The Composer Academy

Susan LaBarr (b. 1981) is a composer and choral editor whose compositions are published by Walton Music, Morningstar Music, and Santa Barbara Music Publishing. Susan has completed commissions for choirs worldwide, most notably Seraphic Fire, New York Polyphony, the American Choral Directors Association, and the Texas Choral Directors Association.

She served as the Missouri Composer Laureate for 2012 and 2013. Her arrangement of Quem pastores laudavere appeared on New York Polyphony’s 2014 Grammy-nominated album, Sing Thee Nowell. Her work for mezzo soprano and piano, Little Black Book, was premiered at Carnegie Hall in October 2019. Susan, her husband Cameron, and their son Elliott reside in Springfield, Missouri, where Cameron is the Director of Choral Studies at Missouri State University and Susan works as Editor of Walton Music.

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Kate Williams is the Vice President of Sacred Music at GIA Publications, Inc. She holds a Bachelor of Music Composition degree from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois as well as a Masters of Arts in Liturgical Studies degree from Catholic Theological Union in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago where it was her privilege to study as a distinguished Bernardin Scholar. Kate is the editor of Gather—Fourth Edition, the latest edition of the nation’s most well-known hard-bound hymnal, as well as the editor of Of Womb and Tomb: Prayer in Time of Infertility, Miscarriage, and Stillbirth. Most recently, Kate was a co-editor of The Fire This Time: A Black Catholic Sourcebook.

She serves as workshop leader, consultant, and musician in the Archdiocese of Chicago and abroad, following a passion to serve in multicultural, multigenerational communities, while mentoring young voices and building bridges through music ministry.

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Peter Kolar is the Editor for Spanish and Bilingual Resources at GIA Publications. An accomplished composer and pianist, his works include the bilingual mass setting, Misa Luna, sung at the papal liturgy in Philadelphia, and a solo classical piano CD Variations. Known for his creative use of both classical and Latin-American musical forms, Peter holds a masters degree in music composition from Northwestern University and sits on the board of directors for the Southwest Liturgical Conference. He resides in El Paso, TX, where he is the Director of the El Paso Diocesan Choir.

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Adam M. L. Tice was born in Pennsylvania, and grew up in Alabama, Oregon, and Indiana. After graduating from high school in Elkhart, Indiana, Adam went to nearby Goshen College, a Mennonite liberal arts school. He majored in music with an emphasis on composition and completed a minor in Bible and religion, graduating in 2002. He began working as a church musician and choir director while still in college.

Adam took his first course at the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in the fall of 2003, which led to the writing of his initial hymn text. In 2004, Adam was named a Lovelace Scholar by the Hymn Society of the United States and Canada. He served as a member of the Society's executive committee from 2007 to 2010.

He was Associate Pastor of Hyattsville (Maryland) Mennonite Church from 2007 to 2012. He now lives with his family in Goshen, Indiana. He is text editor for the 2020 Mennonite hymnal,Voices Together. In early 2020 he joined GIA as Editor for Congregational Song.

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