A national leader in undergraduate and graduate choral studies.
Faculty
Dr. Anthony Maglione
Director of Choral Studies
Director of the Houston Symphony Chorus
Courses: Concert Chorale, University Chorus, Graduate Conducting Lessons, Graduate Choral Conducting Seminar, Undergraduate Conducting
Conductor, Composer, Producer Anthony J. Maglione is Director of Choral Studies at the University of Houston and Director of the Houston Symphony Chorus. He joins the Moores School of Music faculty from William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, where he was the Director of Choral Studies and held the Robert H. McKee Chair of Music. Choirs under his direction have appeared at state, regional, and national conventions, released internationally-distributed commercial recordings, and have twice been named “Runner Up” for the American Prize in Choral Performance, College/University Division. A frequent collaborator, he has prepared choirs for performances with the American Spiritual Ensemble, Boston Camerata, The Canadian Brass, Kansas City Chamber Orchestra, Kansas City Civic Orchestra, The King’s Singers, and the Mark Morris Dance Group.
An often-performed and commissioned composer with a growing national reputation, Maglione’s music has appeared at state-, regional-, and national-level conventions, on TV, in video games, and has been recorded on Albany Records, Centaur Records, GIA Choral Works, and Gothic Records. Several of his choral works are published on James Jordan’s “Evoking Sound” choral series through GIA Publications as well as “The Amanda Quist Signature Choral Series” on Gentry Publications. In 2018, Maglione’s cantata for soloists, choir, and orchestra, “The Wedding of Solomon,” premiered at the American Guild of Organists National Convention. The Miami University Men’s Glee Club premiered Maglione’s “On Life” at the 2019 National ACDA Conference. In early 2020, Verdigris Ensemble premiered his extended dramatic work “Dust Bowl” as part of the AT&T Performing Arts Center’s Elevator Project in Dallas, Texas. “Dust Bowl” was recently revised and performed again in 2024 at the Wyly Theatre in Dallas through funding in-part from the National Endowment of the Arts. From 2023 to 2025, Maglione served as Composer-In-Residence with Te Deum, a professional choir based in Kansas City.
As a producer, Maglione lends his ears to recording projects around the country and recently received national attention through his production work with Sam Brukhman and Verdigris Ensemble on “Betty’s Notebook” by composer Nicholas Reeves. This ground-breaking, programmable art music is the first of its kind and the first to be sold using blockchain technology.
As a tenor, Maglione has appeared with renowned organizations such as Artefact Ensemble, Cappella Romana, Kansas City Baroque Consortium, Kantorei KC, The Same Stream, The St. Tikhon Choir, Sunflower Baroque, and Spire Chamber Ensemble.
A sought-after clinician and frequent guest conductor, Maglione teaches workshops and has conducted All-State and honor choirs in California, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. He holds degrees from Westminster Choir College of Rider University, East Carolina University, and the University of California, Los Angeles.
Dr. Kaitlin DeSpain
Assistant Professor of Choral Music
Associate Director of Choral Studies
Courses Taught: Resonance, Soundscape, Graduate Conducting Lessons, Graduate Choral Conducting Seminar, Undergraduate Conducting
Email Dr. DeSpain
Kaitlin DeSpain enjoys a varied career as an educator, conductor, performer, and clinician. As an Educator, Kaitlin has held the position of Choral Director at various middle and high schools across West Virginia, Kentucky, and Texas where she directed concert choirs and pop choirs and taught courses in music history, music theory, and piano.
As a Conductor, Kaitlin has collaborated with a wide range of ensembles, including those at the University of Houston and the University of Kentucky. She has also worked with prestigious groups such as the Houston Symphony Chorus and the Symphony of Southeast Texas Chorus, among others.
As a Performer, Kaitlin has experience with diverse ensembles, including collegiate, community, church, and symphony choirs. She has sung with numerous collegiate ensembles, as well as the Renaissance Singers, The Lexington Singers, the West Virginia Symphony Chorus, the Symphony of Southeast Texas Chorus, the Houston Symphony Chorus, and the Houston Chamber Choir.
