2026 Conference Honor Choirs
Conductor bios
Judith Herrington
SATB 7th-9th Grade
Judith Herrington is the Founder and Artistic Director of Tacoma Youth Chorus and conductor of the Treble Choir, Chorale and Chamber Choir. Recently retired from 44 years of teaching and conducting at Charles Wright Academy and she was the recipient of the Inspirational Faculty Award and Murray Foundation Chair for Teaching Excellence. A graduate of the University of Oregon, Ms. Herrington earned her Master of Education degree from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. Having served in several leadership positions for the WA-American Choral Directors Association Board, she is the 2011 recipient of its Leadership and Service Award. She is an inaugural member of the School of Arts and Communication Advisory Board at Pacific Lutheran University. Ms. Herrington is highly regarded internationally, nationally and regionally as a guest conductor, workshop and choral clinician. She has served as visiting faculty at VanderCook College of Music and recently inducted into the Washington State Music Educators Association Hall of Fame. A noted composer and arranger, she has published through Pavane Publishing, Hal Leonard Publishing, and Colla Voce Publishing. She also edits two choral series for Pavane Publishing.
Liana Salinas
Youth Unchanged Voices
4th-8th Grade
Liana Salinas is a dynamic music educator and entrepreneur based in Miami, Florida. She serves as the Artistic Director of the Miami Children’s Chorus (MCC), an organization she has been a part of for 25 years. Having grown up in the chorus, she knows firsthand the power of choral singing and the beautiful community it fosters. In 2023, she proudly shared this message on national television during her interviews on The Kelly Clarkson Show. Under her leadership, MCC has built upon its 60-year legacy with a fresh approach that embraces contemporary styles and skills such as jazz and songwriting.
Ms. Salinas is also the CEO and Founder of My Music Match, a company that connects students with teachers for private lessons in Miami, New York, and virtually all over the world. She understands that finding the right teacher can shape a child’s future. My Music Match also partners with schools to offer supportive classes for music programs and books musicians for live events and festivals.
A sought-after conductor, Ms. Salinas has recently led the ACDA Eastern Region Middle School Honor Choir (2024), the Miami-Dade Superintendent’s Middle School Honor Choir (2024), and will conduct the Broward County Elementary Honor Choir in 2025. She has commissioned works from esteemed composers, including Rollo Dilworth, Maria A. Ellis, Cristian Grases, and David Brunner. Additionally, she has had the honor of collaborating with renowned artists such as Manuel Turizo, Juan Luis Guerra, Juanes, Paquito D’Rivera, Willie Chirino, Emilio and Gloria Estefan.
By fostering a love for music, Ms. Salinas empowers young singers to find their voices, ensuring that the joy of choral singing continues to resonate for years to come.
Jason Max Ferdinand
SATB 10th-12th Grade
Jason Max Ferdinand, Professor – Conductor – Composer – Speaker, is an inspirational musician, leader and teaching mentor whose gifts are sought after by choirs and orchestras in the USA and internationally.
Since 2022 he has served as the Director of Choral Activities at the University of Maryland, College Park, having spent the preceding 14 years as professor at Oakwood University, where he conducted the renowned Aeolians of Oakwood University.
He is the founding artistic director of The Jason Max Ferdinand Singers which since its inception in 2021 has performed to enraptured sell-out audiences, making its debut at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in 2024.
He is a published author and composer with GIA Publications, featuring the book Teaching with Heart: Tools for Addressing Societal Challenges Through Music, and The Jason Max Ferdinand Choral Series.
Lynnel Joy Jenkins
SSAA 9th-12th Grade
Dr. Lynnel Joy Jenkins is the artistic director of Westrick Music Academy, music director of Princeton Girlchoir, and a choral teacher in the Hopewell Valley Regional School District, New Jersey. Dr. Jenkins has varied conducting and teaching experience from elementary to collegiate levels, including positions at the American Boychoir and Westminster Choir College. She has conducted choirs and lectured worldwide, and led several ACDA and OAKE honor choirs and all-state choruses. She earned degrees from Westminster Choir College (BA), Temple University (MM), and the University of Arizona (DMA) and received the Elaine Brown Conducting Award from the first two institutions.