Burton Schernikau is a graduate of the Nebraska Wesleyan University music department with a BME, and from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a masters degree in composition and music education. He has studied with Fred Waring, Ken Phillips and other notable music educators.
As a music educator in the Lincoln Public Schools, Mr. Schernikau currently teaches music at Kahoa Elementary School, where he directs the Kahoa chorus. This chorus has been invited to perform for numerous cultural and public events, including with the Lincoln Civic Choir, the Nebraska Wesleyan University Choir, and the Plymouth Brass, under the direction of Dr. William Wyman, as well as with the Lincoln Civic Orchestra in a premiere composition by Libby Larson. The chorus has performed for Nebraska Statehood Day at the Capitol, for Martin Luther King Day at the Capitol, and for many VIP and civic activities, as well as for the Nebraska Heart, Kidney and Arthritis foundations. Mr. Schernikau has also directed the Pueri Cantores choirs with Carolee Curtright and a select song and dance group called The Broadway Juniors. He has a private voice and piano studio and at present is the director of the newly chartered Lincoln Boys Choir.
In addition to his work with local choirs, Mr. Schernikau has served as an adjudicator for a number of contests and organizations and as a supervisor for college student teachers. He has been recognized by the Nebraska Music Educators Association and has received the Outstanding Music Alumni Award from Nebraska Wesleyan University.
Kevin Scheele, a recent vocal music education graduate from Nebraska Wesleyan University, has been involved with the Lincoln Boys Choir since the fall of 2002. Mr. Scheele began his involvement by volunteering as a choral assistant, and is now in his third year of directing the Concert Choir. In regards to his collegiate activities, Kevin has served as an officer in each of the three music organizations at Nebraska Wesleyan. Mr. Scheele studied vocal pedagogy and diction with Dr. Jana Holzmeier, and took private voice instruction with Boyd Bacon throughout his collegiate years. As a conductor, Mr. Scheele enjoys observing accomplished conductors at work, including Rene Clausen, Elaine Quilichini, Paul Salamunovich, and Eph Ehly. He studied conducting at Nebraska Wesleyan with Sam Zitek and Dr. William Wyman. Mr. Scheele participated in the Nebraska Wesleyan Chamber Singers and Opera Workshop, and volunteered as the sound technician for the Touch of Class Jazz Choir. Kevin was appointed bass section leader for the Nebraska Wesleyan University Choir, and also served in the capacity of vice president. In his spare time, Kevin enjoys volunteering as an Assistant Scoutmaster. Mr. Scheele spends his summers attending choral workshops, choir camps, and working with his father on the family farm.
Judy Welch is in her sixth year of assisting the Lincoln Boys Choir. She teaches General Music at Evelyn Hamlow Elementary School in Waverly, Nebraska. She received her Bachelor of Music degree at Nebraska Wesleyan University, where she studied voice with Boyd Bacon. She was also a member of the Nebraska Wesleyan University Choir under the direction of Dr. William Wyman and a violinist in the University Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Patrick Fortney. Prior to attending college, Mrs. Welch was involved in the Lincoln Civic Choir and Orchestra. She directed children and youth choirs at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church for 14 years. Mrs. Welch directed the 2002 Lincoln Suzuki Choir and maintains a private music studio of 20 – 25 students. She has worked with conductors and composers Helen Kemp and Elaine Quilichinni. In May 2006, Mrs. Welch was awarded the Nebraska Wesleyan Outstanding Young Educator’s Award. Mrs. Welch is a native of Lincoln, Nebraska, and is married to Kevin Welch. They have two children, a daughter, Mrs. Halie Kopsa, who is 23 and a son, Benjamin, who is 19 years of age and an alumnus of the Lincoln Boys Choir.