Kaitlin earned her Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) from the University of Houston, studying under Dr. Betsy Cook Weber and Dr. Jeb Mueller. She holds a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from the University of Kentucky, where she studied under Dr. Jefferson Johnson and Dr. Lori Hetzel, and a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Marshall University.
L. Jay Besch
Doctoral Teaching Assistant
L. Jay Besch is an active conductor, singer, and music teacher originally based on the East Coast. He is thrilled to be joining the choral conducting cohort at the University of Houston as a first-year DMA student!
Following graduation from Westminster Choir College (BM/MAT ‘16), he taught elementary and middle school general and choral music and led handbell and drama programs in New Jersey, Maryland, and Massachusetts. Following his time in independent schools, Jay enrolled at the University of Delaware where he earned a Masters in Choral Conducting. There, he was also an instructor of Creative Sound Design and director of the vocal music section of Collegium, the university’s early music ensemble. Most recently, Jay served as the operations manager of Elevate Vocal Arts and assistant conductor of Elevation, an all-professional, intentionally diverse choral ensemble under the leadership of Dr. Arreon A. Harley-Emerson, which focuses on inclusion and the many ways the human voice is used in creative and artistic expression.
Jay performs regularly with professional ensembles including Elevation and the Same Stream Choir. He has toured with the Delaware Choral Scholars, sung with the GRAMMY-nominated Williamson Voices, and recorded with the American Prize-winning Westminster Kantorei, a small ensemble specializing in early music. Jay has studied under Dr. Amanda Quist, Dr. James Jordan, Dr. Joe Miller, Dr. Frank Abrahams, Dr. Arreon A. Harley-Emerson, and Dr. Paul D. Head.
When not pursuing music or teaching, Jay is an avid traveler, hiker, reader, rock climber, and whitewater kayaker. He resides in Houston, TX, with his partner Emily and their Chocolate Lab, Waylon.
Keith Lathrom
Doctoral Teaching Assistant
A native of Texas, Keith Lathrom is a first-year doctoral student and serves as the Choir Director at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston, Texas. Prior to leading the Choir at St. Martin’s, Keith began his career in music education as the Director of Choirs at A&M Consolidated High School in College Station, Texas and Red Oak High School in Red Oak, Texas. Ensembles under his leadership have received numerous awards including a debut performance at Carnegie Hall in New York City. He holds degrees in Music Education (BM) and Choral Conducting (MM) from Sam Houston State University and Westminster Choir College and will begin his terminal degree in Choral Conducting (DMA) the Fall of 2024 at the University of Houston. Keith continues to sing professionally with professional choral ensembles including, Ensemble Iona, Houston Chamber Choir, Oklahoma Bach Choir, American Baroque Opera Company, Verdigris Ensemble, Incarnatus, Orpheus Chamber Singers, Dallas Bach Society, Philadelphia Symphonic Choir, Red Shift, Cantare Houston, Houston Bach Society, and Princeton Pro Musica. He has participated in performance tours across the United States and the United Kingdom. He lives in Cypress with his wife Amanda and their two children, Evan and Graham.
Taylor Conley
Doctoral Teaching Assistant
Taylor Jack Conley is a first year graduate student at the University of Houston pursuing a DMA in Choral Conducting. He has spent the last seven years as the Choir Director at Skiatook High School, in Skiatook, Oklahoma. Taylor received his Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Tulsa, and his Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Georgia State University, where he was named the Robert Shaw Choral Scholar. He studied conducting under Dr. Deanna Joseph, and voice under Dr. Kim Childs and Rick Clement. Taylor has a great passion for choral singing and sacred music, and has experience with university, church, community, and men’s choirs. He is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the National Association for Music Educators, and the American Choral Directors Association, and is the Past-President of Northeastern Oklahoma Choral Directors Association. Taylor has sung professionally with choirs and worked as a choral clinician in Oklahoma, Georgia, and North Carolina. Outside of music, Taylor enjoys the outdoors, cooking, and DIY projects. Taylor resides in Houston, TX, with his cats, Hiccup and Nora, dog, Felix, and partner, Hope.