Christopher Hickey (DMA)

Christopher Hickey is a choral educator, conductor, singer, and composer whose work encompasses public-school music education and church music. He is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Musical Arts in Choral Conducting at the University of Georgia, where he serves as Assistant Conductor of the Hodgson Singers and Georgia Choral Union and is a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the choral department. He also serves as Music Director and organist at Commerce Presbyterian Church in Commerce, Georgia. 

Hickey taught choral music and piano at Hagerty High School in Oviedo, Florida, from 2019–2025. Under his direction, students earned Superior and Superior with Distinction ratings at district and state assessments and participated in honor choirs and collegiate-hosted events throughout Florida. He previously taught at Campbell Middle School in Daytona Beach, where he rebuilt the chorus program and established a piano program. He presented educational sessions at the Florida Music Educators Association (FMEA) conferences in 2020, 2022, and 2024 and Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA) in 2026. 

As a conductor, Hickey has led major works including Handel's Messiah, Rutter's Requiem, Vivaldi's Gloria, Britten's Rejoice in the Lamb, Thompson's Frostiana, and Dove's Missa Brevis. His conducting development includes fellowships at the Atlanta and San Diego Summer Conducting Institutes and recognition as an ACDA National Undergraduate Conducting Finalist. 

As a tenor, Mr. Hickey has performed with The Festival Singers of Florida, Florida Pro Musica, and Voci Del Cuore. He currently sings with the Alanta Master Chorale and is a sought-after soloist for regional oratorio and professional performances. 

As a composer, Hickey's choral music is published through J.W. Pepper, with works available through its My Score catalog. His compositions reflect his experience as a conductor and educator, creating accessible and engaging repertoire for developing singers. 

Hickey holds a Master of Music Education in Choral Music from Florida State University and a Bachelor of Music Education in Vocal Music from Stetson University. He holds music education certifications in both Florida and Georgia and is a member of the American Choral Directors Association, Georgia Music Educators Association, and National Association for Music Education.

Matthew Elsey (MM)

Matthew Elsey is a music educator and conductor from Marietta, Georgia. Before beginning his graduate studies, he served for three years as choral director at West Hall High School in Oakwood, Georgia, where he worked to grow and revitalize the choral program. Under his direction, WHHS choirs earned superior ratings at Large Group Performance Evaluation (LGPE), and students participated in the GMEA All-State Chorus.

Matthew currently serves as the Artistic Director of Voices of North Georgia, a community chorus based in Gainesville, Georgia. In this role, he conducts the ensemble, develops and programs its concert seasons, and works to provide meaningful and engaging musical experiences for singers and audiences throughout North Georgia. He also serves as Director of Worship at St. Paul United Methodist Church in Gainesville and performs as a member of Orpheus Men’s Ensemble.

Matthew is a proud alumnus of the University of Georgia, where he graduated summa cum laude in spring 2022 with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education. At UGA, he studied voice with Dr. Gregory Broughton and sang with the Hodgson Singers for six semesters. He also had the honor of representing his graduating class by singing the national anthem at the university’s commencement ceremony. Matthew is excited to return to the Hugh Hodgson School of Music to pursue his Master of Music in Choral Conducting.

Abigail Weller (MM)

Abigail Weller is an active conductor, vocalist, and educator originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania who is now based in Athens, GA. She is a Master of Music student in Choral Conducting with a related area of study in Vocal Performance and Vocal Pedagogy at the University of Georgia, where is a Graduate TA for the Choral Area for the UGA Repertory Singers, the Georgia Choral Union, and manages all UGA Choirs social media platforms. She also serves as the Director of Music and Choir Director at First Christian Church of Watkinsville, GA.

As a conductor, Abby has been selected as a participant in numerous conducting workshops across the country, including the Atlanta Summer Conducting Institute (June 2026), West Chester University (August 2024), the University of North Texas (July 2024), and Messiah University (February 2024). At Georgia, she has conducted the UGA Repertory Singers and Georgia Treble Choir in concert. She is currently preparing her Masters capstone conducting recital on February 12th at 3:30 p.m. in Ramsey Hall at UGA. 

Abby is a passionate performer of choral-orchestral masterworks, having performed Orff's Carmina Burana (April 2026), Hagen's The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci (March 2026), Rachmaninoff's Vespers (All-Night Vigil) (June 2025), Handel's Dixit Dominus (May 2025), Shaw's To the Hands (March 2025), and Handel's Messiah (2023). She performed with the Grantham Consort (June 2025) and Threefold Women's Choir (2022–2025), and served as a member of the choir in residence with the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra in 2024 for the world premiere of Jonathan Leshnoff's Saul.

As a vocalist, Abby has regularly performed as a soloist in masterwork performances, including Mozart's Vespers (February 2026), Bernstein's Chichester Psalms (November 2025), Handel's Messiah (2025 and 2023), Haydn's The Creation (April 2025), Buxtehude's Membra Jesu Nostri (March 2025), Bach's St. John Passion (March 2024), and Dan Forrest's LUX: From the Dawn on High (February 2024). She was a finalist in the Lance K. Kuhlman Performance Competition (2024 and 2023) Abby has given three voice recitals in the past four years and is preparing her Master's capstone voice recital on March 2nd at 7:30 p.m. in Ramsey Hall at UGA.

Abby graduated summa cum laude from Messiah University in Mechanicsburg, PA (2025), earning her B.S. in Music Education with a K–12 teaching certificate. While there, she was a voice student of Dr. Damian Savarino and a conducting student of Dr. Joy Meade, and was an active member and guest conductor of the Chamber Singers, Concert Choir, and Women's Ensemble. Throughout her time at Messiah, she served in numerous leadership roles for the NAfME chapter: President (2024), Vice President (2023), and First-Year Representative (2022). Notably, Abby was selected as the department's 2025 Presser Scholar for her musical and academic accomplishments, leadership, citizenship, and collegiality within the music department.

Katie Drybrough (MM)

Katie Drybrough is a choral conductor and piano pedagogue originally from Louisville Kentucky. She is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Choral Conducting and the Music Education Certification Program on a full scholarship at the University of Georgia. At UGA, she serves as a Graduate Assistant in the choral area, assisting with conducting university ensembles, ensemble management, archival duties, and librarian duties. In 2026, Katie was accepted as an assistant conductor for the New Voices and Treble Chorus ensembles with the Georgia Children’s Chorus under the direction of Dr. Jennifer Kane. She now serves as the assistant conductor for the concert choir and teaches musicianship skills for the GCC under Natalie Smith. 

Previously to her studies at UGA, Katie completed a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and a Master of Music in Piano Pedagogy from Western Kentucky University. At WKU she served as Graduate Assistant in Piano Pedagogy, instructor of the Piano Laboratory Program, and President of the MTNA WKU Collegiate Chapter, which received MTNA Collegiate Chapter of the Year during her tenure. She has presented at state and national MTNA and NCKP conferences and looks forward to speaking as a panelist in January for the MTNA Webinar titled “Beyond the Classroom: Keeping Collegiate Chapters Alive and Thriving”. During her time at WKU, Katie was inducted into Pi Kappa Lambda for her excellence and leadership as a graduate assistant. 

She has held various positions as a church musician since 2014, most recently appointed Music Director and Music Teacher at St. Joseph Catholic Church and School in 2025. She enjoys researching and performing works by underrepresented women composers and exploring new methods to make music learning engaging and motivating for young musicians.