Artistic Director
Rocky F. Tejada
Rocky F. Tejada has been working in Delaware since 2014 when he came to teach music in the Appoquinimink School District. He is currently on the performing arts faculty at Odessa High School, where he teaches choral music, piano, and musical theater. Mr. Tejada was the choral director at Middletown High School, where he enjoyed a fruitful tenure. His students regularly performed major works with orchestra, and performed on community stages throughout the state of Delaware and the east coast.
Mr. Tejada is an active choral conductor and singer, and regularly performs in chamber groups and choirs throughout the U.S. and abroad. He has performed with Delaware Choral Scholars, Delaware Choral Arts, Kent Chamber Choir, the Northern Delaware Choral Society, and the Memphis Chamber Choir among others. Recently, he has performed with the Alpenkammermusik chamber music festival in Washington D.C., and conducted in Granada, Spain with the Coro Ciudad de Granada in 2019. He is the artistic director for the Delaware Choral Society in Dover, and the Middletown Community Chorus where he enjoys performing in such a vibrant and talented communities.
Mr. Tejada received his bachelor’s degree in music from Jacksonville State University where he studied vocal performance and opera. He received his master’s degree in choral conducting from the University of Alabama in 2011. Over the past decade, he has conducted works such as Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Rutter’s Gloria, Pinkham Christmas Cantata, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, and a variety of early and modern works for large ensembles and chamber choirs.
Under Mr. Tejada’s baton, the Middletown Community Chorus seeks to contribute to the community singing culture in the MOT area. The immense talent and love for music among our community members demonstrates a great need for a choral organization like this. We aim to provide our singers and our community with a valuable outlet for quality and enriching choral music, and we hope that MCC will become an important influence in our town for many years to come.
Accompanist
Michelle Taylor
Michelle Taylor is an active pianist and piano pedagogue. After earning a bachelor’s degree in Piano Pedagogy and a master’s degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Utah State University, she left the Rocky Mountains and moved to Delaware. In the last 10 years in Delaware, she has maintained a vibrant piano studio, worked for The Music School of Delaware as both an instructor and accompanist, and started Michelle’s Music Academy. Throughout her musical career, she has worked with all ages to experience music and the piano in new and exciting ways. Her award-winning teaching is tuned to each student’s personal learning style and skill set. As a teacher and a pianist, her skill is evident in the growth her students make in their personal musical journeys. They learn to love music and develop the skills necessary to play it well, earning top awards in music festivals.
Michelle’s love of music is apparent in her teaching, performing, and musical accomplishments. She has studied the piano and accompanying for over twenty years, taught piano for over fifteen years, and has recently specialized in early childhood music education as a licensed Musikgarten teacher.
Michelle is looking forward to furthering her community involvement and sharing the love of music through joining the Middletown Community Chorus as their accompanist.