Nathan Cornelius
DIRECTOR OF VOCAL MUSIC
Nathan Cornelius is a native of eastern Iowa. Mr. Cornelius holds an Associate of Arts degree from Waldorf College in Iowa, a Bachelor of Music Education from Augsburg College Minnesota, and a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Missouri State University in Springfield, Mo. Mr. Cornelius is in his 22nd year of teaching and his fifteenth year at Kickapoo High School. Prior to Kickapoo Mr. Cornelius spent six years as Vocal Director at Reed Middle School in Springfield and one year in Minnesota.
Mr. Cornelius is a member of NAfME, ACDA, MMEA, MCDA, and NEA and has served as Vocal Vice President of South Central District of the MMEA for 4 years. Mr. Cornelius has been awarded Springfield Teacher of the Month April 2006 and MCDA Outstanding South Central Choral Director in 2013. Mr. Cornelius has held the office of Vocal Vice President office for South Central Missouri Music Educators for four years and is the Springfield Public Schools Curriculum Development Coordinator for Secondary Vocal Music.
While at Kickapoo his choirs have received consistent I ratings at state and regional competitions including the Sweepstakes award at the Music in the Parks Choral Festival in 2008 in Kansas City; a I+ rating and first place finish for the Kickapoo Chamber Choir at the Worlds of Fun Choral Festival in 2009; straight I ratings for all choirs and best overall choir at the 2015 Music in the Parks Choral festival in Kansas City.
The Kickapoo Chamber Choir has received top honors at festivals in St. Louis Missouri in 2009, Kansas City Missouri 2009, Breckenridge Colorado in 2010, San Antonio Texas in 2011, Chicago Illinois in 2012, Winter Park Colorado in 2013, Atlanta Georgia in 2014, Orlando Florida in 2015, and Dallas Texas in 2016, Chicago Illinois 2017, Winter Park Colorado 2018, and Nashville Tennessee in 2019. The Chamber Choir keeps a very busy performance schedule throughout the school year.
The Bel Canto Female Chorus received the best overall choir at Music in the Parks in Kansas City Missouri in 2015 and the Chamber Choir received the same award in St. Louis Missouri in 2016.
The Bel Canto Female chorus was chosen to perform at the Missouri Music Educators convention January 29th 2016 at the Tan Tar A resort in Osage Beach Missouri.
In July of 2017 the Choir sang in the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi in Assisi Italy and St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, Rome, by special invitation to the Cathedrals of Italy Festival. In 2019 the Kickapoo Choir performed at the Limerick Sings festival at Limerick University in Limerick Ireland and at Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin Ireland.
Mr. Cornelius is also the director of the College of the Ozarks Chorale, the auditioned vocal ensemble at College of the Ozarks, and serves as the Artistic Director of The Messiah Project, a non-profit Christian arts group in Springfield.
Nathan lives in Springfield with his wife Kristin and three sons; Elijah, Jayden, and Ryan.
DIRECTOR OF VOCAL MUSIC
Nathan Cornelius is a native of eastern Iowa. Mr. Cornelius holds an Associate of Arts degree from Waldorf College in Iowa, a Bachelor of Music Education from Augsburg College Minnesota, and a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Missouri State University in Springfield, Mo. Mr. Cornelius is in his 22nd year of teaching and his fifteenth year at Kickapoo High School. Prior to Kickapoo Mr. Cornelius spent six years as Vocal Director at Reed Middle School in Springfield and one year in Minnesota.
Mr. Cornelius is a member of NAfME, ACDA, MMEA, MCDA, and NEA and has served as Vocal Vice President of South Central District of the MMEA for 4 years. Mr. Cornelius has been awarded Springfield Teacher of the Month April 2006 and MCDA Outstanding South Central Choral Director in 2013. Mr. Cornelius has held the office of Vocal Vice President office for South Central Missouri Music Educators for four years and is the Springfield Public Schools Curriculum Development Coordinator for Secondary Vocal Music.
While at Kickapoo his choirs have received consistent I ratings at state and regional competitions including the Sweepstakes award at the Music in the Parks Choral Festival in 2008 in Kansas City; a I+ rating and first place finish for the Kickapoo Chamber Choir at the Worlds of Fun Choral Festival in 2009; straight I ratings for all choirs and best overall choir at the 2015 Music in the Parks Choral festival in Kansas City.
The Kickapoo Chamber Choir has received top honors at festivals in St. Louis Missouri in 2009, Kansas City Missouri 2009, Breckenridge Colorado in 2010, San Antonio Texas in 2011, Chicago Illinois in 2012, Winter Park Colorado in 2013, Atlanta Georgia in 2014, Orlando Florida in 2015, and Dallas Texas in 2016, Chicago Illinois 2017, Winter Park Colorado 2018, and Nashville Tennessee in 2019. The Chamber Choir keeps a very busy performance schedule throughout the school year.
The Bel Canto Female Chorus received the best overall choir at Music in the Parks in Kansas City Missouri in 2015 and the Chamber Choir received the same award in St. Louis Missouri in 2016.
