Meet Our Team
Emily Allison, Conductor
Emily Allison is currently in her 16th year of teaching choral music and works at Cherokee Bluff Middle School in Flowery Branch, Georgia. She takes pride in encouraging her students through their musical journey while also focusing on creating kinder, community-minded students. In addition, Emily has had the pleasure of serving as a guest choral clinician for District Honor Chorus events throughout North Georgia. She was also selected as the Teacher of the Year for the 2019-2020 school year.
She currently holds a Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Performance and a Master of Arts in Teaching in Music Education from Piedmont University.
In her free time, Emily works as the Children’s Director at Jefferson First United Methodist Church. She is the proud wife of Jake and mother of Anthony and Nora. She has a passion for children’s literature and believes in the power of words. Creating Lux has been a dream come true, and she cannot wait to share this choir with her community.
Ashley Conway, Conductor
Ashley Conway is the Assistant Professor of Music Education and Women’s College Programming Coordinator at Brenau University. She directs Vocal Chamber Ensemble and Spectrum Singers, and teaches music education, conducting, and aural skills courses.
Dr. Conway’s previous appointments have included different age levels and types of organizations across the U.S. She is an active scholar and adjudicator, recently presenting at ACDA and NAfME conferences and adjudicating LGPE events along the East coast. She also loves being asked to be a guest conductor at Honor Chorus events.
Dr. Conway holds degrees from Arizona State University (D.M.A. in choral conducting), the University of Georgia (M.M.Ed.), and Brenau University (B.M.Ed.).
When Dr. Conway is not enjoying teaching, she loves reading, completing puzzles, and spending time with her loving husband, Bradley, and their two daughters, Mia and Zoe. She can’t wait for season two and to be able to show North Georgia what Lux can do!
Benji Stegner, Accompanist
Benji Stegner is organist/choir director at First Presbyterian Church, Gainesville, Georgia. A native of Toccoa, GA, he has served a number of congregations, including St. Alban’s Episcopal Church (Waco, TX), All Souls’ Episcopal Church (Oklahoma City, OK), and First Baptist Church (Toccoa, GA). From 2015-2017, he held a position as Instructor of Music at Piedmont College, where, in addition to teaching, he worked as a collaborative pianist and organist. While at Piedmont, he collaborated regularly with the theatre department, composing original music for Gathering Blue and Hush: An Interview with America and musically directing Chicago, Merrily We Roll Along, and 9 to 5: the Musical.
Dr. Stegner holds degrees from Baylor University (D.M.A. in church music), Oklahoma City University (M.M. in conducting), and Piedmont College (B.A. in music). His research interests focus on 20th-century American composers of church music.