The Dynamic Duo

Sarah J. Porteus is a native of Coshocton County, studied at The Ohio State University and was graduated from Muskingum College where she played with the Wind Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble. Further study in choral methods has been with James Gallagher. She is the director of vocal music at Shenandoah High School in Noble County and is a member and assistant accompanist of the Coshocton Community Choir. Sarah has been a member of the Youth Choir Staff since 1994 and serves the Choir and the Cardinal Chorale as principal accompanist and arranger!

Charles R. Snyder received his musical training at Capital University, Columbus, where he was a protege of Ellis E. Snyder, a soloist with the Unversity's famed touring Chapel Choir, and for tow years, the student assistant to Dr. Snyder in the voice department. In 1969 he served the Chapel Choir as associate director.

Mr. Snyder has completed further musical study at Kent State University, The Pennsylvania State University, the State University of New York, VanderCook College of Music, Lutheran Theological Seminary and Westminister Choir College. He has studied with Daniel Moe, Leland Sateran, Richard C. Johnston, FRED WARING, Norman Luboff, Helen Kemp, John Rutter, Frauke Hassemann, Ann Howard Jones, Sir David Willcocks, Donald Neuen, Sandra Willetts, Anton Armstrong, James Gallagher, Craig Arnold, Weston Noble and Paul Christiansen. In 1982, Mr. Snyder spent a fall sabbatical studying with Dr. Christiansen at Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota.

For two years he served as director of vocal and instrumental music for the Highland Local Schools in Morrow County, and returned to Coshocton in 1970 to teach in the newly-opened Coshocton Middle School. There, for the next four years, he involved half of the school's 1100 students in five select choirs and three ensembles in addition to his regular teaching schedule!

In 1977, he joined the staff of the Presbyterian Church, Coshocton, where he continues to serve as minister of music and education.

Mr. Snyder is the music director and conductor of the Coshocton Community Choir, a 100-voice auditioned ensemble he founded in 1971, and director of the Coshocton Children's Choir, a regional choir for young singers in grades 4 - 8 which he organized in 1988. He has been a contest adjudicator, a choral and handbell clinician at area schools, churches and colleges, and all-county festival conductor, a camp staff training specialist, music director for the Coshocton County High School Players, and a faculty member for Muskingum College's annual Choral Youth Fest.

He has conducted the chorus at Scouting's Order of the Arrow national conferences and in recent times has been a contributor and music editor for several professional journals. He is a member of the American Choral Directors Association, the Ohio Music Education Association and the Presbyterian Association of Musicians. In the spring of 1992 he was selected in a statewide search as conductor for the All-Ohio State Fair Youth Choir.

Mr. Snyder's contributions in the area of youth leadership have been recoginized with the presentation of Scouting's Silver Beaver Award, the Distinguished Service Award from the national Order of the Arrow, and the God and Service Award for distinguished service to youth and the church.