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. There are two sessions: Fall and Spring.
Music Explorers
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 also worked for Rising Star Theatre Company in Dubuque, Iowa for six summers as their youth music director. 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. She lives in Platteville with her husband Brian and their two daughters, Scarlett and Eliza.
Katie Audetat
Apprentice Singers Director
Katie Audetat teaches 4K-5 General Music at Cuba City Elementary School. She is currently in her 8th year of teaching at Cuba City and in her 9th year overall of teaching. In her first year of teaching, she taught Kindergarten, 2nd, and 3rd grade music in the Prairie du Chien School District.
Katie is originally from Lancaster, WI. She currently lives in Platteville, WI with her husband Jeff and her golden retrievers, Brahms, Luna, and Lambeau. Katie graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Platteville in Fall of 2013 with a Vocal/General Music Education Degree. During her time at Platteville she performed with University Singers, Chamber Choir, Coro D’Angeli (Treble Choir), Wind Ensemble (Bass Clarinet), Symphony Band (Clarinet), and Marching Pioneers (Color Guard).
Other interests Katie has include golfing, hanging out with friends, having fun, and of course, making music. She is also a member of the Midwest Choral Artists in the alto section and has sung with them for four seasons. Singing is truly a joy and she loves getting to share that with her students every day. She is thrilled and honored to be working with the Platteville Children's Choirs, as this was an ensemble her sister Jamie was a part of when she was growing up.
Marcia Russell
PCC Executive Director and
Choristers Director
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 over 20 years and is a past conductor with the Madison Youth Choirs.
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 Choral and Musical Theatre Director, General Music Teacher, and Music Theory Adjunct Instructor at Mineral Point. She is a WSMA Registered Adjudicator, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp Faculty Member, MP Opera House Board Member, and private voice studio instructor. Mrs. Calderon-McHugh was an Adjunct Instructor at New York University Steinhardt while earning a MM in Classical Voice and an Advanced Certificate in Vocal Pedagogy. She earned a MA in Vocal Performance and a BM in K-12 Music Education from Eastern Illinois University. Mrs. Calderon-McHugh performs locally with Fresco Opera, Characters 2 Life, and Pop Factory Players.