Faculty and Staff
Dr. Cameron LaBarr
Director of Choral Studies
Dr. Cameron LaBarr is Director of Choral Studies and the Clif and Gail Smart professor in music at Missouri State University. He earned the MM and DMA from the University of North Texas where he studied with Jerry McCoy and Richard Sparks. Dr. LaBarr has an international reputation as conductor, clinician, and choral juror across North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, and serves as board member for the International Federation for Choral Music.
Dr. LaBarr’s recent engagements include concerts and events in Indonesia, France, Chile, Argentina, South Korea, South Africa, and Spain. Dr. LaBarr curates two choral series with Santa Barbara Music Publishing and Walton Music, where he champions emerging and established composers, and is additionally published by Colla Voce, Choristers Guild, and GIA Publications.
Dr. Erin Plisco
Associate Director of Choral Studies
Dr. Erin Plisco is the Associate Director of Choral Studies at Missouri State University, where she conducts multiple choirs and teaches undergraduate and graduate choral conducting and literature. She is a frequent guest clinician across the United States and abroad, and has presented at state, regional, and national conferences of the American Choral Directors Association.
She currently serves as the ACDA National Women’s/SSAA Choirs Repertoire and Resources Chair, the MCDA student/new teacher workshop coordinator, and is a conducting fellow for ACDA’s International Conductor Exchange Program. Choirs under her direction recently performed at the 2022 ACDA Southwestern Region Conference, the 2022 Missouri Music Educators Association Conference, the 2023 National ACDA Conference, the 2023 National Collegiate Choral Organization Conference, and at Carnegie Hall. She was recently awarded the Podium Award and the Outstanding District Director Award by MCDA for outstanding performances at state and regional conferences.
Email: ErinPlisco@MissouriState.edu
Parker Payne
Artist-in-Residence
Parker Payne is artist-in-residence at Missouri State University, where he is the collaborative pianist for the choral studies program. He has performed with MSU choirs across the United States and internationally in Argentina, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, France, Iceland, Norway, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, and Sweden. Parker has performed with the MSU Choirs at the 2023 National American Choral Directors Association conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the 2022 SWACDA conference in Little Rock, Arkansas.
He has accompanied many choral festivals, including the Missouri Choral Directors Association All-State Festival Choir, the Arkansas All-State Choir, the MSU Invitational Honor Choir, among others. As a recording artist, Parker is a featured pianist on five commercially released albums by the MSU Chorale, including “On My Way” and “Radiance Untethered: The Choral Music of John Wykoff,” both produced by the GRAMMY award winning production company, Soundmirror.
Kaden Chapman
Graduate student, choral conducting
Kaden Chapman is a first-year graduate assistant at Missouri State University pursuing his master’s degree in choral conducting. Prior to his studies at Missouri State University, he worked as a choral director in public and charter schools for four years. His choirs regularly earned superior ratings at both the regional and state levels, and his high school concert choir received Best in Class for the 1A School Division in the state of Arkansas in 2024 and 2025.
Kaden also served as the director of music at Emmanuel Lutheran Church of Fayetteville, Arkansas for three years. As a vocalist, Kaden has performed with the Symphony of NorthWest Arkansas (SoNA) and SoNA’s Chamber Choir. During his undergraduate studies at the University of Arkansas, Kaden performed with multiple choral ensembles, including the flagship choral ensemble, Schola Cantorum. As a member of Schola Cantorum, Kaden participated in multiple national and international concert tours, including a performance at the National Collegiate Choral Organization national conference.
While at the U of A, Kaden served as the President of the Student Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) as well as the choral representative for the Student Chapter of the National Association for Music Educators (NAfME). Professional affiliations include the American Choral Directors Association, National Association for Music Educators, Arkansas Choral Directors Association, and Missouri Music Educators Association.
Email: KC793s@MissouriState.edu
Giovanni Hernandez
Graduate student, choral conducting
Giovanni Hernandez is a second-year graduate student at Missouri State University pursuing the Master of Music in Choral Conducting. He also serves as a graduate assistant for the choral studies program. Giovanni received the bachelor of Music Education with an emphasis in Vocal/Choral Music from Missouri State University.
He has completed further study in vocal music and conducting with Brian A. Schmidt, Richard Sparks, Stefan Parkman, and Jon Smith. Recently, Giovanni taught for five years in Missouri at Raytown Middle School and Reed Academy of Fine and Performing Arts. His choirs earned consistent Superior ratings at various contests and festivals throughout the state and he had multiple students selected for the American Choral Directors Association National Junior High Honor Choir.
He is a founding member and artistic director of the small professional project ensemble Musicantusiariae. Professional affiliations include the American Choral Directors Association, National Association for Music Education, and the International Federation for Choral Music.
Email: Hernandez446@live.MissouriState.edu
Anne Copiaco
Graduate student, choral conducting
Anne Copiaco is currently pursuing her graduate studies in choral conducting at Missouri State University. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of the Philippines College of Music, majoring in choral conducting with a minor in voice and piano, and received the Dean’s Award for Public Service. She has represented the Philippines in various choral festivals and competitions around the world, both as a chorister and in leadership roles. Most recently, she conducted the Kilyawan Consortium of Voices Children’s Choir, which won a Silver Award at the 2024 Singapore International Choral Festival.
As a chorister, she has performed in international events in South Korea (2013 & 2018), South Africa (2018), Japan (2018), and Italy (2016), earning numerous accolades with her ensembles. Since 2023, she has served as the Asia Representative of the YOUNG Committee of the International Federation for Choral Music (IFCM). She was also selected for the 2023 YOUNG Cultural Management Program and was part of the working team for the 2023 World Symposium for Choral Music in Istanbul, Türkiye.
Since 2019, Anne has been part of the Artistic Staff of the Kilyawan Boys Choir Inc., contributing to artistic decisions and training various ensembles under the organization. She continues to compose and arrange music for the group, even while based abroad. Passionate about cultural exchange, she enjoys traveling and hopes to experience and learn from diverse musical traditions across the globe.
Email: APC726s@MissouriState.edu
Eto Tagur
Graduate student, choral conducting
Bio coming soon.
Email: GST89s@MissouriState.edu