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 “Between Friends” choral celebration which featured five local choirs. Prior to that, Vox also collaborated with the LSO in performances of Messiah and Brahms’ Requiem.
Currently, Joanne is a Learning 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 at the University of Lethbridge. She is the Vice-President of Choir Alberta and serves on 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 Accompanist
Mary Lee Voort received her early musical training in BC and completed a BMus in piano performance at the University of Lethbridge. She began playing for ballet classes and church services at age 13, accompanied her musical friends whilst at the U of L, and was hired as accompanist for the Lethbridge School District 51’s string program under the mentorship of Barbara Walker. Mary Lee had the privilege of playing for the Anne Campbell Singers, travelling with them to Europe and acting as rehearsal pianist for the massed international choir festival in Vienna, Austria. Over the years, she has been the accompanist for hundreds of young musicians; numerous school and church choirs; musical theatre productions directed by Fran Rude and Ken Rogers; and almost any other situation that requires playing many notes on short notice!
Mary Lee keeps busy with her positions as organist at St Augustine's Anglican Church, accompanist for Vox Musica, keyboardist with the Lethbridge Symphony, and a full teaching schedule. Her greatest joy is being part of our richly talented musical community.
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