ARTISTIC DIRECTION
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Dr. Joel A. Dunlap
REHEARSAL-CONCERT COLLABORATIVE PIANIST/ORGANIST
Kathy Vail
Kathy Vail graduated from Mississippi College with a Bachelor of Music degree in Church. Music (organ concentration), followed by a Master of Music degree in Organ Performance. She did post graduate study in Music Education at The University of Southern Mississippi.
A native of Clinton, Mississippi, Mrs. Vail has been involved in church music since childhood. She has served as an organist and worship leader in churches all over Mississippi, and is currently the organist at Main Street United Methodist Church in Hattiesburg. She is an active member of the American Guild of Organists.
Kathy served on the faculty of the Winters School of Music at William Carey University for over twenty-five years, where she instructed students in organ, piano, and music education. She has accompanied countless vocal and instrumental students and ensembles, including Carey Chorale. Kathy introduced the popular “Carols for Christmas” piano ensemble concerts. For many years she directed Carpenter’s Wood, a small, select vocal ensemble, leading the group on mission trips to China, South Korea, India, South America, and the Caribbean. In 2016 She organized and directed a Carpenter’s Wood Alumni concert at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. She was faculty advisor for Delta Omicron Music Fraternity and served that organization in regional and national offices, also acting as official accompanist at Delta Omicron Triennial Conferences.
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Dr. Joel A. Dunlap, Associate Professor of Music, serves as the Chair of Choral Activities and Graduate Studies at William Carey University's Winters School of Music. Formerly the choral director at Jones College in Ellisville, MS, Dr. Dunlap earned his Doctor of Musical Arts with an emphasis in Choral Conducting at the University of Southern Mississippi. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree in Vocal and Piano Music Education and a Master of Music degree from the University of Mississippi.
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Dr. Dunlap’s choirs have given solo performances in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, Italy; St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, Italy; Notré Dame Cathedral in Paris, France; Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent; Salzburg Cathedral in Salzburg, Austria; St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, Austria; Basilica St. Michael in Mondsee, Austria; Reformed Church of Lucerne, Switzerland; and the Haydn Recital Hall at the Esterhazy Palace in Eisenstadt, Austria.
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Dr. Dunlap is an active adjudicator, clinician, and presenter across the Southeast. In 2013, Dr. Dunlap was awarded the "Outstanding Music Educator Award" by the Mississippi High School Activities Association, and in 2009 Dr. Dunlap was awarded the "Outstanding Young Music Educator" by the Mississippi Music Educators Association. Serving on the Board of Director’s for the Mississippi Music Educators Association (MMEA), his professional affiliations include the American Choral Director’s Association (ACDA), the National Collegiate Choral Organization (NCCO), and the Mississippi Music Educators Association (MMEA).