Communications
NICKY MANLOVE
Marketing Coordinator
NICKY MANLOVE (they/them pronouns) is the Community Engagement Director for the Tucson Girls Chorus, where they also conduct the Jubilate Choir and the Estrellas at Prince Elementary and accompany the Bumblebees and Mariposa Singers.
Nicky has served as the founding director of THEM Youth Ensemble, an LGBTQ+ and allied performing arts program, on the conducting faculty of the University of Arizona School of Music, and as the director of music at St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church in Tucson, AZ. Nicky is also an active tenor with Boston-based chamber choir VOICES 21C, whose improvisational and interdisciplinary performances have been described as “explosions of love.” VOICES 21C is an artists’ collective that is devoted to exercising the choral art in pursuit of human rights and justice, dedicated to a mission of global understanding through music.
Nicky is a committed advocate of equity-centered and liberatory choral practice, and supports a number of justice-focused choral initiatives nationally. Nicky’s research on gender diversity has been featured on The Choral Commons podcasts, as well as at choral and music education conferences around the country. Nicky is the chair of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Arizona Chapter of ACDA, has served on the ACDA National Diversity Initiative Committee’s Task Force for Transgender Justice, as well as equity-based committees for ACDA Western Division, Early Music America, GALA Choruses, and the Presbyterian Association of Musicians.
Nicky holds a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Arts with an emphasis in Music from Seattle University, and a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from the University of Arizona.
BRANDON CHASE DI NOTO
Webmaster
Brandon Chase Di Noto is an American conductor, vocalist, educator & composer. He is currently a member of the School of Music faculty at Azusa Pacific University where he directs the Bel Canto Treble Choir & teaches multiple undergraduate & graduate courses; and the Assistant Conductor of both Choral Arts Initiative & Sterling Ensemble Los Angeles. Di Noto has studied composition with Donald Crockett, Neal Desby, Veronika Krausas, Susan LaBarr, Victor Labenske, Z. Randall Stroope, Frank Ticheli & Dale Trumbore.
OLIVIA ARNOLD
Tactus Editor
Olivia Arnold is a PhD student at the University of Missouri studying music education and choral conducting. She serves as the editor of Tactus, Western ACDA’s official online publication with three issues per year. Olivia has taught in four states, from K-12 through the community college and undergraduate levels, and now teaches general and music education courses as a graduate instructor. She credits her professional beginnings to her service on the Hawai’i-ACDA and Hawai’i-MEA boards where she contributed to ongoing efforts to increase local choral music offerings and access to Hawaiian and Pacific Islander choral music. She and her husband, Zach, love outdoor adventures and spoiling their two cats.
CHRISTINA HALL
Brevo Newsletter
Christina Hall is a choral educator, guest conductor, and professional singer based in Phoenix, Arizona. She is the Choir and Theater Director at Glenview College Preparatory High School, Director of Music Ministries at Living Water Lutheran Church and vocal jazz instructor of The Nash’s vocal jazz ensembles.
Christina completed her MM in Conducting at Arizona State University, where she directed the treble ensemble, taught undergraduate courses, and revived the ASU vocal jazz program. Christina served as the choir director at Millennium High School in Goodyear, AZ directing choir, class guitar, and founded the first piano curriculum in the district. She received her BA in Choral Music Education at Northern Arizona University.
An active ACDA member, Christina frequently attends and presents at state, regional, and national conferences. She served two terms as the AzACDA Vocal Jazz Chair and currently serves on the WACDA communications team.
JONATHAN BALTERA
Social Media/Graphic Design
Jonathan Baltera is a choral conductor, educator, and arts leader based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He serves as Director of Choirs at Sierra Vista High School, where he has built a program of nearly 300 singers across seven ensembles, and as Chorus Master for Opera Las Vegas. He is also the founder and artistic director of Battle Born Chorale, a chamber ensemble dedicated to compelling and adventurous choral repertoire.
Jonathan earned his B.A. in Music from Oregon State University and his M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. An active advocate for choral music and music education, he is passionate about building vibrant musical communities, connecting singers and educators, and sharing the stories that make our profession meaningful. He is excited to serve Western ACDA as a member of the Communications Team.
ALLY MISHLER
Social Media/Graphic Design
Ally Mishler (she/her) is a third-year undergraduate Music Education major at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She attended Las Vegas Academy of the Arts High School from 2020-2024, performing in numerous concerts, gigs, and musicals, and serving on choir boards from Sophomore through Senior year. Her High School board positions included Historian, Social Media Manager, and Academy Singers President. She is currently an ensemble member of UNLV Singers and an ensemble member and section leader of Argenta, both collegiate ensembles at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She is also a choral scholar in Kantori, the Faith Lutheran Community Church chorus. With Kantori, she performed at St. Albans, England, in 2025 as well as at the 2026 Western Region ACDA Conference in San Jose, California. Ally is also the Treasurer of the ACDA Student Chapter at UNLV.
HEATHER BARCLAY-DRUSEDUM
Video Coordinator
Heather Barclay Drusedum is a passionate music educator and choral director in her third year of teaching, serving as the Director of Choirs at Tarkanian Middle School in Las Vegas, Nevada. She holds a degree in Secondary Music Education with a choral emphasis from Northern Arizona University.
Under Heather’s leadership, the Tarkanian choir program has been featured in performance with the Southern Nevada Musical Arts Society and at the 2025 Nevada ACDA Mini-Conference. The TMS Chamber Choir will also perform at the 2026 Arizona ACDA Student Symposium this fall. Heather serves as the NV ACDA Middle School All-State Choir Chair, WACDA R&R Junior High/Middle School Choirs Co-Chair, and a Video Coordinator on the WACDA Communications Team.
In addition to teaching, Heather performs with Desert Singers and the Sedona Academy of Chamber Singers. She believes that when students feel supported, challenged, and valued, they are capable of extraordinary growth.
