Meet our Directors

Chris Dobson, the director of The Oregon Young Low-Voice Ensemble, holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of Oregon. Growing up in Eugene, he was a member of the OCC for 10 years, an intern for two years, and has directed choirs in the organization since 2005. Chris was the 2005 recipient of the Max D. Risinger Award for Excellence in Choral Music Education. As an active local musician, he conducts and sings with various choirs throughout the performance season. He has performed and directed ensembles on stages around the world, including the Choirs of America Festival for Top Choirs at Carnegie Hall in New York City in 2015. He has also served as clinician, adjudicator and guest conductor for various Oregon choral festivals such as the 2017 Varsity Vocals A Cappella Open, the 2017 International Championship of Collegiate Acappella Northwest Semifinals, and the 2013 Oregon Children's Choir Festival. Chris currently teaches choirs at South Eugene High School.
Jennifer Searl, conductor for the Oregon Treble Ensemble, 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 became directors of the Festival from 2009-2017. Jennifer is an award winning composer, receiving Malecki Music’s coveted Merit Series award for Our World, as well as receiving numerous Festival Favorite awards. She and her husband have written and composed two children’s musicals, one of which, A Mouse Christmas, has sold to schools and churches all over the world. She also is a frequent piano accompanist for local school choirs and voice students and has a private piano studio. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her family, bicycling, baking and cooking! Jennifer has been a part of the Oregon Children’s Choir since 1983 and was also our Executive Music Director from 2009-2013.
Lauren Kahn, the director of Synergy, has an extensive background directing, arranging, and singing a cappella music. She grew up singing a cappella four-part harmony (known as “barbershop”), and has been directing the Greater Eugene Chorus, an award-winning local barbershop chorus, since 2013. She also directed the University of Oregon’s gender inclusive a cappella group, Mind the Gap, from 2013 to 2015. Lauren is a prolific arranger in both the barbershop and contemporary a cappella genres, and she especially loves to arrange music for the groups she directs, and loves arranging much of Synergy's repertoire! Lauren also grew up playing classical piano and accompanied her school choirs in middle and high school. In her “real life,” Lauren is a data engineer at a mental health startup that launched from research at the University of Oregon. She graduated from UO with a Ph.D. in Psychology in 2018, studying the science of motivation, choice, identity, and behavior change. Importantly, she believes that topics like these can also be explored through music, and she encourages singers to learn about themselves and the world through their musical stories.
Katie Coleman, the director of the Junior Choir, teaches choir at North Eugene High School. She received her Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Oregon and a Masters in Music Education from Eastern Washington University. Katie is passionate about choral music and has taught and directed choral groups of all ages starting at only 15 years old when her church's children's choir needed a leader. Katie is also a professional pianist and has collaborated with dozens of choirs, instrumentalists, and singers in Washington and Oregon throughout her career. Katie has been a part of the Oregon Children’s Choir family for over 18 years as a parent, board member, accompanist, and director. Katie values the community and friendships that come from singing together both for students and for choir families and is committed to creating a positive, fun, and educative musical experience for choristers. 
​Mary Poppen, the director of the Prelude Choir, is a certified music specialist at Willagillespie Elementary school in Eugene. Mary grew up in Eugene and returned six years ago after living in Sun Valley, Idaho, where she taught music K-12, directed numerous musical theater productions, acted as musical director for her church and directed adult and youth choirs. In addition to her work in schools and with OCC, Mary is a music director for Rose Children's Theater. Mary loves working with children of all ages and enjoys using dance, movement, instruments, and sign language to enhance the singing experience.