CONDUCTOR

A native of California's central coast, Alex Koppel is the Visiting Professor of Choral Music at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music. He holds a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from San Jose State University and is currently ABD (All But Dissertation) in the Doctor of Music in Choral Conducting program at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where he also pursued a minor in Music Education. His undergraduate degree in Music Education, with two areas of emphasis in keyboard and voice, was completed at California State University Fullerton.
An accomplished organist and collaborative pianist, Alex has performed extensively in various capacities. As a collaborative pianist, Alex has been featured in numerous performances, including being a staff collaborator for the California Choral Directors Association’s 2019 ECCO Conference, headlining sessions with Dr. Charlene Archibeque, and for a National ACDA Interest Session led by Jeffrey Benson. Additionally, Alex served as the staff accompanist for various choral ensembles at Indiana University along with several high-caliber choral festivals and music camps. He gigs regularly around the nation and has supported over a dozen musical theater productions as a pit pianist and vocal director. His versatility and skill have made him a valuable collaborator in both choral and instrumental settings.

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. Hakken holds a D.M.A. in Organ Performance and Pedagogy and a M.A. 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).