CONDUCTOR

Alexander Koppel is Associate Director of Choral Studies at the University of Iowa School of Music, where he conducts the University Choir and Voxman Chorale and teaches choral literature and conducting. Previously, he was Associate Director of Choral Studies at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music, conducting the Soundscape and Resonance ensembles and serving as Opera Chorus Master.

A native of California’s central coast, Koppel earned a Doctor of Music in Choral Conducting from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, Master of Music in Choral Conducting from San José State University, and Bachelor of Music in Music Education, with emphases in voice and keyboard, from California State University, Fullerton.

An accomplished conductor, singer, organist, and pianist, Koppel has appeared at national ACDA and ECCO conferences, collaborated with award-winning ensembles, and led major works including Beethoven’s Mass in C, Fauré’s Requiem, and Poulenc’s Gloria. His teaching and research emphasize inclusive pedagogy, community-building, and Julius Herford’s score-study methodology.

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

David Puderbaugh is Director of Choral Studies at the University of Iowa, where he conducts Kantorei, teaches graduate choral conducting, advises DMA theses, and administers the choral program.

A native Iowan, Dr. Puderbaugh holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Drake University (Des Moines, Iowa), a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Conducting and Pedagogy from the University of Iowa. His teachers include Timothy Stalter, David Rayl, and Aimee Beckmann-Collier.

David served as Music Director of Chamber Singers of Iowa City from 2002 to 2025. During his tenure, the choir performed the finest choral works, large and small, for eastern Iowa audiences. Highlights include Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s The Seasons, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil, a Carnegie Hall performance of Haydn’s Missa Cellensis, and a presentation of Handel’s Judas Maccabaeus for the national conference of the American Handel Society.

ACCOMPANIST

Lynda Hakken, organist and pianist, is a freelance musician and active solo performer and accompanist whose doctoral research is the basis for a beginning method of keyboard harmony.

Lynda holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Organ Performance and Pedagogy and a Master of Arts in Organ Performance from the University of Iowa. Her Bachelor of Music in Organ Performance is from Hope College in Michigan. She studied with Anthony Kooiker (piano); Huw Lewis, Delores Bruch, and Delbert Disselhorst (organ).