Choral Studies Graduate Students

Jennifer Grover is a doctoral student in Choral Conducting at the University of Miami’s Frost School looking forward to graduating in the Spring of 2026. Grover earned her MM in Choral Conducting from Brigham Young University (BYU) under the tutelage of Dr. Andrew Crane, Dr. Brent Wells, Dr. Sonja Poulter and Dr. Jennifer Youngs. She studied vocal performance and piano pedagogy at BYU-Idaho then graduated with her bachelor’s degree in both Music Education and Vocal Performance from CSU Stanislaus. While there, Grover studied under Dr. Daniel Afonso, Dr. Joseph Wiggett and Dr. Deborah Kavasch.

Supitcha Kansirisin, originated in Bangkok, Thailand, is an active choir director, a music educator, and a co-founder of Thailand Choral Directors Association (TCDA). She is currently a DMA candidate and a teaching assistant in the Choral Conducting program at the University of Miami, where she studies under Dr. Amanda Quist and Dr. Matthew Brady. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Chulalongkorn University where she began her choral conducting journey with Dr. Pawasut Piriyapongrat. She was awarded “the outstanding student-teacher of the Faculty of Education” and was selected as a student president of Chulalongkorn's annual performance–“Karusart Concert.” In 2018, she graduated with a Master of Music in Choral Music from the University of Southern California, USA, under the direction of Dr. Jo-Michael Scheibe.  

Supitcha’s Choral music career path is renowned nationally and internationally as participated in numerous international competitions and festivals. During her master’s degree, she was selected to be part of the USC Chamber Singers where they performed with the world-class artists such as The Rolling Stones, Craig Hella Johnson, Maestro Carl St. Clair. participated in several choral conducting masterclasses with Dr. Tim Sharp, Dr. Rollo Dilworth and Dr. T.J. Harper. 

Jisu Oh is a DMA candidate and Teaching Assistant in Choral Conducting at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music. A versatile musician with experience as a conductor, accompanist, singer, and church musician, she brings extensive leadership experience in choral music in both South Korea and the United States.

She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Choral Conducting with a vocal minor from the Korea National University of Arts (KNUA). While there, she conducted notable choirs, including Collegium Vocale Seoul, winners of the Takarazuka International Chamber Chorus Contest, and co-founded FURIOSO, a student society dedicated to teaching underprivileged students off campus and fostering interdisciplinary collaborations that break down barriers between art forms on campus. Her dedication to community engagement also extended to projects with the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service, where she taught and mentored aspiring young musicians.

After completing her BA, she served as Director of the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Choir, an experience that deepened her passion for choral education. She went on to earn her Master of Music in Choral Conducting at the University of Texas at Austin, where she served as Associate Conductor of the UT Concert Choir and Tenor-Bass Choir, taught undergraduate conducting classes, and contributed as Assistant Choir Director at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Austin.

1. Michael Colavita is a conductor, performer, composer, and educator devoted to creating community through choral music. After six years of teaching in both public and private school settings, he is now pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music.

   As a Choral TA, Michael works with Frost’s choral ensembles and collaborates with external organizations including the Miami Children’s Chorus, Miami Collegium Musicum, and Seraphic Fire. Outside Frost, Michael also serves as Director of Music Ministry at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Palmetto Bay.

   Colavita earned bachelor’s degrees in Music and Neuroscience from Washington and Lee University, where he studied conducting with Dr. Shane Lynch, and master’s degrees in Choral Conducting and Music Education from the University of Louisville, where his mentors included Dr. Kent Hatteberg and Dr. Wonjoo Ahn. His previous appointments include directing the Singing Cardsmen at Louisville, directing the choral program at Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, and leading the vocal music department at Miami Arts Charter School in Wynwood. He has performed with and conducted ensembles in diverse domestic and international settings, including Korea, Sweden, Ireland, Thailand, and at Carnegie Hall.

Samuel Sherman is currently in his third year as a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate in Choral Conducting at the Frost School of Music, University of Miami, studying under Dr. Matthew Brady, Dr. Reid Masters, and former Director of Choral Studies, Dr. Amanda Quist. He serves as a graduate teaching assistant for Bella Voce, Frost’s premier treble ensemble, is the lead teaching assistant for Frost’s Winter Wonderful and Holiday Dinner Performances, and is the Assistant Conductor of the Master Chorale of South Florida.

Sherman holds a Master of Music in Conducting from the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver, where he studied with Dr. Catherine Sailer, Dr. Nathan Payant, and Dr. Brian Dukeshier. While at Lamont, he served as Assistant Conductor of the Lamont Chorale, Voces Aureus, and Voces Fortes; taught conducting as a graduate assistant; guest conducted the Lamont Composers Concert Series; was a finalist in the Lamont Chamber Music Competition; and co-directed English Enchantment: Music of the 16th and 17th Centuries with the Lamont Early Music Ensemble.

