Platteville Children's Choir
Auditions are held in late April/early May and August
for Apprentice Singers, Choristers and Cantabile.
Music Explorers is open enrollment until spaces are
filled. No audition.
Music Explorers
Audition/Vocal Hearing sign up
Meet Our Staff
Kelsey Duss
Music Explorers
Director
Kelsey Duss has been teaching general and vocal music since 2010. She taught general music and choir in the Shullsburg School District for five years and has been teaching at Westview Elementary in Platteville since January 2016. Kelsey teaches first through fourth grade general music at Westview. She is a 2010 graduate of Clarke University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education and a 2015 graduate of University of Wisconsin- La Crosse with a Master’s Degree in Education. In 2025, she attained National Board Teaching Certification in Early and Middle Childhood Music. She lives in Platteville with her husband Brian and their two daughters, Scarlett and Eliza.
Juli Clayton
Apprentice Singers Director
Juli Clayton is the High School Band and Choir Instructor at Cuba City. She directs the Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble, Concert Choir, and Vocal Jazz. Ms. Clayton has a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. In addition to her duties at Cuba City High School, she is also a member of the Dubuque Chorale, the National Association for Music Education, and the Wisconsin Music Educators Association.
Her favorite pastimes include traveling, reading, watching the Packers and going to movies. She is an avid fan of Doctor Who and has been known to color from time to time. Her current favorite band is Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.
She is originally from Boscobel, Wisconsin and grew up on a dairy farm near Gays Mills, Wisconsin. She and her husband, Cody, live in Benton with their dog, Bolero.
Tamra Bickel
Choristers Director
Tamra Bickel teaches elementary music and co-directs Middle School Theater for Dodgeville Schools. Since graduating from Drake University in 2010 with a Vocal and General Music Education degree, she has taught secondary vocal and general music in Iowa and Wisconsin.
Also, Mrs. Bickel serves as an accompanist for students performing at WSMA Solo and Ensemble as well as other community music events in the Dodgeville area. She has served as an educator for WSMA Solo/Ensemble festivals, WCDA All State Women’s Choir Coordinator and Conference Registration Chair throughout the years.
In addition to her classroom work, Mrs. Bickel has also served as Stage and Musical Director, Costume Design, Choreography and Production Coordination for theater productions at Dodgeville and Edgewood High School of the Sacred Heart in Madison, WI. She has received three Jerry Award Nominations for music direction and costuming.
Mrs. Bickel lives in Dodgeville with her husband and three children. She enjoys traveling, baking, attending concerts and theatrical productions.
David Murphy
Cantabile
Fall Director
David Murphy teaches vocal music at Lancaster Middle & High School, and he leads choirs at two churches in Lancaster. He holds a Masters degree in Education from UW-Platteville and a Bachelors of Music from UW-Madison. Mr. Murphy is a member of ACDA, NAfME, and the VoiceCare Network. This fall, he begins his 31st year as a teacher. He is excited to work with PCC and Cantabile another season.
His wife, Patricia Leh-Murphy, is an accompanist for various churches and the Platteville Children’s Choir. The Murphy kids are students, musicians, and athletes; they have all participated in the Platteville Children’s Choir. Mr. Murphy has been part of the Platteville Children’s Choir program since 2016.
Ashley Calderon-McHugh
Cantabile
Spring Director
Ashley Calderon-McHugh is the 6-12th Grade Choral and High School Musical Theatre Director, and Vocal Lesson and General Music Teacher for Mineral Point Unified Schools. She is a Music Theory Adjunct Instructor for UW-Oshkosh, Master Adjudicator for WSMA, Board Member for Mineral Point Opera House, Vocal Faculty for Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, and private voice and theory teacher. Calderon-McHugh was an Adjunct Instructor at New York University Steinhardt while earning a Masters in Classical Voice and an Advanced Certificate in Vocal Pedagogy. At
Eastern Illinois University, she served as the Business Manager and Music Librarian for the Eastern Symphony Orchestra, EIU Concert Choir, and Camerata Ensemble while earning a Masters in Vocal Performance, and she earned a Bachelors in K-12 Music Education. Calderon-McHugh is a 2023 recipient of the Herb Kohl Education Teacher Fellowship. She has performed most recently with Madison Opera, Brew City Opera, Fresco Opera, RVC Starlight Theatre, Pop Factory Players, and the Madison Symphony Orchestra Chorus.
Marcia Russell teaches students in general music and choir at Platteville Middle School. She has a Masters of Music in Music Education from Kent State University, and a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance and General/Choral Music Education from Lawrence University. Ms. Russell is an active member of ACDA and NAfME, and serves as the past-chair of the Wisconsin Music Educators Association’s Comprehensive Musicianship through Performance project (CMP). She has been a conductor with the Platteville Children’s Choir for almost 30 years and is a conductor with the Madison Youth Choirs. She is the current WMEA President-Elect.
