Julian Ackerley
Director

Julian Ackerley, The Director

Director of the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus since 1980, Julian Ackerley has achieved national and international acclaim as an accomplished conductor and administrator of children’s choral performing arts organizations. He received his doctor of musical arts degree from the University of Arizona with special emphasis in music education, vocal performance and choral conducting. His many successes include national and international tours, numerous critically acclaimed recordings, collaborations with national symphony orchestras and opera companies and increased fiscal stability for the Chorus.

Dr. Ackerley has also served as associate conductor of the International Children’s Festival Chorus and conductor of the American Youth Choir (AYC), a national honor choir of both boy and girl singers that has performed in international festivals in China, Mexico, South America and Europe. He is currently vice president of the International Society for Children’s Choral and Performing Arts, a board member for The Alliance For Arts and Understanding, which is the umbrella organization for the AmericaFest Festivals, and is the Arizona chair of the repertoire and standards chair for boychoirs in the state of Arizona for the American Choral Directors Association.

Under Dr. Ackerley’s direction, the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus has flourished. He instills in his singers the importance of their responsibilities, the tradition they follow and the fine young men they are. Dr. Ackerley’s dedication to artistic quality and the well being of his choristers has been key in building the reputation of the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus.

Brett Robison
Asst. Conductor

Brett Robison, Asst. Conductor

Brett Robison has taught choral music education in Arizona, Iowa, and Minnesota with singers all ages and levels for the past ten years. His choirs and singers consistently receive superior ratings at local and state competitions. Mr. Robison is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts in choral conducting at the University of Arizona where he holds the prestigious graduate teaching assistantship in choral conducting with the Tucson Boys Chorus. As a teaching assistant in choral conducting at the University of New Mexico, he had the honor of conducting the University Chorus as a sabbatical replacement for Bradley Ellingboe and started the first men's choir at the University of New Mexico. While at Luther College, he sang as an ensemble member and soloist with the Nordic Choir for three years. He is active as a festival clinician and adjudicator having served as conductor of the boys' chorus and girls' chorus for the Dorian Junior High Music festival at Luther College from 2003-2005.

As a church musician, Mr. Robison is currently a music director with children's music at Tanque Verde Lutheran Church in Tucson, Arizona. He has served as Senior Choir director at Decorah Lutheran Church in Decorah, Iowa and as soloist with the Adult Choir at St. Paul Lutheran in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His teachers and mentors include Bruce Chamberlain, Elizabeth Schauer, Bradley Ellingboe, Weston Noble, Timothy Peter and Richard Nace. Mr. Robison holds the Master of Music degree in conducting from the University of New Mexico where he graduated with distinction and a Bachelor of Arts degree in music education from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.