Pre-Symposium Course

Dr. Brian J. Winnie, EMCI-TP, and Director of Choral Studies at Western Illinois University where he supervises the graduate choral conducting program, conducts multiple choral ensembles, and teaches courses in choral pedagogy, conducting, and choral literature. He is also the Founder and Artistic Director of withonevoice, a professional, non-profit vocal ensemble based in Chicago whose mission is to cultivate new commissioned repertoire and provide educational workshops and performance experiences that empower vocal versatility and authenticity.

Dr. Winnie’s choirs have performed at various ACDA and state conferences in the US, and the Western Illinois University Singers were recognized with the American Prize in Choral Performance (2021). He is a frequent guest conductor of All-State and regional festivals, and he has over a decade of experience researching and integrating evidence-based principles of voice science, using the Estill Voice Model, into choral pedagogy and curriculum in public school and higher education. Also an active scholar, Dr. Winnie has given numerous international workshops and presentations and has published a variety of articles on these topics. In addition, he is the editor and contributing author of two vocal and choral books. Learn more at www.brianwinnie.com and www.wovoice.org.

Dr. Nicholas Miguel, EMT, is an Assistant Professor of Voice at Western Illinois University in Macomb, IL where he teaches classical and musical theater voice. He is an active baritone soloist and chorister, having created a reputation as a versatile and intelligent singer in diverse genres. A regular soloist in the Midwest, Miguel’s concert appearances include Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs, Craig Hella Johnson’s Considering Matthew Shepard, J.S. Bach’s BWV 129, 131, 34, 18, 172, 82, 4, 140, 74, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass and Theresienmesse, Mozart’s Requiem and Mass in C minor, Durufle’s Requiem, Pärt’s Passio, Handel’s Esther and Messiah, and Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers. He currently sings with the professional choir GRAMMY-nominated True Concord in Tucson, AZ and the new Chicago-based professional choir withonevoice.

Dr. Miguel served as an award-winning Teaching Assistant for the renowned vocologist, Ingo Titze, and he is also a composer/arranger of art song, choral music, and jazz; an amateur piano accompanist, and a dilettante jazz pianist. Learn more at www.nicholasmiguel.com.

Rachel Carreras has achieved notoriety in musical theatre, jazz, and pop music styles with recent residencies in Michigan and Illinois theatre companies as well as special performances and cabarets around the Chicagoland area. Equally comfortable in the recording studio, Rachel regularly records with award-winning Broadway composers who have described her as “an extremely versatile vocal powerhouse….[who] brings an infectious positivity to her work that makes collaborating with her a delight.” Directors have noted Rachel’s unparalleled preparedness and commitment to the process, which has made her a sought-after performer, clinician, and collaborator.

Hailed as “powerful” and “transformational” on stage, Rachel has demonstrated the strength and maturity to perform a passionate Aldonza (Man of la Mancha) and the sensitivity to deliver a stirring Wendla (Spring Awakening) in the same season. Having toured the world with various choral groups before studying opera in Vienna, her passion for voice has been at the crossroads of choral and solo repertoire for almost 20 years. Learn more at www.rachelcarreras.com