Meet Our Team
Emily Allison, Conductor
Emily Allison is currently in her 18th 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 served as a guest choral clinician for District Honor Chorus events across North Georgia. She was selected as Teacher of the Year for both the 2019–2020 and 2024–2025 school years, and was named District 14 Music Educator of the Year for 2025. Her students were also featured performers at the GMEA In-Service Conference in January 2025.
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
Dr. Ashley Conway is Department Chair and Professor of Music Education at Brenau University, where she teaches music education, conducting, and aural skills courses and conducts choral ensembles. Her teaching and conducting experience spans a variety of age levels, institutions, and musical settings across the United States. An active clinician, adjudicator, and scholar, Dr. Conway has recently presented sessions at conferences for ACDA and NAfME and has adjudicated LGPE events throughout the Southeast and East Coast. She especially enjoys serving as a guest conductor for honor choirs and has worked with ensembles in GA and TN with hopes of visiting many more states in the future!
Dr. Conway holds degrees from Arizona State University (D.M.A. in Choral Conducting), University of Georgia (M.M.Ed.), and Brenau University (B.M.Ed.).
Outside the classroom and rehearsal hall, she enjoys reading, completing puzzles, and spending time with her husband, Bradley, and their two daughters, Mia and Zoe.
Benji Stegner, Accompanist
Benji Stegner is organist/music director at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Athens, GA. 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), First Baptist Church (Toccoa, GA) and First Presbyterian Church (Gainesville, 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.