Honor Choir and Orchestra Festival

Oleksii Hamov  was born in Chernivtsi in western Ukraine. He started studying music at the age of 7. He received his primary education at Music School #2 in his hometown. After that, he continued his studies at the Music college named by Vorobkevich . Upon graduation, he went to Moscow, where he received a bachelor's degree. He became twice a laureate of international competitions.

Honor Choir Conductor - Dr. Meredith Johnson!

In her career, Mississippi native Dr. Meredith Melvin Johnson has directed and coached collegiate level and professional singers in various genres, as well as trained future music educators in diction, pedagogy, and literature. In her current role as a voice professor at The University of Southern Mississippi, Dr. Johnson teaches applied voice, vocal pedagogy courses, and serves as vocal coach to the musical theatre productions. During the summer, she serves as voice faculty and associate director of musical theatre at the International Performing Arts Institute in Kiefersfelden, Germany. Previously, Johnson served 9 years on the music faculty at Jones College where she acted as director of the musical theatre program, assistant choral director, and applied voice instructor. She also led choral groups to superior ratings in local, state, and national competitions as Director of Choral Activities at Gulfport High School.

Dr. Johnson specializes in both classical and belt techniques and is an active adjudicator, vocal clinician, and conductor, offering workshops for choral groups, showchoirs, musical theatre students, and church ensembles. She maintains a thriving private studio catering to a wide variety of musical styles and is the creator of the online courses “Virtual Vocal Academy,” “Audition Bootcamp,” and “College Choir Audition Assistant.”

Maintaining an active performing career is a vital part of her teaching philosophy. Her variety of performance credits and stage appearances inspire her students and encourage them to pursue a life-long cultivation of the art of singing, performing across genres with a healthy, sustainable vocal production. She has graced the stage in numerous musicals, operas, operettas, and concerts. Some of her favorite roles include Into the Woods (the Witch and Cinderella), Les Misérables (Fantine), The Drowsy Chaperone (Drowsy), La Bohème (Musetta), Pirates of Penzance (Ruth), and Turandot (Liù). Her most recent appearance was this October in HubCity Players’ production of Little Shop of Horrors (Audrey).

Dr. Johnson graduated summa cum laude from William Carey University and holds a Master of Music and a Doctor of Musical Arts from The University of Southern Mississippi. She resides in Hattiesburg, Mississippi with her husband, Tony and their spoiled pup GusGus.