The Bel Canto Female chorus was chosen to perform at the Missouri Music Educators convention January 29th 2016 at the Tan Tar A resort in Osage Beach Missouri.
In July of 2017 the Choir sang in the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi in Assisi Italy and St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, Rome, by special invitation to the Cathedrals of Italy Festival. In 2019 the Kickapoo Choir performed at the Limerick Sings festival at Limerick University in Limerick Ireland and at Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin Ireland.
Mr. Cornelius is also the director of the College of the Ozarks Chorale, the auditioned vocal ensemble at College of the Ozarks, and serves as the Artistic Director of The Messiah Project, a non-profit Christian arts group in Springfield.
Nathan lives in Springfield with his wife Kristin and three sons; Elijah, Jayden, and Ryan.
Jeff Payne
Choral Assistant
Mr. Payne graduated from the University of Arkansas in 2014 with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education and Composition. After teaching for one year in Oklahoma, he and his wife moved to Springfield shortly before the birth of their son, Conley. He taught for two years in Avilla, MO, while also being a marching tech for Kickapoo HS. In 2018, Mr. Payne joined Hollister Schools as their Assistant Band Director and Guitar Instructor, and taught there for three years before joining us at Kickapoo as the Associate Director of Bands and Choirs!
His hobbies include playing with his 5 year old son, Conley, and hanging out with his wife, Bre. They also enjoy a good movie (especially a Marvel movie) and make plenty of music in their home as well.
Choral Assistant
Mr. Payne graduated from the University of Arkansas in 2014 with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education and Composition. After teaching for one year in Oklahoma, he and his wife moved to Springfield shortly before the birth of their son, Conley. He taught for two years in Avilla, MO, while also being a marching tech for Kickapoo HS. In 2018, Mr. Payne joined Hollister Schools as their Assistant Band Director and Guitar Instructor, and taught there for three years before joining us at Kickapoo as the Associate Director of Bands and Choirs!
His hobbies include playing with his 5 year old son, Conley, and hanging out with his wife, Bre. They also enjoy a good movie (especially a Marvel movie) and make plenty of music in their home as well.
Dr. Andrew Campbell
Vocal Coach
Dr. Andrew Campbell is a self-employed Choral and Vocal Music Consultant. He is a choral music consultant for Lakeland Behavioral Health Services at their adolescent residential facility. He has started a pilot program implementing four sections of choir with their patients. He also works with area high schools in addition to teaching private voice out of his home studio. Campbell previously served as Professor of Music at Southwest Baptist University. Campbell’s responsibilities included teaching Applied Voice, Vocal Pedagogy, Applied Conducting, Basic Conducting, and Secondary Choral Repertoire. In addition he directed the SBU Concert Choir and the Bolivar Community Choir. Campbell also remains an active tenor soloist. He has performed numerous works with orchestra including Johann Sebastian Bach’s Magnificat, Mass
No. 4 in G Major, Cantata No.179, Théodore Dubois’ Seven LastWords of Christ, Charles
Gounod’s Messe Solennelle, FelixMendelssohn’s Lobgesang and Come Let Us Sing, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Requiem and Die Zauberflöte, Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music, and numerous performances of George Frederic Handel’s Messiah. Some of his most recent solo recitals have included John Carter’s Cantata, Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Songs of Travel, Robert Schumann’s Dichterliebe, Benjamin Britten’s Our Hunting Fathers, Dmitri Shostakovich’s
Songs from Hebrew Folk Poetry, Ben Moore’s Dear Theo, and Francis Poulenc’s Air Chantés.
Vocal Coach
Dr. Andrew Campbell is a self-employed Choral and Vocal Music Consultant. He is a choral music consultant for Lakeland Behavioral Health Services at their adolescent residential facility. He has started a pilot program implementing four sections of choir with their patients. He also works with area high schools in addition to teaching private voice out of his home studio. Campbell previously served as Professor of Music at Southwest Baptist University. Campbell’s responsibilities included teaching Applied Voice, Vocal Pedagogy, Applied Conducting, Basic Conducting, and Secondary Choral Repertoire. In addition he directed the SBU Concert Choir and the Bolivar Community Choir. Campbell also remains an active tenor soloist. He has performed numerous works with orchestra including Johann Sebastian Bach’s Magnificat, Mass
No. 4 in G Major, Cantata No.179, Théodore Dubois’ Seven LastWords of Christ, Charles
Gounod’s Messe Solennelle, FelixMendelssohn’s Lobgesang and Come Let Us Sing, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Requiem and Die Zauberflöte, Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music, and numerous performances of George Frederic Handel’s Messiah. Some of his most recent solo recitals have included John Carter’s Cantata, Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Songs of Travel, Robert Schumann’s Dichterliebe, Benjamin Britten’s Our Hunting Fathers, Dmitri Shostakovich’s
Songs from Hebrew Folk Poetry, Ben Moore’s Dear Theo, and Francis Poulenc’s Air Chantés.