2019 6-9 Treble Honor Choir

2019 Honor Choir Conductor

CAROLYN WELCH, Artistic Director of the Lawrence Children’s Choir, has been an integral part of the LCC organization since moving to Kansas in 1996 and became Artistic Director in 2012.  She oversees the artistic life of the 5-choir organization and directs four of the choirs.

The largest and most prominent of the LCC choirs is the Tour Choir, which tours domestically and internationally in addition to giving local concerts. Recent collaborations have included:

• “The Play of Daniel” with Anne Azema and the Boston Camerata, January 2018 (part of the Kansas City Chamber Music Series).
• “Modern Families” with the Heartland Men’s Chorus (Kansas City, March 2015), featuring the premier of “The Weaver” by Jake Narverud, written for Men’s and Children’s Chorus.
• “Simple Gifts” Concerts at the Lied Center in Lawrence, with Joyce Castle (2015) and Vanessa Thomas (2016).
• Joint concerts with the Allegro Choirs of Kansas City (Boulder, CO, June 2015), Café Chorale (Costa Rica, 2016) and the Texas Children’s Choir (San Antonio TX, June 2017).
• KU’s world premiere performance of Symphony #5, “Freedom from Fear” by Kevin Walczyk (Kennedy Center, Washington DC), featuring Tour Choir member Ashton Rapp (April 2018).
• “The Kansas Nutcracker” at the Lawrence Arts Center (December 2018).
• “Carmina Burana” with the Kansas City Symphony (March, 2019).

Carolyn holds Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Vocal Performance & Pedagogy from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She has taught private voice for many years and taught vocal and choral music from 1996-2013 for the Lawrence Public Schools, at the elementary, middle and high school levels.  Carolyn has won several teaching awards and is the author of “Sing the Concepts,” a set of songs for learning basic theory, and “Change One,” a sight-reading curriculum.

Active as a judge and clinician, Carolyn recently served as the clinician for the Oregon Elementary All-State Choir and presented at the Oregon Music Educator’s Conference (Feb ’19). She also serves as the Children’s Choir Repertoire and Resources Co-Chair for the Southwest Division of the American Choral Directors Association.

Carolyn and her husband Bryan live on a farm outside Lawrence, KS, where they raise organic grass-fed cattle and sheep.