Conductors

Tama Rowan conducts the Junior Boychoir. Tama holds Bachelor and Master degrees in Music Education from the University of Oregon. She has taught music in the Eugene area for over 25 years. Currently she is the music specialist at Mt. Vernon Elementary School in Springfield. Tama is also vocal director for Rose Children’s Theater. This is her ninth season with the Oregon Children’s Choir.

Chris Dobson holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of Oregon. He grew up in Eugene, participating in the Oregon Children’s Choir throughout his childhood. Chris is an alumnus of the first Oregon Boychoir. He has sung in many other choirs, including On the Rocks (the University of Oregon’s male collegiate a cappella group). He directed the First United Methodist Church youth choir for two years. As an active local musician, he conducts and sings with various local choirs throughout the performance season. He has also served as clinician and guest conductor for choral festivals in Eugene and Albany. Chris currently teaches music at Meadowlark and Buena Vista Elementary Schools, and sings with the contemporary a cappella group, Rezonate. He is also an active composer and arranger, having won the best original arrangement award at the Northwest Harmony Sweepstakes competition in March of 2009.

Jennifer Searl, Director of the Oregon Children's Choir and conductor for Girlchoir, received her Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Oregon. She and her husband, Bruce, are local composers and have a music publishing company, Aardvark Hill. They have been commissioned to compose over 10 works for the Oregon Children's Choral Festival and are award winning composers, receiving Malecki Music's coveted Merit Series award for Our World, as well as receiving numerous Festival Favorite awards.  They have written and composed two children's musicals, one of which, A Mouse Christmas, has sold to hundreds of schools and churches all over the world. Jennifer is Director of Music Ministries at her church, has a private piano studio and teaches music at Ridgeline Montessori School. She is also a guest worship leader at retreats and churches. Jennifer has been a part of the Oregon Children’s Choir since 1985.

David Fitch is the conductor of the Young Men's Ensemble. He has been the Choral Director at Shasta Middle School for the past ten years. He received his Masters degree in Music Education from the U of O in 1995. David also serves as a clinician, adjudicator, and guest director of numerous honor choirs and choral festivals. He has a well-known piano and voice studio and many of his students have become professionals in the field of music. Besides music, David enjoys spending time with his family, anything to do with the Ducks, and has also been known to play a round or two of golf.

Suzanne Light, Jr. Girlchoir conductor, earned a Bachelor's degree and teaching certificate in music education at the University of Oregon. She is an elementary music teacher at Irving Elementary. Mrs. Light became involved with the Oregon Children's Choir during our 1991-1992 season.