Walton Chorus

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Directors

Director of Men’s Ensemble, Varsity Treble, and A Cappella

Wes Stoner, a native of Canton, Georgia, is the Director of Choirs at Walton High School in the Cobb County School District. Before returning to CCSD, he attended the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music and is a candidate (ABD) for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Conducting. At Frost, Wes has served as instructor for the Experiential Music Curriculum Freshman-level Aural Skills, conductor of the Frost Symphonic Choir, and as the Chorus Master for the Frost Opera Theatre. His Teaching Assistant duties included undergraduate Choral Conducting, Frost Bella Voce, and the acclaimed Frost Chorale.

Prior to pursuing the DMA at UM, Wes taught high school choral music for fifteen years in both urban and suburban areas of metropolitan Atlanta, including schools in the Clayton County and Cobb County school districts. In addition to teaching, Wes maintains an active choral performing schedule as a singing member and Assistant Director of the Atlanta-based professional chamber ensemble Coro Vocati, which was chosen to perform for the 2018 Southern Region Conference of the American Choral Directors Association in Louisville, KY. He also sang ten seasons with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus and ASO Chamber Chorus, performing numerous times in New York’s Carnegie Hall, Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center, and on two occasions with the Berlin Philharmonic at the Philharmonie in Berlin, Germany. Wes is also a member of the professional choral ensemble that performs for the triennial C.S. Lewis Institute OxBridge Conference in Oxford and Cambridge, England.

Wes has had the opportunity to serve in leadership positions within the state of Georgia and the southeast. He served as the Choral Division Chair for the Georgia Music Educators Association, where he oversaw the GMEA All-State Chorus event and auditions, Statewide Sixth Grade Honor Chorus, and the Choral Division offerings at the yearly GMEA In-Service Conference. Wes has also served on the board for the Georgia chapter of the American Choral Directors Association and as the Interest Session Chair for the 2016 ACDA Southern Region Conference in Chattanooga, TN.

Wes holds the Bachelor of Music in Music Education degree from the University of Georgia and the Master of Music in Choral Conducting degree from Michigan State University.

In the words of our former chorus director Dr. Jana Williams, “Mr. Wes Stoner, whom I have known for eighteen years, is a fantastic musician, has a heart for young people, and is a consummate professional. Walton is very fortunate to have him as the next choral director, and I am thrilled that Walton Chorus is in terrific new hands. You are going to love him!” 

Director of 9th Grade Treble, Bel Canto, and Select Women’s Ensemble

Dr. Alison Mann is the Director of Choirs at Walton High School, in Marietta, Georgia. She joined the Walton Choral Department in the fall of 2022. Prior to her time at Walton, she was Associate Professor of Choral Music Education and Program Coordinator for Music Education at Kennesaw State University for 14 years. At Kennesaw State, she taught coursework in Choral Methods, Educational Literature and Technology, and Vocal Pedagogy for Ensemble Singing. Additionally, she supervised student teachers and served as Conductor of the KSU Treble Choir, who was selected to sing for the GMEA 2022 conference. She is a founding singer and chorus manager for Atlanta based professional chamber choir, Coro Vocati, and was featured as a soloist in their Georgia premiere performance of “Considering Matthew Shepard”.

Dr. Mann received her Ph.D. in Music Education and Choral Conducting from the University of Oregon, and a Masters of Choral Music Education and Bachelors of Choral Music Education from Florida State University. Dr. Mann has studied conducting and music education with André Thomas, Kevin Fenton, Sharon J. Paul, and Judy Bowers. Dr. Mann is currently serving Southern Division ACDA on the Executive Conference Planning Committee, and past Women’s Choir Repertoire and Resources chair, and Georgia state ACDA Membership Chair. Her professional affiliations include the American Choral Directors Association, National Association for Music Education, Georgia Music Educators Association, National Collegiate Choral Organization, and the International Society for Music Education. Her research has been presented at the state, regional, and international levels. Dr. Mann is an active conductor, clinician, and adjudicator, and has conducted state ACDA honor choirs, and All State choruses in multiple states.