season as director of the Indiana University Children’s Choir Youth Chorale. Mr. Leonard is also attending the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University where he is pursuing a Doctorate of Music in Choral Conducting and serving as an Associate Instructor teaching undergraduate conducting. At IU, he has conducted numerous ensembles including the Contemporary Vocal Ensemble, Opera Chorus, University Chorale and International Vocal Ensemble. In addition, he is the director of the Children’s Choirs and the Wesley Choir at First United Methodist Church in Bloomington and maintains a busy schedule as a freelance conductor. Mr. Leonard is also active as a professional tenor in the Bloomington and Indianapolis areas.

Previous to his time in Indiana, Mr. Leonard has held various conducting, solo and chorus contracts in the Philadelphia, PA; Hartford, CT; and, Albany, NY regions. He has served as the director of the Roxborough Male Chorus, Conducting Apprentice with the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia and Assistant Conductor of the SUNY Albany Chorale. He has performed as a professional singer and chorister with Albany Pro Musica, Aire Born Recording Studios, Apollo’s Voice, Connecticut Opera, the Indianapolis Symphony, Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philadelphia Singers, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Philadelphia Opera Company.

Mr. Leonard’s education includes degrees and further studies from some the country’s finest institutions. He holds B.M. degrees in both Voice and Music Education from The Hartt School of Music. His M.M. studies are from Westminster Choir College and Temple University’s Esther Boyer College of Music where he completed his Masters in Choral Conducting in 2005. Mr. Leonard also completed further studies in conducting at the Eastman School of Music. In 2004, he was the recipient of the Dr. Elaine Brown Tribute Award at Temple in recognition of his work with area choruses. A strong advocate for music education, Mr. Leonard has taught all levels of education including teaching positions at Indiana University, Temple University and in the Guilderland Central Public School System in Guilderland, NY.

As a conductor, Mr. Leonard has a great interest in new music and has premiered and performed new works by composers such as Andrea Clearfield, Joni Greene, Stephen Harms and Adam Hawes. He has studied conducting with Jan Harrington, Carmen Tellez, William John Gray, Alan Harler, Janet Yamron, Tom Hall, Dale Warland, William Weinert, Joseph Flummerfelt, and David Griggs-Janower. He has studied voice with Alan Bennett, David Arnold, Mary Mack and Larry Landis. Mr. Leonard resides in the Bloomington area with his wife Laurel and their dogs, Sawyer Lightfoot and Finn Spencer.

John Leonard conducts the Youth Chorale.

Maggie Olivo holds an MAT in music education and a Bachelors of Music in composition from IU. She has composed for various IU ensembles and musicians, the Institute for European Studies, and the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. While studying at IU, she studied violin, viola, and voice; performing both in the International Vocal Ensemble and IU Symphony Orchestra.

Presently, Maggie is teaching music at University Elementary School. Previously, she has taught music at St. Charles Elementary School and the Bloomington Montessori School. She has served as an associate instructor at IU, teaching general musicianship to future elementary teachers. She is trained both in Kodály and Musikgärten. Upon completion of Musikgärten certification, she has been teaching early childhood music classes for the past two years.

Maggie Olivo directs the First Voices ensemble.

Vivian Ip is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, with an Associate Instructorship and the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fellowship for Overseas Studies. She also studies voice with Mr. Alan Bennett. Ip received her Bachelor of Arts degree in music at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where she studied piano with Mr. Raymond Young and voice with Ms. Chan Siu Kwan. She also plays the viola.

Ip acquired her conducting experience back in middle school, when she was student conductor of the school choirs, participating in competitions and school events. She was an instructor of the Hong Kong Children’s Choir and was the assistant conductor of the touring group in 2006 to Germany and Hungary. She also led the Chamber Youth Group of the choir to Japan in 2006. She was the chairlady of the Chung Chi Choir, the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Ip is a holder of the Licentiate of Royal Schools of Music in Piano Performance. With the scholarship “Baden-Württemberg Stipendium”, Ip enrolled in an exchange program at Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Germany in 2007 and studied piano with Professor Pi-hsien Chen. In August 2007, Ip studied with Professor Robert Levin in the piano masterclass of Internationale Sommerakademie Universität Mozarteum Salzburg. She studied at the Yale University in summer 2005 with the Parsons Music Foundation Scholarship. Ip has been a member of the World Youth Choir since 2008.

Vivian Ip conducts the Chamber Choir.