Board of Advisors

Our Board of Advisors

Ms. Clara O’Brien Voice Advisor

Mezzo-Soprano Clara O’Brien’s European career began with the 1st International Coloratura Competition, Sylvia Geszty when she was awarded the Sonderpreis des Badischen Staatstheaters; a solo contract with the State Theater of Baden, Germany. Before coming to Europe, she had sung in the United States with the Chicago Lyric Opera Center for American Artists, the Aspen Music Festival, and various regional musical organizations.

Ms. Clara O’Brien

Voice Advisor

She has appeared on the stages of many European cities, including Berlin, Luxembourg, Strasbourg, Dresden, and Frankfurt. Her performances have been noted in Opernwelt as Best Performances in both the Emerging and Established Artist categories. Other awards include the 1st Prize, Erika Köth Meisterkurs, and Finalist in the International Belvedere Competition. Clara O’Brien is also a recitalist and has won the Grand Prix Paul Derenne, International Concours de chant de Paris for her interpretation of Impressionist and post-Impressionist French mélodie.

Her recording of Schönberg’s Das Buch der hängenden Gärten is planned for release in 2007. Other recordings include releases on the Bella Musica and Albany Records labels, and she has been recorded and broadcast on Southwest German Radio and Television.

Ms O’Brien studied at the Eastman School of Music (M.M., Performance Certificate) and the Dana School of Music (B.M., Summa cum laude) and completed her stage training at the Curtis Institute of Music. She was a Fulbright Scholar and was awarded a fellowship to the Münchener Singschul’. She has also taught at the American Institute for Musical Studies in Graz, Austria, and gives masterclasses throughout the United States.

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Ms. Clara O’Brien
Bradley Williams

Bradley Williams Voice Advisor

Bradley Williams is one of opera’s most sought after tenors in the bel canto repertoire. A regular guest of theaters around the world, he has appeared throughout Europe, Australia, and North America. He has appeared with many notable conductors and has recorded for the Teldec label. He is also a recording artist for MusAcom and is a recipient of a major grant from the Sullivan Foundation.

Donna Cox Voice Advisor

Donna Cox, soprano, is an instructor of voice at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, where she teaches applied voice at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. She received her B.M. and M.M. degrees in Vocal Performance from Eastman School of Music. She has performed throughout the United States and Germany in recitals focusing on Mozart, opera, oratorio, and Lied.

Donna Cox
Dr. Robert Greenlee

Dr. Robert Greenlee Choral Advisor

Dr. Greenlee’s choirs have toured South America and Europe and have performed with the Portland symphony. Dr. Greenlee has been a vocal performer at Alice Tully Hall, the Pepsico Summer fare, the Cambridge Early Music Society, and has recorded on the Harmonia Mundi Label. He has published articles in various scholarly journals on performance practice and conducting.

Dr. Robert Greenlee

Choral Advisor

Year by NFIMA and was nominated for the Director of Distinction Award by the Oklahoma Choral Directors Association. He has directed honor choirs, guest conducted at the University of Arkansas, and in 2004 was named Professor of Music at Oklahoma City Community College.

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Mike Plunkett Choral Advisor

Mike Plunkett is the chairman of the music committee of The National Federation of High Schools (NFHS). Under his leadership, a partnership has been established between the NFHS, the National Association of Music Educators (MENC), and the Walt Disney Company to establish the National Center for Assessment and Adjudication of Musical Performances (NCAAMP).

Mike Plunkett

Choral Advisor

The formation of the NCAAMP is a major development in establishing a high level of professionalism in the assessment and training of musical education/adjudication.

Mike’s vision and passion for music in America come from more than twenty-five years of successfully conducting and adjudicating musical groups all across America at both the secondary and college levels, where his impact has been profound. Mike continues to be involved on a local level and is the music chairman for the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association (OSSAA).

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Mike Plunkett
Charlotte Gagliardi

Charlotte Gagliardi Choral Advisor

The National Football League’s Teacher of the year award recipient was Charlotte Gagliardi because of the profound impact she had on twelve-time NFL All-Pro, Will Shields of the Kansas City Chiefs during his choir days at Lawton High. She was presented with the award in Honolulu, Hawaii, during the Pro Bowl.

Charlotte Gagliardi

Choral Advisor

Her choral groups have sung for Major League Baseball, Oklahoma’s Governor Keating, and the American Choral Director’s Association. Her former students excel in many areas of life, including the world of music, including a former student now singing with Aretha Franklin. She was Lawton High School’s teacher of the year twice and nominated for many other awards, including the Disney Teacher of the Year. She has conducted numerous vocal workshops for a variety of choral organizations and is a highly sought-after private voice teacher.

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Jerry Winkle Secondary School Advisor

Currently, the principal at Norman North High School, Jerry Winkle, is noted for his firm and compassionate leadership as a public school administrator. His focus on challenging teachers to excel in the classroom is a reflection of his heart for seeing his students develop into successful adults.

Jerry Winkle

Secondary School Advisor

His leadership has brought him 34 years of administrative success, and he has served as chairman of the board of directors of the National Association of Secondary School Administrators. His enthusiasm for the All American Singer project stems from his passion for nurturing our young people as well as his own musical background.

He has a degree in music, composed, sang, and recorded with “The Noblemen” for six years, has conducted choirs and served as clinician and guest conductor for various high school bands. He is passionate about the positive impact musical education has on the lives of all students.

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Jerry Winkle
Arlo Luke

Arlo Luke Business Advisor

CEO of Varsity Contractors, Inc, Arlo helped found the company in 1957. In 1978, he became president and CEO of the company, which then generated $8 million in sales. Today, under his leadership, the company generates an excess of $250 million in sales and operates in 48 states.

Arlo Luke

Business Advisor

Varsity Contractors is one of the most trusted names in the facility services industry. He has served three terms on the board of directors, Building Service Contractors Association Inc. (BSCAI), and was its president in 1997.

He is the founder of Valley Pride, a civic beautification program, and co-chair of the Idaho International Choral Festival., and a member of the Idaho State University FOUNDATION board of directors. This year, he has been named “Idaho Business Leader of the Year” by the Delta Upsilon Chapter of Alpha Kappa Psi, the professional business fraternity at Idaho State University. He is the 45th recipient of the award.

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