Katie Kardell grew up in Estherville and graduated from Estherville-Lincoln Central in 1994. She studied voice and theatre at Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, Iowa, graduating with Bachelors of Arts degree in Music Education and Vocal Performance with an emphasis in theatre. After graduation, she taught elementary and high school music at Armstrong-Ringsted for three years before moving to Spencer where she has been the high school choir director since 2001. She has also kept busy coaching many singers and actors from across Northwest Iowa. Katie is a member of both the American Choral Directors and Iowa Choral Directors Associations. She has also been very involved with the Spencer Community Theatre as both a director and performer. Katie will also return again to Buena Vista University this summer to teach sectionals for their All-State Music camp. Katie’s passion for the fine arts is evident in the countless hours she spends providing learning and performing opportunities to everyone she meets. Coming directly off her last performance of at SCT as Brenda in “Smokey Joe’s Cafe,” she is so excited to have this opportunity to share her excitement for live performance with her students and the community of Spencer. Katie resides in Spencer with her husband, Bill, and their two children, Kase and Nora.
Katie Kardell
Jessica Schable
Jessica Schable grew up in Milford and graduated from Okoboji High School in 2000. She enrolled at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education with an emphasis in voice and piano. Upon graduation from Simpson, she moved back to the Iowa Great Lakes area and opened a private voice and piano studio. She currently teaches over 50 students from the Spirit Lake, Milford, Lake
Park, Okoboji, Spencer, and Emmetsburg communities. Jessica is a member of the Iowa National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), and has served as a judge for their annual adjudications. She instructed sectionals, taught private voice lessons, and accompanied on the piano at the All-State Music camp at Buena Vista College in 2014, 2015, and 2016. Jessica has worked as a private vocal instructor at Iowa Lakes Community College, and has accompanied various schools, choirs, and soloists on the piano. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, in October of 2015 Jessica accepted the position of Music Director at First Lutheran Church in Milford. Jessica resides in Milford with her husband Eric and their two sons, Aiden and Xander.
Lauren Boyd
Lauren Boyd is currently a senior at Spencer High School in Spencer, IA. She loves performing and wishes to move to New York City in the near future to continue her performance career. She is excited to continue pursuing a career in the arts by studying musical theatre in college. Lauren will be attending Minnesota State University in Mankato next year to pursue a BFA in Musical Theatre. Lauren has been involved in various productions including Catch Me If You Can (Brenda Strong), Mary Poppins (Mrs. Brill), and The Wizard of Oz (Aunt Em). She has also been involved in various music and drama activities at her high school including Jazz Choir, Large Group Speech, the Iowa All State Chorus, Band, and Choir. Lauren is inspired by her coaches and teachers who have shown her their love for the arts. She studies acting with Cara Gerlock, voice with Jessica Schable, musical theatre with Katie Kardell, and dance with the Bright Lights Dance Co. This will be Lauren's first directing and producing experience on a large scale. She would like to thank Mrs. Liz Kluver, Mrs. Katie Kardell, Mrs. Elli Wiemers, and all of the generous sponsors for helping make her project a reality!