Director of Choral Activities | The University of Memphis

Francis Cathlina, D.M.A. (he/him) is a Vietnamese-American conductor and educator, renowned for his innovative approach to choral music. He currently serves as the Director of Choral Activities at the University of Memphis, where he received the 2025 Dean’s Award for Creative Achievement. Dr. Cathlina leads the Choral Area, the MM/DMA Choral Conducting program, and conducts the University Singers.

A two-time GRAMMY-nominated educator, Dr. Cathlina draws on his Eastern heritage to foster excellence and collaboration. In 2025, he will guest conduct in Brazil and the Philippines. The UofM University Singers, under his direction, have been invited to perform for national conferences. His students lead prominent programs—as university DCAs and symphony chorus directors. Early recognition came from the Texas Choral Directors Association (TCDA), which named him a “Young Director of Distinction.”

An authority on vocal pedagogy, Dr. Cathlina’s research focuses on choral tone and conducting gesture in international journals. He has presented over 69 sessions worldwide, co-leading two conducting masterclasses in Greece and headlining the 2025 Ohio and Alabama choral conferences. With an extensive conducting schedule nationwide, working with honor choirs remains his favorite form of creative activity.

Dr. Cathlina earned a DMA in conducting with a vocal pedagogy cognate from the University of North Texas, an MM from Michigan State University, and a BME from Baylor University. Before his doctorate, he taught in Texas public schools. Beyond the podium, Dr. Cathlina is an avid pickleball player. He, his husband Kyle, and their dog Coco call Memphis, Tennessee, their home. 

In concert, Cathlina wears an áo dài, traditional Vietnamese formalwear. As one of the few Vietnamese conductors in the field, he proudly dons it as a tribute to his heritage. www.franciscathlina.com

Associate Professor of Music | Delta State University

Mezzo-soprano, Julia Thorn, is a multifaceted musician with choral conducting, voice, sacred music, and music education as areas of specialization. She was Director of Choral Activities at Delta State University for the past eight years.  Dr. Thorn performs frequently as a guest conductor and is an active clinician and adjudicator.  Choral ensembles under her direction have given critically acclaimed performances at national, divisional and state conferences of ACDA, NAfME, NCCO, the Spivey Hall Educational Concert Series, and are featured on recordings from Santa Barbara Music Publishers.

Before coming to Delta State, Dr. Thorn held the Cyril M. Stretansky Distinguished Professorship Chair in Choral Music at Susquehanna University. She takes great pride in having been honored as the Outstanding Teacher of the 2008-2009 academic year at Centenary College where she was Professor of Music.  Highlights of her career include being selected conducting fellow for the Oregon Bach Festival with Maestro Helmuth Rilling and making her Carnegie Hall conducting debut in 2007. Currently Dr. Thorn is a member of the American Choral Directors Association, the National Association for Music Education, the National Collegiate Choral Organization, and Pi Kappa Lambda.

Dr. Thorn holds B.M. and M.M. Degrees in Vocal Performance from Loyola University in New Orleans, and the D.M.A. Degree in Conducting from the University of Alabama.  While pursuing the doctorate under the direction of Sandra Willetts, Dr. Thorn taught in the choral and music education departments at the University of Alabama and served as Director of Choral Activities at the University of West Alabama.  During ten years of study at the Saratoga-Potsdam Choral Institute in New York, and as a member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus and Chamber Chorus, she trained under the batons of many of the world’s finest conductors, including Robert Shaw, Brock McElheran and Eugene Ormandy.