Carla McElhaney Named Executive Director of Chorus Austin

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Leah Rankin | Morahan Arts and Media
leah@morahanartsandmedia.com | 646-378-9386

Carla McElhaney Named Executive Director of Chorus Austin

Lilly Boessen Returns With New Role as Assistant Conductor

www.ChorusAustin.org 

August 5, 2026 (Austin, TX) – Award-winning pianist, innovator, coach, arts administrator, and educator Carla McElhaney has been named Executive Director of Chorus Austin, the non-profit community-based organization dedicated to bringing great choral works to Austin and the Central Texas area. Carla begins her position ahead of the launch of Chorus Austin’s 62nd season on August 1, 2026. 

Carla is known throughout Austin as the co-founder and Executive/Artistic Director of the Austin-based collective Revel, where she produced and performed in over a hundred concerts while managing operations and securing funding for twelve concert seasons, six summer festivals, and three recording projects from 2009-2020. At KMFA Classical 89.5, she was the on-air host of Night Music and was appointed Director of Creative Learning and Artistic Director of the Draylen Mason Music Studio, supporting educational initiatives and development efforts as KMFA transitioned from its longtime headquarters in Central Austin to its custom-built forever home at The Hatchery in East Austin.  

“I am absolutely thrilled to welcome Carla McElhaney as Chorus Austin's new Executive Director,” Chorus Austin’s Artistic Director and Conductor, Ryan Heller, said. “Carla brings an extraordinary combination of leadership, vision, and passion for the arts, and I know she will play an integral role in shaping the future of our organization and deepening and strengthening our ties to the community. Beyond that, our connection as friends and long-time collaborators only serves to deepen the impact I know Carla is going to have as we vision into the future together to create more meaningful experiences for our community.”

As a pianist, Carla’s playing has been recognized by the Austin Critics’ Table, praised by the Austin American-Statesman as exhibiting “infectious enthusiasm,” commended by the Austin Chronicle as delivering “an exciting mix of focus and passion,” and described in the Chronicle’s 2019 “A Guide to Classical Music” as “absorbing and exhilarating.” She can be heard on several recordings, including Conspirare’s Grammy-nominated albums, The Hope of Loving and House of Belonging.

“I am thrilled to embark on this exciting new chapter with this stellar organization,” Carla said. “As someone who has been steeped in choral music since middle school, focused on community arts development for the better part of my career, and a member of the Chorus Austin family as a guest pianist since Ryan Heller came on board, it feels very much like coming home.’

Chorus Austin also welcomes its former Assistant Student Conductor, Lilly Boessen, to a new role as Assistant Conductor this season. Lilly recently graduated with her Master's in Choral Conducting from Texas State University in San Marcos, TX, and completed a semester teaching at her alma mater of Austin College in Sherman, TX, as a visiting professor.

“I'm equally delighted to welcome Lilly Boessen back to Chorus Austin as our full-time Assistant Director,” Ryan said. “Watching Lilly grow from a student assistant conductor into the exceptional musician and leader she is today has been incredibly rewarding. Her talent, dedication, and understanding of our mission make her the perfect person to help lead the next chapter of Chorus Austin.

“Together, Carla and Lilly represent the exciting future of our organization. I couldn't be more enthusiastic about the team we're building, and I know their leadership, creativity, and commitment will strengthen every aspect of Chorus Austin as we continue to inspire audiences and enrich our community through the sharing of great music.”

Chorus Austin’s 2026-2027 season highlights include performances with Ballet Austin and the Austin Symphony Orchestra, premieres by the winners of the 12th Annual Composer’s Competition, interactive holiday singalongs where the audience is invited to guest conduct, the return of the Women’s Chorus for a special Mother’s Day brunch event, and performances of choral masterpieces at venues around Austin.

About Carla McElhaney
Carla McElhaney is an award-winning pianist, innovator, coach, arts administrator, and educator whose mission is to foster an unshakeable sense of wholeness, connection, and aliveness—both within individuals and among communities—through the soul-affirming power of the arts. Her playing has been recognized by the Austin Critics’ Table, praised by the Austin-American-Statesman as exhibiting “infectious enthusiasm,” commended by the Austin Chronicle as “an exciting mix of focus and passion,” and described in the Chronicle’s A Guide to Classical Music as “absorbing and exhilarating.”

