Festival di Voce

Michael Lysinger was appointed Chorus Administrator in June 2019. He came to the Chorus following 28 years of teaching, most recently as the Head Choral Director at J. J. Pearce High School. For five years, he also directed the Youth Choir at First United Methodist Church in Richardson, Texas.  

Prior to teaching in Richardson, Michael was the Head Director at Plano East Senior High School and Jersey Village High School in Houston, Texas. While in Houston, Michael was also the Artistic Director of the Houston Boychoir. Choirs under his direction have appeared at the 1996 and 2008 Texas Music Educators Convention, the 2001 American Choral Directors Convention and most recently at the 2010 Southwest Convention of the American Choral Directors. He has prepared his choruses for performances with the Houston Symphony and the University of Houston Choruses and the UH Opera. His choirs have toured around the nation including New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles and abroad to Italy and Mexico City.

In competition, Michael’s choirs earn consistently high ratings and awards for their performances. As a member of TMEA, he has served as Region Chair, Area Chair, Region Choir Organizer and as a section leader for the All-State Choir. In 2013, Michael was selected as STARS Teacher of the Year for Pearce High School. Michael received his Bachelor of Music Education from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas and is a member of ACDA, TMEA, TCDA and TMAA. He is married to pianist, Cathy Lysinger, has a daughter, Abigail, and a son, Zachary.

Tammy Patterson holds her B.M.E. and M.A. degrees from Sam Houston State University where her principal teachers were Dr. Walter Foster, Alvis Autrey, and the legendary choral master, Dr. B.R. “Bev” Henson. Ms. Patterson spent most of her career in the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District, where she taught secondary choir as an assistant middle school director, head middle school director and head high school director. Her last fourteen years in the district, she held the position of Coordinator of Secondary Music before taking a two-year position in Fort Bend Independent School District as the Assistant Director of Fine Arts.

In her tenure as the head choral director at Jersey Village High School, the program grew quickly from an enrollment of 61 to over 200 students. Accolades included an invitation for the A Cappella Choir to perform for the membership of Texas Music Educators Association Convention and the Chamber Choir winning the prestigious San Antonio Madrigal and Chamber Choir Festival. In 2016, Ms. Patterson was awarded the Texas Choral Directors Association Choral Excellence award based on her contributions to choral music in Texas, mentorship and inspiration to colleagues and students, and continued advocacy for the future of choral singing.

Ms. Patterson currently maintains an active schedule and is in demand throughout the state as a mentor teacher, choral consultant, and clinician. She is frequently called upon as a guest conductor for Region Choirs, workshop presenter for colleges, school districts and state conferences, and adjudicator for TMEA and UIL competitions. She maintains a private voice studio and is a staff singer at First Methodist Houston.

Ms. Patterson is a member of Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Choral Directors Association, National Association of Teachers of Singing, Greater Houston NATS, and Texas Music Adjudicators Association.