Jena Dickey, Young Voices of Colorado Founder and Artistic Director, has always had a burning desire to inspire people with vocal music, and what better way to do so than by leading an organization that gives thousands of children the skills necessary to develop their voices and musical talent? Her Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from the University of Texas (Austin) and her Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Colorado (Boulder) formally prepared Jena for this mission. Her postgraduate study through Choral Music Experience (Doreen Rao), the Kodály Institute (in both the U.S. and Hungary), Toronto Children’s Chorus Symposia (Jean Ashworth Bartle), Creating Artistry (Henry Leck) and other specialized courses has propelled her to the forefront of children’s choral organization leadership. In addition to inspiring her choirs to achieve excellence, Jena has led over 100 individual children through successful auditions for national and regional honor choirs and has coached two boys to win international solo competitions in the U.S. and Wales. She has prepared children’s choruses and soloists for many of the leading choral and instrumental conductors in the state. As a leader in the field, Jena has served the Colorado chapter of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) as R &S chair for Children’s Choirs and the Organization of American Kodály Educators as a member of the National Children’s Choir Committee. She is currently working on ACDA’s national Children’s Choir Conductors’ Retreat, which will be held in Denver in 2012. Her moments of greatest joy are found in the highs of rehearsals and performances of the Young Voices choirs and the Sing A Mile High Children’s Choral Festival.
