Anna Rikli, OSSA/ACDA Liaison

Anna Rikli teaches at Southridge HS, having previously taught at Liberty HS (Hillsboro) and at the middle-school level in Salem-Keizer. Under her direction, the Southridge Choirs have performed multiple times at state competitions for both large and small ensembles. Mrs. Rikli has held positions on the Oregon board of the American Choral Directors Association and is the choir liaison for OSAA Activities.

Kathy Briggs, OMEA/ACDA Liaison

Kathy Briggs has been teaching in public and private schools since 1998. She started her teaching career in public schools in rural Minnesota, where she taught elementary music and high school choir for eight years. In 2006, she moved to Portland, OR where she leads the award-winning choir program at St. Mary’s Academy. Ms. Briggs also conducted the University of Portland’s Bel Canto from 2014 - 2023. Her expertise is treble choirs and treble choir literature, along with the use of movement in the choral rehearsal. Ms. Briggs earned her BA in Music Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her MA in Music Education/Choral Conducting from the University of St. Thomas. She has earned numerous awards and recognition for her teaching, including the 2024 OMEA Outstanding Music Educator Award and the 2016 Oregon ACDA Podium Award for Excellence in the Choral Arts. Her research has been published in the ACDA Choral Journal, she has authored and published general music lesson plans for VH1 and NAfME, and she has been a clinician at both state and regional NAfME conferences.

Her choirs have won numerous awards and recognition in the Pacific Northwest, including a performance at the 2022 OMEA State Conference, 2013 NAfME Northwest Conference, a performance at the 2018 Northwest ACDA Conference, and winning the 2015 OSAA State Choir Championship. Her students have toured in New York, Florida, Washington, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and France and her choir was invited twice to perform for President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama and their guests in the White House (2012, 2013).

Ms. Briggs is a third-generation educator – both her parents were public school teachers and her grandfather was a high school band director. She was active in music from an early age and played the tuba in her rural Wisconsin high school band. She is a proud member of ACDA, NAfME, and OMEA, is honored to be a Past-President of OMEA, currently serves as the Choral Chair on the OMEA/ACDA boards and is the OMEA State Student Composition Contest Chairperson. Ms. Briggs achieved her lifelong dream of meeting Julie Andrews in 2019.

Jennifer Kercher, Middle School R&R Co-Chair

Jennifer Kercher is the Choir Director at Walker Middle School, located in the Salem-Keizer School District.  Prior to teaching at Walker, her 22-year career has seen her at Crossler Middle School, Silverton High School, Mark Twain Middle School, and North Salem High School. Jennifer serves as the OMEA D4 Choral Chair and the Oregon ACDA Middle School Co-Chair.  She was the 2023 recipient of the OMEA Outstanding Middle School Music Educator. A Silverton native, Jennifer completed her undergraduate work at Western Oregon University and her graduate work at George Fox University.   Jennifer shares her love of music and performing with her supportive husband, Jedidiah, and two amazing children, Elijah and Liliana.

Melissa Albert, Webmaster

Melissa Albert (She/her) is a music educator and soprano with experience teaching and singing in both Oregon and Washington.  Throughout her 13 years as an educator, Melissa has taught high school and middle school choir, K-5 general music, as well as music therapy. Melissa received her BA and MAT from Oregon State University specializing in music education and vocal performance. Melissa is currently in her eighth year as the choir director at Reynolds High School, the largest high school in the state of Oregon.

Melissa serves as the Vice President of OMEA District 2 and serves on the ACDA Board. Melissa has sung in many ensembles including Oregon Repertory Singers, The Seattle Esoterics, and The Tilikum Community Choir. She is excited to be joining the current season of Northwest Vocal Arts Chamber Choir for the 2024/25 season. Melissa is particularly passionate about student advocacy and building choral communities with people from diverse backgrounds. Throughout her career she works to build up marginalized groups; supporting LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, women's rights, and trans rights. She is a 5 year breast cancer survivor and currently lives cancer free in Portland with her partner Josh and their 1 year old Bo.

