Cincinnati's SCPA Vocal Music

Cincinnati's SCPA Vocal Music The official page for Cincinnati’s School for Creative & Performing Arts Vocal Music Department 🎶

Come see Chorale perform in a beautiful space in Columbus with some great choirs! See the link in the bio for tickets!
09/29/2026

Come see Chorale perform in a beautiful space in Columbus with some great choirs! See the link in the bio for tickets!

Sterling W. Finkbine is a choral director, vocal coach, and arts educator serving as Director of Vocal Music and Chair ...
09/13/2026

Sterling W. Finkbine is a choral director, vocal coach, and arts educator serving as Director of Vocal Music and Chair of Performing Arts at Cincinnati's School for Creative and Performing Arts. As a vocal coach, Sterling works with young singers to develop healthy technique, confidence, and expressive performance. His teaching emphasizes music literacy as the foundation for independent musicianship while fostering a supportive and challenging environment where students can grow as artists and people. Under his direction, SCPA choirs have consistently earned Superior ratings at OMEA - Ohio Large Group contests at both the regional and state levels.

Before joining SCPA, Sterling spent almost a decade as Director of Choral Activities for the Ross Local School District. During his tenure, he built a respected and comprehensive choral program serving nearly 400 students in grades 5–12. His concert choirs consistently earned Superior ratings at OMEA Large Group contests. He also directed Legacy, the high school show choir, and founded Next Generation, the district’s middle school show choir. Both ensembles consistently placed among the top groups in the competitive field, earning numerous Grand Championships and caption awards.

Throughout his career, Sterling’s students have collaborated with and performed alongside respected artists and arts organizations, including the Cincinnati Opera, Cincinnati Pops, May Festival Chorus, New York Voices, and acclaimed Broadway performers. Many have continued their education and artistic training at some of the country’s most respected colleges, universities, and conservatories. His work remains centered on providing young artists with meaningful musical experiences while helping them develop confidence, discipline, and a lasting connection to the arts.
Sterling serves on the Board of Directors for the Cincinnati Boychoir, and he holds a Bachelor of Music and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from Wright State University.

Sterling lives in Cincinnati with his partner, Chris, and their two dogs, Wh**ky and Pete.

is a vocal director for SCPA’s Musical Theatre Company and director of the SCPA Children’s Choir, Concert Choir, and M...
09/12/2026

is a vocal director for SCPA’s Musical Theatre Company and director of the SCPA Children’s Choir, Concert Choir, and Meridian 8, SCPA’s vocal jazz octet. An alumnus of SCPA, Mr. Hand has written numerous arrangements for performing groups at SCPA, including a medley that was performed with the Cincinnati Pops for SCPA’s 20th Anniversary. Mr. Hand also stays active as an accompanist and keyboard player, having performed in shows at Kings Island and for the Cincinnati Broadway Series. Mr. Hand holds degrees in Music Education from the Eastman School of Music and Miami University. He is currently in his 33rd year of teaching at SCPA.

is a passionate music educator and director with extensive experience in teaching and musical direction. With a rich b...
09/11/2026

is a passionate music educator and director with extensive experience in teaching and musical direction. With a rich background in public school education, she has managed numerous ensembles and music programs for grades K-12, reflecting her commitment to shaping the next generation of performers and the continuous integration of arts in education. She is also a passionate private voice and piano instructor, specializing in musical theater performance and audition preparation, empowering students to find their voice.

Cynthia holds a Masters of Music in Music Education, with specialization in Arts Administration and Musical Theatre, from The College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati, where she researched and developed a notable capstone project on adolescent vocal techniques. Additionally, she holds a Bachelor of Science in Music from Southwest Baptist University. Cynthia has obtained teaching certifications in both Ohio and Missouri.

is a graduate of both Northern Kentucky University and the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. She has performed...
09/10/2026

is a graduate of both Northern Kentucky University and the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. She has performed in venues and festivals throughout the United States, Australia, Italy, Czech Republic, Austria, the United Kingdom and Germany, including performances at Cincinnati’s Music Hall, Harlech Castle, and the Sydney Opera House.

