Robyn Lana

Interpreting choral music for diverse audiences in a way that is relevant to young people while maintaining the highest standards of music education and performance sums up the work of Artistic Director, Robyn Reeves Lana.

When not leading the Cincinnati Youth Choir over the last quarter of a century, Mrs. Lana has served as conductor and clinician across the United States and at internationally acclaimed venues such as The Forbidden City Concert Hall (Beijing), The World Expo (Milan), St. Peter’s Basilica (Vatican City), Minatomirai Hall (Yokohama), and in Malaysia. Closer to home, she has been a featured guest conductor at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. She has served as clinician or guest conducted state and regional choral events in over 25 states. Lana is a member of the choral faculty at Xavier University and has been a guest professor in CCM’s choral department.

Lana is the editor of a choral series with Santa Barbara Music Publishing. Her book, Voices in Harmony, published in 2017, is a collaborative effort, which celebrates many successful philosophies in choral education. She also has been published in Chorister Guild’s The Chorister, Chamber Music America’s CMA Matters, and ACDA’s Choral Journal for which she also served as guest editor in March 2016.

Achieving an extensive list of orchestral and operatic repertoire for youth and praise from collaborating conductors including John Adams, Louis Langrée, John Morris Russell, Marcus Huber, James Conlon, Earl Rivers and Mark Gibson among others, Lana regularly prepares her choirs for collaborations with the Cincinnati Symphony, the Cincinnati Pops, the Cincinnati May Festival, Cincinnati Opera, and CCM choirs and orchestras. She prepared CYC for two Telarc label recordings with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Erich Kunzel.

A founding board member of the Greater Cincinnati Choral Consortium, Ms. Lana also has served as its board president. Nationally, she has served ACDA as Children’s Choir and Community Youth Repertoire and Standards Chair and currently is the Chair for Advocacy and Collaboration. She is honored to also serve on the Chorus America Board of Directors.

Robyn Reeves Lana earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Music Education with a Cognate in Voice from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. She holds Level III Orff-Schulwerk Certification. She also has studied at Butler University.

Ms. Lana’s work has earned many awards including a gold medal in the World Choir Games placing first in the United States (2012), the American Prize for Choral Performance (2015), the Chorus America ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming (2016), CityBeat’s Best Local Vocal Arts Group (2015 and 2017), and CCM’s Distinguished Alumna Award (2012).