Kristen J. Caldwell, Secretary

Kristen J. Caldwell is currently the Director of Choirs at Jesuit High School in Portland, Oregon, as well as pioneering the Digital Music Production lab and providing music direction for the school's award-winning musical theatre program. A native of Dallas, Texas, Kristen studied classical voice at the University of Oklahoma and went on to earn a Masters of Music Education after experiencing the magic of the high school choral classroom in her studies. Kristen has directed choirs from 6th grade through college level, taught private piano and voice lessons to students of all ages, and works as a clinician throughout the Portland metro area. She aims to inspire musical excellence along with the incredible sense of belonging a choir can provide. She is especially grateful to have had both her own children, Jonathan and Holly, in her ensembles through their high school careers.

Belinda Sisson, Membership Chair

Belinda Sisson is the Director of Choirs at Ridgeview High School in Redmond Oregon. She has her Master’s Degree in Art and Teaching and her Bachelor's degree in Music Education from the College of Liberal Arts at Oregon State University. She has served as the Collegiate NAfME representative on the Board of the Oregon Music Educators Association. Her favorite part about being a Choir Director is getting to see the joy that singing brings to each of the students and watching them make lifelong friendships.

Samuel Barbara, DMA- Collegiate Choirs

Dr. Samuel Barbara is the Director of Choral and Vocal Studies at Portland Community College, Rock Creek Campus, where he conducts the chamber and concert choirs, teaches applied lessons and class voice. He is also the founding Executive and Artistic Director of Northwest Vocal Arts a Portland-based choral nonprofit specializing in youth mentorship and community outreach. Before relocating home to Oregon, Samuel served as Director of Choral Activities and assistant professor of music at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania. He completed his doctorate in choral music at the University of Southern California, where he was a senior teaching assistant in the Department of Choral and Sacred Music and assistant conductor of the USC Thornton Chamber Singers. While at USC, he studied under Jo-Michael Scheibe, Nick Strimple, Cristian Grases, and Donald Brinegar. Before moving to Southern California, Dr. Barbara served as Director of Choirs at Cleveland High School in Portland, where he was awarded the “Golden C” for excellence in teaching. Under his direction, the Cleveland “A” Choir won the 5A Oregon State Choir Championships three times. Samuel earned his Bachelor of Arts in Music and Master of Arts in Teaching degrees from the University of Portland. After completing his undergraduate work, Samuel was awarded a Fulbright Grant to teach English and study music in Weimar, Germany. While in Weimar he taught at the Musikgymnasium Schloss Belvedere, sang in the chamber choir at the Franz Liszt Music Conservatory, and took choral conducting coursework under Professor Jürgen Puschbeck.

Samuel has sung professionally, both as a soloist and an ensemble member, and he remains active as a vocal artist. As a member of the University of Southern California Thornton Chamber Singers, Dr. Barbara appeared on live television with Barry Manilow and sang backup with the Rolling Stones; worked closely with notable composers such as Morten Lauridsen, Paul Mealor, Wolfram Buchenberg, and David Conte; attended masterclasses with Rodney Eichenberger, Jamison Marvin, Joan Conlon, and Vance George; and performed with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Helmuth Rilling. Under Dr. Barbara’s direction, the Westminster College Concert Choir appeared live on stage with the internationally renowned performing group “The Tenors,” performed J.S. Bach’s Cantata 191 with the Warren Philharmonic Orchestra and collaborated with the Shenango Valley Chorale to present Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms. Each year, the Concert Choir and Chamber Singers embarked on an extensive performance tour and, under his direction, the ensembles performed in cathedrals throughout Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. The PCC Chamber Choir, under Dr. Barbara’s direction has been similarly active; highlights include a Canadian performance tour, an appearance with the Oregon Symphony, a performance on All Classical 89.9 Thursday’s at 3 and the presentation of numerous large works including Ramirez Missa Criolla, Corigliano Fern Hill, Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem and more.