Kelly is on the voice faculty at Northern Kentucky University’s School of the Arts and joined the faculty at Cincinnati’s School for Creative & Performing Arts in 2023. In 2018 she took over as Director of the NKU Vocal Jazz Ensemble and has continued her studies with Darmon Meader of New York Voices. In October 2021, Kelly served as a Jazz Ambassador for the Cincinnati-Nancy Sister Jazz Initiative in Nancy, France. She hosted clinics, masterclasses, and her trio performed in the Pulsations Jazz Festival. Kelly continues to perform regularly throughout Southwest Ohio including Caffé Vivace, Muse Café, Fulton Yards, and Washington Park’s The Jazz on the Porch series. She co-leads Batucada, a Brazilian jazz sextet, which has recently been booked at Memorial Hall, The Cincinnati Open, and The Big RIver Get Down Music Festival. She and colleague, Mr Stuckey will be performing with Blink projection mapping artist, Brent Kelch, this Friday at the Elm Street Plaza in “Glimpse”.

American soprano .imani has performed and studied a variety of operatic roles, including Norina (Don Pasquale), Lauretta...
09/09/2026

American soprano .imani has performed and studied a variety of operatic roles, including Norina (Don Pasquale), Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi), Lucia (Lucia di Lammermoor), Constance (Dialogues des Carmelites), and more. This season, she looks forward to covering the role of Despina for Queen City Opera’s upcoming production of Così fan tutte and will be the soprano soloist in Handel’s Dixit Dominus at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, both in Cincinnati, OH. She has enjoyed several seasons with as a chorus member and has additionally performed as a soloist in several of their workshop presentations of contemporary operas. With a specific passion for community engagement efforts, Candace has also performed with the Cincinnati Opera in a variety of outreach performances aimed towards young audiences, including the title role of César Cui’s Little Red as a part of their collaboration with Roundabout Opera for Kids.

Ms. Williams is a decorated competitor, holding multiple awards from the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, the George Shirley Vocal Competition, and the Pasadena Vocal Competition. As an avid lover of ensemble singing, Candace recently joined the Spoleto Festival as a 2026 Choral Fellow and regularly performs with several Cincinnati-based professional vocal chamber ensembles, including the Cincinnati Fusion Ensemble, Ensemble con Fuoco, Bach Ensemble of St. Thomas, and more. She holds an Artist Diploma in Opera Performance from University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from University of Kentucky, and a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance & Pedagogy from . She is currently on the voice faculty at .

Xan Waddell Jeffery earned both her B.M. and M.M. from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM)....
09/08/2026

Xan Waddell Jeffery earned both her B.M. and M.M. from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). She serves on the faculties of CCM, NKU School of the Arts, and Cincinnati's School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA), where she teaches Vocal Techniques for Musical Theatre, Musical Theatre Song and Scene, and Applied Voice. She also maintains an active private voice studio.

Xan has completed continuing education courses in contemporary commercial music techniques, musical theatre styles, and vocal injury and wellness through the CCM Vocal Pedagogy Institute at Shenandoah University. Her current and former students have appeared on American Idol, on Broadway, and in numerous national Broadway tours. They have also attended many of the country’s leading B.F.A. musical theatre and B.M. vocal music programs.

Xan serves as a music director for professional theatre companies, universities, and high schools throughout the Tri-State area. As a vocalist, she has performed with the Cincinnati Fusion Ensemble, Vocal Arts Ensemble, and Cincinnati Choral Society. She is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and Sigma Alpha Iota.

Xan is passionate about instilling confidence in her students, developing healthy vocal technique, and helping each singer discover repertoire that excites and inspires them.

American soprano kaylyntaylorbaldwin is an active performer and educator based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Recent highlights in...
09/07/2026

American soprano kaylyntaylorbaldwin is an active performer and educator based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Recent highlights include her cincinnatiopera mainstage debut as the Page in Verdi’s Rigoletto, an artist at the Ravinia Music Festival with the Steans Music Institute, a District Winner of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, and an appearance as an Emerging Artist with Opera Saratoga.

