Artistic Team

JULIE YU NAMED ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
OF CANTERBURY VOICES

Award-winning choral conductor and music educator Dr. Julie Yu is returning to Oklahoma to accept the joint leadership position of director of choral activities at the Wanda L. Bass School of Music at Oklahoma City University and artistic director of Canterbury Voices, Oklahoma’s premiere symphony chorus.

Yu succeeds Dr. Randi Von Ellefson, who retired in May 2023, after 19 seasons as leader of the unique partnership. This innovative collaboration between Canterbury and OCU is committed to the shared vision to create a national center for choral excellence in Oklahoma City, headquarters for the American Choral Directors’ Association (ACDA).

Since 2007, Yu has led Kansas State University’s undergraduate choral ensembles and graduate choral program as co-director of Choral Studies. In her new position, she will conduct and guide the creative direction of Canterbury Voices’ award-winning 150-voice ensemble. At OCU, she will shape the artistic vision of the University’s four major choirs, conduct the Chamber Choir and Ad Astra women’s chorus, and teach courses in conducting and in the graduate choral curriculum.

She holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Conducting with specialized studies in Early Music from the University of North Texas, a Masters degree in Choral Conducting from Oklahoma State University, and a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Central Oklahoma. Her choirs have performed in Carnegie Hall, at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., as well as in Austria, Czech Republic, and France. She was an ACDA International Conducting Exchange Fellow to Kenya in 2019 and has led All-State choruses from Florida to Utah to Maine.

Yu conducted the Oklahoma Arts Institute (OAI) chorus at Quartz Mountain in 2016 and the At Home Chorus in 2020. She has presented and conducted at state and regional conferences of ACDA and the National Association for Music Education. She was featured conductor at Ireland’s 2019 International Dublin Choral Festival and clinician and keynote speaker at the European Music Educators Association Conference in Naples, Italy. She is past president of ACDA’s Southwestern Region, and served as a member of the Kansas State University Faculty Senate. Her appointment is effective July 1, 2023.

[photo Michael Anderson / Performing Arts Photography]

DAVID HILLIS

Collaborative Pianist

David Hillis joined the Canterbury Voices team in 2022. He has been conducting and accompanying choirs for 31 years, including the past 23 years at Heritage Hall. During his tenure at Heritage Hall, the choral music program has enjoyed success on and off campus, including numerous revues and musical productions, national anthem performances at sporting events, caroling for holiday events, and the Sweepstakes Award at 12 OSSAA State Choir contests.

David received his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Piano Performance from Oklahoma City University. He served as an accompanist at OCU from 1995 until 2000 and conducted the Women’s Choral Union from 1999 to 2001.

Hillis had the honor of accompanying the Oklahoma Music Educators Association’s All-State High School Chorus for four years, as well as the OkMEA All-State Children’s Chorus from 2006-2007 and 2009-2020.

In addition to teaching, David is a music producer and currently resides in Oklahoma City with his wife, Crystal, and their three children, Ethan, Julia, and Harper.