A national leader in undergraduate and graduate choral studies.
Faculty
Kaitlin DeSpain
Tenure-Track Assistant Professor of Choral Music
Interim Director of Choral Studies and Concert Chorale
Courses Taught: Concert Chorale, Graduate Conducting Lessons, Graduate Choral Conducting Seminar, Undergraduate Conducting
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Kaitlin DeSpain enjoys a varied career as an educator, conductor, performer, and clinician. As an educator, Kaitlin has served as the Choral Director at middle schools and high schools throughout West Virginia, Kentucky, and Texas, where she has directed concert choirs, pop choirs, and taught courses in music history, music theory, and piano. As a conductor, Kaitlin has worked with a wide variety of ensembles including those at University of Houston and the University of Kentucky, as well as the Houston Symphony Chorus and the Symphony of Southeast Texas Chorus, among others. As a performer, Kaitlin has extensive experience with an array of ensembles including collegiate, community, church, and symphony choirs. Kaitlin has sung with the 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 DMA at the University of Houston under the tutelage of Dr. Betsy Cook Weber and Dr. Jeb Mueller. She received her Master of Music in Choral Conducting from the University of Kentucky where she studied Dr. Jefferson Johnson and Dr. Lori Hetzel, and her Bachelor of Music Education degree from Marshall University.
Alex Koppel
Visiting Assistant Professor of Choral Music
Interim Associate Director of Choral Studies, Resonance, and Soundscape
Courses Taught: Resonance, Soundscape, Rehearsal Techniques, Graduate Conducting Lessons, Graduate Choral Conducting Seminar
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A native of the central coast of California, Alex Koppel is the Visiting Professor of Choral Music at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music. Alex holds a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from San Jose State University and has completed coursework towards the Doctor of Music in Choral Conducting at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. Alex’s undergraduate studies were completed at California State University Fullerton in Music Education with a vocal emphasis.
Known for his inclusive pedagogy and community-oriented process, Alex has been a part of numerous award-winning programs. His ensembles have received national acclaim, regularly receiving unanimous superiors at national adjudications and festivals. Recent conducting engagements include Beethoven’s Mass in C, Haydn’s Missa brevis Sancti Joannis de Deo, Faure’s Requiem, and concertizing the program To the Stars – a collaboration with the IU Five Friends artist Dr. Lynne Morrow. As an Associate Conductor for the Jacobs School of Music, Alex prepared works including Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Poulenc’s Gloria, and the world premiere of Shulamit Ran’s opera Anne Frank. Alex is also an accomplished high school educator, previously serving as the Director of Music at Kirby Preparatory School, being on staff at the renowned Arrowbear Music Camp in Southern California, and being an in-demand adjudicator and festival conductor.
Alex is passionate about creating collaborative and supportive experiences in his choirs, and his graduate research has centered around applying these concepts. He has prepared presentations on these topics for regional choral education conferences. His dissertation (forthcoming) focuses on contextualizing Beethoven’s Mass in C in in the lineage of the choral orchestral canon, as well as a conductor's guide and analysis.
Alex has studied conducting, piano, and music pedagogy with greats including Betsy Burleigh, Dominick DiOrio, Walter Huff, Cheryl Anderson, Chris Peterson, and Robert Istad. He has performed under the baton of artists such as Eric Whitacre, Thomas Wilkins, Arthur Fagen, John Williams, Michael Tilson Thomas, Carl StClaire, and Gustavo Dudamel, as well as performing on stage with Josh Groban, Deborah Voigt, and Andrea Bocelli.
Coming Fall 2025 - Dr. Anthony Maglione
Director of Choral Studies
Director of the Houston Symphony Chorus
Courses: Concert Chorale, 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.
A 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 appears regularly 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.
Anthony J. Maglione, DMA
Franco Basili
Doctoral Teaching Fellow
Courses Taught: University Chorus
Franco Basili is a third-year DMA student in Choral Conducting at the University of Houston under the instruction of Dr. Betsy Cook Weber and Dr. Jeb Mueller. Originally from Tandil, Argentina, Franco is a choral director, pianist, and singer. Before moving to the United States, Franco worked as Artistic Director of the Chamber Choir of the National University of Mar del Plata, Director of Laprida’s Children Choir, and Conductor Assistant of the Coro Estable de Tandil. He also taught Choral Singing, Music History, and Choral Literature at the Conservatorio de Música “Isaías Orbe” in Tandil and was committed to educating younger generations by teaching Choral Singing and Aural Skills at middle and high school levels.
Franco completed his Master of Music in Choral Pedagogy at Carthage College under the tutelage of Rick Bjella and Dr. Eduardo García-Novelli, and his Bachelor's degrees in Choral Conducting and Piano Pedagogy at the Conservatorio de Música “Isaías Orbe” (Tandil, Argentina) under the tutelage of Pablo Banchi and Miguel Ángel Pesce.
As a singer, Franco has performed multiple times in high-level choral projects in Buenos Aires, joined the Coro Nacional del Bicentenario in 2014, and was selected to represent Argentina in the World Youth Choir in the summer sessions of 2016 and 2018, respectively. In the US, he sang with and was the student conductor of the award-winning Carthage Choir and joined the choir of “La Fille de Regiment” at the Kenosha Opera festival in the summer of 2021.
Kirstie Lisk-McCallum
Graduate Teaching Assistant
Kirstie Lisk-McCallum is a second-year MM student in Choral Conducting at the University of Houston under the instruction of Dr. Betsy Cook Weber and Mr. Koppel. She grew up in Cypress, Texas and has already attended the University of Houston for her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education where she was a recipient of the Terry Foundation Scholarship. At UH, she became the Student Director of Concert Chorale for a semester, and was the director of one of the student-led ensembles, Floreat, for two semesters. After receiving her Bachelor’s, she became the Assistant Director at Langham Creek High School in Cypress-Fairbanks ISD. During her four years there, she directed several choirs that performed in the community and received superior and excellent ratings in various competitions and festivals.
As a singer, Kirstie has had the opportunity to sing with University of Houston’s Concert Chorale at TMEA in 2016 and 2017, ACDA and NCCO in 2017, and travel to Hungary for the Bela Bartok International Choral Competition in 2018 where they awarded the Grand Prix prize. She is currently a staff singer at Christ Church Cathedral in downtown Houston, and she has sung with Cantare Houston and Suono Chamber Choir in the Houston area.
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.