Her operatic roles include Sally in Joe Illick’s Stone Soup, Poppea in Handel’s Agrippina and Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea, Young Leah in the world premiere of Lori Laitman’s Uncovered, First Witch in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, and Papagena in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. She has also performed extensively in musical theatre performing the roles of Maria in Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music, Peggy in Rick Lewis's The Taffetas, and Marcy Park in William Finn's The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

Originally trained as a violinist, Baldwin performed for more than two decades before turning her focus to voice. She earned her Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance with an emphasis in Vocal Pedagogy from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and holds a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from Utah State University. She is the author of The Legacy of Laura Netzel: Complete Works for Voice and Piano, a comprehensive anthology of the Swedish composer’s solo vocal music. She is also a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and has twice hosted the organization’s Science Informed Pedagogy Institute.

Baldwin is passionate about teaching and helping young singers develop healthy technique, confidence, and artistry. She teaches classical and musical theatre voice at scpacincinnati and has served as an adjunct voice instructor at the uc_ccm & miamiohmusic.

Ethan Neal is an American conductor and baritone whose work explores the relationship between singing and conducting acr...
09/06/2026

Ethan Neal is an American conductor and baritone whose work explores the relationship between singing and conducting across opera, orchestral, and choral performance. Drawing on his experience as both conductor and performer, he brings a singer’s perspective to the podium and a conductor’s perspective to vocal performance. Hailed for his “mesmerizing conducting” (Ryan Brandau, Princeton ProMusica) and “engaging singing” (Cincinnati Classical Concerts Review), Neal is particularly interested in opera, collaborative music-making, and programming that places the expressive potential of the human voice at its center.

Neal has collaborated as both conductor and singer with organizations including the Philadelphia Orchestra and Philadelphia Symphonic Chorus, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Spoleto Festival USA, Cincinnati Opera, Cincinnati Song Initiative, Vocal Arts Ensemble Cincinnati, and the Chautauqua Opera Conservatory. Additional professional engagements have included work with Lexington Philharmonic, Kentucky Opera, Santa Fe Opera, the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, the Bach Ensemble of St. Thomas, the Kentucky Bach Choir, the professional recording ensemble Coro Volante, and the England-based vocal ensemble Gallicantus.

Recent and upcoming engagements include performances with Spoleto Festival USA, serving as Assistant Conductor for the Chautauqua Opera, and appearances with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Philadelphia Symphonic Chorus. His developing career reflects a growing focus on opera, orchestral, and vocal performance, informed by his experience both on the podium and on the concert stage.

Neal is the Founding Artistic Director of the Artifex Ensemble, a Cincinnati-based professional vocal ensemble dedicated to innovative programming and collaborative artistic experiences. He also serves on the faculty of Miami University Music, Thomas More University, and SCPA. In addition, he is Assistant Minister for Worship and Music at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer and a Teaching Artist with Cincinnati Opera.

SCPA Vocal Music students are headed to All-State again this year! A huge congratulations to Parker, Aspen, Heather, Syd...
09/05/2026

SCPA Vocal Music students are headed to All-State again this year!

A huge congratulations to Parker, Aspen, Heather, Sydney, Ashley, and Eden on being selected for the 2027 OMEA All-State Choir!

These six outstanding vocalists auditioned in May and were selected from hundreds of singers across Ohio. In January, they’ll head to the OMEA Professional Development Conference, where they’ll rehearse and perform alongside some of the best high school singers in the state.

We are so proud to have six students representing SCPA Vocal Music and Cincinnati Public Schools in this year’s All-State Choir! It’s exciting to see their hard work and musicianship recognized at the state level, and we know they’ll represent our department and our school incredibly well.

Congratulations, Parker, Aspen, Heather, Sydney, Ashley, and Eden! We’re proud to have you representing SCPA Vocal Music! ❤️🎶

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108 W. Central Parkway
Cincinnati, OH
45202

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