He earned his Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Northern Colorado, where he was named “Vocal Student of the Year” in 2021 and received the Research Excellence Award for his Upper Division Honors Program thesis, The Voice of Androgyny: A Gender Analysis of the Countertenor within Opera. His mentors included Dr. Jill Burgett, Dr. Galen Darrough, Dr. Russell Guyver, Dr. Mary K. Brewer, Dr. Mathilda Velazquez, Dr. Diane Bolden-Taylor, and Brian Luedloff. Sherman was also actively involved in student leadership, serving as Performing and Visual Arts Student Senate Representative, PVA Undergraduate Representative, and President of the Resident Housing Association.

As a conductor and performer, Sherman has worked internationally. Recent engagements include winning third place in the International Conducting Institute Competition with the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic Orchestra and participating in the Sarteano Choral Workshop with Dr. Tony Thornton and Simon Carrington. He has appeared as a Guest Choral Clinician with the New World Symphony’s BLUE Project, performed in the live taping of All Without Words featuring multi-GRAMMY-winning trumpeter John Daversa, and served as Associate Conductor of the Miami Collegium Musicum. He was also named the Mark Sheldon Conducting Intern with the St. Martin’s Chamber Choir (Denver, CO), conducted in the Vancouver Chamber Choir Conducting Symposium, and held positions as Music Director of the United Church of Christ Choir and Handbell Choir, Co-Director of the Last Note Singers, and Assistant Conductor at Opera Steamboat. As a vocalist, Sherman has performed with the Colorado Ballet, The Evans Choir, St. Martin’s Chamber Choir, Opera Classika, and the UNC Alumni Choir.

Sherman is currently developing his doctoral research on Christopher Tin’s The Lost Birds through the application of a conductor's guide by way of formal analysis and ecomusicological impact.

Kyra Stahr is a visionary conductor, educator and vocalist who has built her career empowering singers to embrace their potential with confidence and fostering community through song. She believes in the transformative power of choral music and leads ensembles with authenticity, courage and determination.

She currently serves as assistant teaching professor at Syracuse University, where she conducts the premier treble ensemble, Crouse Chorale, and teaches graduate choral conducting, undergraduate conducting, Advanced Rehearsal Techniques and courses in choral literature and voice. Stahr is also a D.M.A. candidate in choral conducting at the University of Miami, a conducting fellow with Spire Chamber Ensemble and assistant conductor of Seraphic Fire. Her previous appointments include graduate teaching assistant and instructor at the University of Miami and associate conductor of the Master Chorale of South Florida.

Stahr earned an M.M. in choral music from the University of Southern California and a B.M. in vocal performance and music education from Miami University. As an undergraduate, she led an inclusive choir for adults with disabilities and received the Outstanding Future Music Educator award. Most recently, she was honored as a distinguished alumna with Miami University’s 18 of the Last 9 award—modeled after Forbes’ 30 Under 30—recognizing emerging leaders who have graduated within the past nine years. At USC, she was selected for the 2022 ACDA Eastern Graduate Conducting Masterclass and awarded the 2023 USC Choral Music Departmental Award and the Pi Kappa Lambda Eta Chapter Master’s Student Award.

A sought-after guest conductor, clinician and presenter, Stahr was recently selected for the 2025 ACDA National Graduate Student Conducting Masterclass and the 2026 International Conductors Exchange Program with Portugal. Her work has been showcased at international, national and regional events, including the World Symposium on Choral Music in Istanbul, ACDA National, the College Music Society National Conference, TMEA, FMEA, FLACDA, and ACDA Southern and SWACDA conferences. As a vocalist, she has sung with Seraphic Fire, the premier ensembles at each of her institutions and served as soprano section leader and soloist for the Interlochen Adult Choir Camp.

In addition to her artistic work, Stahr co-founded and co-hosts the podcast “conduct(her)” with her sister, McKenna Stenson. With more than 14,000 listeners, “conduct(her)” amplifies the voices of women conductors, composers and arts leaders while addressing the gender divide in the choral music field. Building on this work, their research on gender equity in choral music was recently published in the Choral Journal.

Braden Rymer recently joined the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, where he is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting. At Frost, he conducts the university choirs while also assisting as a conductor for The Girl Choir of South Florida and Organist at Ocean Reef Chapel. He performs often as a vocalist and presents on topics in vocal pedagogy at local and regional conferences. Braden holds a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting and Vocal Performance & Pedagogy from the University of Georgia. There he directed the choirs, taught Aural Skills and Music Theory, and served as the Choir Director, Organist, and Pianist at the Commerce Presbyterian Church. Before moving to the East Coast, Braden was the Choir Director and AP Music Theory Instructor at Maple Mountain High School in Utah, during which his choirs performed at Carnegie Hall, ACDA-Utah, the Utah Music Educators Association Conference, and others.