Meet Our Music Director

Joanne Collier has shared her passion for choral singing with people of all ages as either a singer or conductor her entire life. She has been Music Director of Vox Musica since 2019. During that time, Vox has collaborated with various community musicians and groups, most recently in last year’s Mozart Grand Mass in C Minor with the Lethbridge Symphony and LCI Chamber Choir. Prior to that, Vox also collaborated with the LSO in performances of Messiah and Brahms’ Requiem. Believing that singing together creates community, Joanne seeks opportunities for Vox to work alongside others to achieve impactful experiences that are artistically rewarding and encompass a mix of musical styles.

Currently, Joanne is a Grad Coach with Holy Spirit Catholic School Division. She also served as Music Director at St. Augustine’s Church and Southminster United Church. For nineteen years she was on faculty at Medicine Hat College where she taught voice and directed children’s, youth, and adult choirs including the award-winning Medicine Hat College Girls’ Choir.

Joanne has been active as an adjudicator and clinician throughout the western provinces and is the founding artistic director of the Southern Alberta Vocal Experience (S.A.V.E.) summer vocal intensive for young singers formerly held at the University of Lethbridge. She has served on the boards of Choir Alberta, the Alberta Kodaly Association, and the Alberta Music Advocacy Alliance. Joanne has also taught at the University of Lethbridge Faculty of Fine Arts as a sessional instructor in studio voice and choral ensembles.

Originally from Boissevain, Manitoba, Joanne holds a Bachelor of Music (Performance) from the University of Manitoba and Master of Music (Vocal Performance) from the University of British Columbia. Following an accomplished career of almost twenty years, she entered the Faculty of Education at the University of Lethbridge in 2011 where she received the William Aberhardt Gold Medal upon graduation. She is the recipient of the Alberta Choral Federation’s “Con Spirito” award for contributions to choral music in her community, the Johann Strauss Foundation scholarship for study in Austria, Medicine Hat College Employee of the Year and City of Medicine Hat Civic Award for contributions to the arts.

Meet our Collaborative Pianist

Canadian Pianist Cheryl Emery-Karapita specializes in the field of song in recital with Canadian vocal and instrumental talent. After completing an MMus in Vocal Operatic Coaching at McGill, Cheryl moved to Europe to pursue a Post-Graduate degree in Concert Collaborative Piano with Julius Drake at the Kunst Universität in Graz, Austria. In addition to studies in Graz, Cheryl spent two summers in Baden bei Wien working with Helmut Deutsch, Roger Vignoles, Rudolph Jansen and Wolfram Rieger at the Franz Schubert-Institut. Current activities include recital and recording projects, teaching students at Lethbridge Piano Intensive and CASA Art Centre, collaborating with Juno nominated Luminous Voices (Calgary), and Fourtitude (Lethbridge). For more information visit cherylemerykarapita.com

Meet Our Assistant Director

Karen Hudson received both her B.Mus and B.Ed degrees
from the University of Lethbridge. After 30 years, Karen
retired from teaching music for the Lethbridge School
Division having taught choir at the Lethbridge Collegiate
Institute and Hamilton Junior High School. Throughout
her teaching career these choral programs were an
important part of student life as choirs performed locally,
at provincial music festivals and on international tours.

A past president and board member of Choir Alberta, Karen
is now the assistant conductor of Vox Musica and a member
of their soprano section. Karen is also Music Director at St. Augustine's Church and a member of the Chinook Chamber Singers