Carla’s passion for music became evident early on; she gave her first public recital at the age of three and was a top prize-winner in numerous competitions throughout her youth. She continued her musical studies at the Eastman School of Music and the University of Texas at Austin. After graduating from UT with her Doctor of Musical Arts degree, Carla joined the piano faculty there and went on to earn a tenured faculty post at Baldwin Wallace Conservatory in Ohio before returning to the fertile creative climate of Austin to co-create Revel. 

As co-founder and Executive/Artistic Director of the Austin-based nonprofit arts organization Revel, McElhaney produced and performed in over a hundred concerts while managing operations and securing funding for twelve concert seasons, six summer festivals, and three recording projects. At KMFA Classical 89.5, she was the on-air host of Night Music and was appointed Director of Creative Learning and Artistic Director of the Draylen Mason Music Studio, supporting educational initiatives and development efforts as KMFA transitioned from its longtime headquarters in Central Austin to its custom-built forever home at The Hatchery in East Austin.

An active performing artist, McElhaney has appeared widely on series such as Albuquerque’s Chatter, Blanco Performing Arts, Ojai’s Krotona Institute, Costa Rica’s Credomatic Music Festival, and has collaborated with many Austin-based ensembles, organizations, and artists including the Austin Chamber Music Center, the Austin Saxophone Ensemble, Chorus Austin, Invoke, LOLA, VAMP Vocals, and more. Her recording credits include collaborations with cellist Joel Becktell, saxophonists Todd Yukumoto and Todd Oxford, and two GRAMMY®-nominated albums with Conspirare: The Hope of Loving (Delos, 2019), and House of Belonging featuring the Miro´ Quartet (Delos, 2023).

Carla earned degrees in piano performance from Eastman School of Music (B.M. 1989) and The University of Texas at Austin (M.M. 1992, D.M.A. 1998). She currently serves on the board of Austin’s One World, One Music Series. A dedicated teacher, she has taught for nearly three decades, both privately and as a faculty member at The University of Texas at Austin, Baldwin Wallace University, Texas Lutheran University, and the Austin-based community arts collective, Studio A.

About Lilly Boessen
Lilly Boessen is an Austin-based conductor, educator, and soprano. She holds a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Texas State University, where she studied under Dr. Craig Hella Johnson and Dr. Joey Martin, served as Graduate Instructional Assistant and Director of the Treble Choir, and assisted with the Texas State Chorale and University Singers—as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Music (summa cum laude) from Austin College. She recently served as Visiting Director of Choral Activities at her alma mater, Austin College, where she directed The Austin College A Cappella Choir and treble vocal ensemble, Descant, in addition to teaching a Diction for Singers lecture course and several voice students. Concurrently with her work at Chorus Austin, Lilly teaches music/choir at The Valor Institute in South Austin and leads as the Soprano Staff Singer at The First Presbyterian Church of Austin.

In addition to her work behind the podium, Lilly is an active performer throughout Texas. A founding member of the Conspirare Artist Citizen Choral Collective, her recent vocal credits include Advena: Liturgies for a Broken World (2026 Grammy Award nomination for "Best Choral Performance") and Conspirare Christmas: House of Love with Conspirare, J.S. Bach’s Mass in B minor and Angels and Dragons (soprano soloist) with the Victoria Bach Festival, Mozart’s Requiem with the Texas Bach Festival, Rachmaninoff's All-Night Vigil with the Conspirare Symphonic Choir, Hear my Prayer with Philharmonie Austin, and frequent engagements with Austin Cantorum.

Off the podium, Lilly enjoys trying new recipes in the kitchen, whether savory or sweet, and has recently taken on a new role as plant mom. She has missed the Chorus Austin family dearly and is incredibly excited to return in her new permanent role.

About Chorus Austin
Through its commitment to excellence, Chorus Austin creates passionate musical experiences that inspire community. A rich tradition of great choral music and modern musical innovations mark Chorus Austin, a non-profit community-based organization under the guidance of Artistic Director and Conductor Ryan Heller. 

Chorus Austin hosts a full season of six or more concerts annually, including large-scale productions by its 150-voice Symphonic Chorus and more intimate concerts by its Chamber Ensemble. This season, Chorus Austin celebrates 62 years of continuously providing the best in choral music to the Austin and Central Texas community. 

