YOUR JUDGES | The Big Dance

Matt Huth - Critique Judge

Matt Huth is in his twenty-eighth year of directing vocal music in Iowa. He is on staff at Waukee Schools in Waukee, Iowa where he is one of six directors in the 9-12 vocal program. High School show choirs under his direction consistently received Grand Champion honors as well as caption awards of: Best Vocals, Best Choreography, Best Band, Best Soloists, and Best Sportsmanship. Groups under Huth’s direction have been nationally recognized for their achievements.

Huth has served the on the Iowa Choral Directors Association Board in many capacities during his thirteen-tenure including Symposium Chair, President-Elect, President, and Past-President. Huth currently serves as the chair for the Iowa High School Music Association Liaison Committee for All-state/Contest Affairs.

Matt holds a Bachelors of Music Education and a Masters of Arts in Teaching degrees from Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa. He is an active clinician, guest director, and adjudicator throughout the Midwest as well as the South. Matt has guest directed many ACDA district, regional, and state festivals around the Midwest.

Mark Kretschmer - Combo Judge

Mark Kretschmer retired after thirty-nine years of instrumental music education, thirty-eight here in Davenport. Mark has had the opportunity to direct award-winning bands at competitions in San Antonio, Texas, Orlando, Florida, and Virginia Beach, Virginia. He has also directed bands at the intermediate and elementary levels. Mark also directed the band for West Connection, West High’s varsity show choir for 14 years garnering Best Band Captions and numerous top three finishes. He received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Iowa, studying under Morgan Jones, Robert Yeats, and Frank Piersol. Mark received his Masters degree in Educational Administration from Western Illinois University. He has completed post-graduate work at the University of Iowa, University of Northern Iowa, and Western Illinois University. Mark and his wife Deb are the proud parents of Steven and his wife Ellie who reside in Bettendorf, Kelly and her husband Michael, who live in Des Moines, and Molly, who lives in Iowa City, and grandparents to Charlie, John and Baker and Joey.

Jill Anderson - Scoring Judge

Jill Anderson retired from public school teaching in June 2021 after having taught elementary, junior high and high school choral music in Iowa for 34 years. Ms. Anderson taught junior high choir and general music at Northwest Junior High in Iowa City from 1997-2021, where she conducted the 8th Grade Treble Clef Choir, 7th Grade Treble Clef Choir and 7th-8th Grade Bass Clef Choir. In addition she annually directed the 7th-8th grade show choir, INTIME, that averaged 70-75 singers each year. Jill has been an active member of the Iowa Choral Directors Association. She served as the East Central District Chair of ICDA, was for many years the Historian for ICDA, and Co-Chaired the 2010 ICDA Summer Convention and Choral Symposium. Jill was honored to conduct the 7th-8th Grade Treble Clef Opus Honor Choir in 2013. Since retiring from teaching she has taken a full time position as an Office Administrator at Faller and Kinchloe, a CPA firm in Des Moines. This is a whole new career that she loves!

Jill, and her husband Bob, recently moved to Urbandale, and are thoroughly enjoying life in the Des Moines Metro area!

Bob Anderson - Scoring Judge

Bob Anderson retired from public school teaching in May 2017, after having taught high school choral music in Iowa for 41 years. Mr. Anderson’s choirs sang featured performances at multiple North Central Division and National ACDA Conventions. His choirs toured internationally on four different occasions from 2003-2012. Bob was the director of 10th Street Edition, the varsity show choir at Linn-Mar High School. An active member in the American Choral Directors Association, Bob served as both Iowa President and President of the North Central Division of ACDA. Bob received the prestigious Robert McCowen Award for outstanding contribution to choral music in Iowa, from the Iowa Choral Directors Association. Bob currently has a private voice studio, clinics All-State ensembles across Iowa each fall, and is a show choir adjudicator throughout the Midwest annually.

Bob and his wife, Jill, recently moved to Urbandale, and are thoroughly enjoying life in the Des Moines Metro area!

Allen Chapman - Critique Judge

Allen Chapman has taught vocal music at every level, elementary through college, in a remarkable career spanning more than four decades. Allen's choirs appeared on twelve divisional and national MENC and ACDA convention programs. He and his late wife, Sandra, directed ten concert tours in Europe. His show choirs were competition finalists and champions across the Midwest and he was a co-founder of the Iowa Show Choir camp.

Chapman was named one of the Top 12 Music Educators in Iowa by MENC, he and Sandra were given the prestigious McCowen Award by ICDA, and Show Choir Nationals established the Allen and Sandra Chapman Excellence in Education Award which is presented annually during their competition at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. Most recently, Allen was recognized by the Iowa High School Music Association with the National Federation Award of Merit. The award recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions to music education at the local, state and national levels.

Professionally, Chapman has served on the IHSMA committee that founded the State Show Choir Competition, been the Iowa All-State Chorus Chair, and served for ten years as National ACDA Repertoire and Standards Chair. He continues to maintain an active schedule as director, clinician and adjudicator nationwide.

Brent Peterson - Critique Judge

Brent Peterson is a vocal music director in the Waukee Community School District. Now in his 32nd year of teaching, he is currently at Timberline School where he directs all of the 8th grade ensembles and show choir EN FUEGO, assists with the 9th grade mixed chorus and show choir, gives voice lessons, and also assists with the other HS show choirs in the district as needed. In addition to his work with the choirs in Waukee, he is also a volleyball coach and track coach in the district, and was named the Iowa Association of Track Coaches Junior High Track Coach of the Year in 2015. Brent was the conductor for the Boys OPUS Honor Choir in 2006, and has also received the WOI Channel 5 “My Favorite Teacher” award.

Mr. P., as he is known at Waukee, graduated from Northwest Missouri State University in 1991 with a B.S. Ed. in Vocal Music Education. In 1999 he completed a Master of Arts in Effective Teaching degree from Viterbo University, where he has also served as an adjunct professor. When not working with students at Waukee, Brent is an active guest director, show choir clinician and judge, IHSMA All-State Choir Lead Auditor, and speaker around the Midwest. He is married to Anne Peterson, an elementary music teacher at Eason Elementary in Waukee, and proud Dad to 15 year old Joel Peterson, a 10th grader at Waukee High School. When not working, the family loves to travel to Florida, golf, and enjoy boating at their lake home on Sun Valley Lake.