Founded as the Austin Civic Chorus as part of Austin’s City Parks and Recreation Department, “for all Austin-area residents who like to sing,” the group quickly incorporated as an independent organization. In 1999, the acclaimed Handel-Haydn Society joined with the Austin Civic Chorus under the umbrella of

Chorus Austin. A distinct part of the Chorus Austin history is encouraging new music. The group has commissioned a variety of new works, including the award-winning The Unutterable by internationally respected composer Robert Kyr. During the 2015/2016 season, Chorus Austin premiered two commissioned works: On a Winter’s Eve by West Coast composer Karen Thomas, and The Contemplations of Hafiz, a major, multi-movement composition for chorus, orchestra, and soloists by acclaimed Austin composer Donald Grantham. In 2014, Chorus Austin initiated its Young Composers Competition, showcasing works by rising young artists, and in 2023, garnered the organization's first-ever grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in support of the Tenth Anniversary of the concert sharing the work of these composers, Southwest Voices. 

Over the decades, as one of the oldest continuously performing music organizations in the area, Chorus Austin has amassed awards, accolades, and invitations, both nationally and on a local level. The group was honored in 2013 as the winner of the national Chorus America/ASCAP Alice Parker Award for programming recently composed music. The group was also a two-time national finalist for the prestigious American Prize. KMFA Classical 89.5 radio placed Chorus Austin as one of the Top 10 Classical Highlights of 2016 for its performance of the newly commissioned work The Contemplations of Hafiz. And in April 2017, Chorus America and the American Composers Forum awarded Chorus Austin and composer Joshua Fishbein the Dale Warland Singers Commission Award. 

Beyond the notes, Chorus Austin cares deeply for its community. Their commitment to equity and diversity was honored by the City of Austin last year by being awarded one of the city's first-ever ELEVATE grants.

Learn more at www.chorusaustin.org 

About Ryan Heller
Described as exciting, dynamic, and charismatic, Ryan Heller leads the award-winning Chorus Austin as Conductor and Artistic Director, having joined Austin’s vibrant classical music scene in 2009. Mr. Heller and Chorus Austin were honored in 2013 as winners of the national Chorus America/ASCAP Alice Parker Award, given to recognize a chorus for programming recently composed music. The group was also a two-time national finalist for the prestigious American Prize under Mr. Heller’s guidance. In 2012, Chorus Austin was named one of the Top 10 Classical Musical Treasures by Robert Faires of the Austin Chronicle. KMFA Classical 89.5 radio placed Chorus Austin as one of the Top 10 Classical Highlights of 2016 for its performance of the newly commissioned work The Contemplations of Hafiz. And in April 2017, Chorus America and the American Composers Forum awarded Chorus Austin and composer Joshua Fishbein the Dale Warland Singers Commission Award.

In 2008, Ryan Heller was nominated for a Portland, OR, Music Award as “Outstanding Classical Musician.” He has led ensembles across the United States with appearances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Chicago’s Symphony Hall. He has toured internationally in Italy, Germany, Estonia, Sweden, and in China, where he led combined choirs from Texas at the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing and at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai. Most recently, he guided Chorus Austin singers in a July 2016 concert tour through Scandinavia and the Baltic region. He served as Co-founder, Conductor, and Artistic Director of the Portland Vocal Consort, one of Portland, Oregon's premier professional choirs, and spent a decade as the Conductor/Artistic Director of the Southwest Washington Symphony. In 2001, he co-founded the Columbia Chorale of Oregon, which he led until 2010. From 2003 to 2018, he was the Director of the internationally acclaimed Pride of Portland Chorus.

Today, in addition to leading Chorus Austin, he is the Music Director of the Christchurch City Chorus in Christchurch, New Zealand. Mr. Heller has been music director of a wide variety of productions throughout the West Coast, including the world premiere of the opera The Canticle of the Black Madonna in Portland. Other productions include Brigadoon, Pirates of Penzance, H.M.S. Pinafore, Sweeney Todd, Annie, Company, and Into the Woods. 

As an active performer, he has appeared and/or recorded with groups such as Austin’s REVEL, 10 Chorus Austin '25-'26: Season of Unity, Portland Opera, William Hall MasterChorale, Choral Cross-Ties, Portland Baroque Orchestra, Capella Romana, Lakewood Theater Company, and the Broadway Rose Theater Company. 

Ryan Heller is in frequent demand as a conductor, singer, and coach. He has been hailed by critics and called “exciting, charismatic and intelligent–a young conductor to keep our eyes on.” Mr. Heller is thrilled to mark his 18th season leading Chorus Austin as the group celebrates its 62nd season. For this artist, it is about making great music with an outstanding ensemble and sharing it with Austin and the Central Texas community.

Photos at top of release provided by Chorus Austin

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