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Ann Marie Koukios

Ann Marie Koukios holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral conducting from the College- Conservatory of Music of the University of Cincinnati. She has additionally earned the degrees of Bachelor of Music in piano performance from Wayne State University and Master of Music in choral conducting from Western Michigan University. She has studied conducting with Dr. Elmer Thomas, Terri Murai, Dr. John Leman, Dr. Earl Rivers, and Helmut Rilling. For the past 22 years she has resided in Cincinnati, Ohio where she completed her doctoral studies and became an active member of the professional musical community.

Among her many musical activities, Dr. Koukios served as founder and conductor of the Byzantine Singers (a Cincinnati-based professional choral ensemble founded in 1983) which performed on major series and venues throughout the Cincinnati area. She was also faculty member of the Preparatory Department of the University of Cincinnati where she was Music Director of the 70-voice CCM Children's Choir and 30-voice CCM Children's Chamber Choir for 12 years. The CCM Children's Choir appeared regularly with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and May Festival Chorus, Cincinnati Ballet, and University Orchestral/Choral Productions in numerous performances including Britten's War Requiem and St. Nicholas Cantata, Orff's Carmina Burana, Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream and oratorio Elijah, Boito's "Prologue from Mephistofeles" Honegger's Christmas Cantata, and in a U.S. the Premiere of Kurt Weil's opera "The Prophets"; as well as performed with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and May Festival Chorus in Mahler's Symphony No.3, under the direction of Jesus Lopez-Cobos. A recording of the latter was made by Telarc, which is currently available. The group was also featured with the Canadian Brass in a special Christmas Concert at the Aranoff Center.

In addition, Dr. Koukios served as full-time Director of Music at the Westwood First Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati, Ohio where she directed seven musical ensembles (adult choral and handbell ensembles, senior and junior high choral and handbell ensembles, and children's chorister and cherub choirs), supervised a large music staff of professional and volunteer musical leaders/assistants, and assisted in producing the Westwood First Concert Series (a major concert series in the Cincinnati area), as well as participated regularly as artistic conductor for major choral/orchestral works including Bach's St. John Passion, Mozart's Requiem, Haydn's Creation, Mendelssohn's Elijah, Brahms' Requiem, Poulenc's Gloria, Faure's Requiem, Rutter's Requiem, Rossini's Stabat Mater, and Handel's Messiah.

Other positions held by Dr. Koukios include Interim Director of Choirs at Berea College in Kentucky and Artistic Director and conductor of the Cincinnati Composers' Guild (through which she has conducted premiere performances of over 20 works for instrumental chamber ensembles). Other groups under her direction have included "I Solisti" (a Cincinnati-based chamber orchestra), the University of Cincinnati Opera Chorus; and the Detroit Choral Society. She has also been guest lecturer on Children's Choirs for choral conducting seminars as well as Instructor of Undergraduate Choral Conducting Technique at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

Dr. Koukios often serves as guest clinician and lecturer on the development of Children's Choirs as well as guest conductor for Children's Honors Choirs and Festival School Choirs. Dr. Koukios conducted the first 140-voice Sing Cincinnati! Children's Honors Choir, as well as Honors Choirs for school systems in Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana. She has served as guest conductor for the OMEA District 13 Honors Chorus, the AGO Regional Convention Children's Choir, 1999 MENC Regional Cincinnati Children's Honor's Choir, and the 1999 Ohio Chapter Chorister Guild's Southeastern Division Children's Festival Choir. Having grown up in the the Greek Orthodox Church, Dr. Koukios has also served as guest conductor for Greek Orthodox Choir Federations and as faculty member (lecturer and instructor) for Church Music Institutes throughout the country.

Previously an active member of the Cincinnati Arts Community, Dr. Koukios has functioned as Program Chair for the 1995 Region V Convention for the American Guild of Organists in Cincinnati; Registration Committee Chair for the 1996 Regional Convention of the American Choral Director's Association; Associate Artistic Director for the 1996 Sing Cincinnati! Festival and guest conductor for the First Annual Sing Cincinnati! Children's Honors Choir. Last summer Dr. Koukios enjoyed an educational study leave which took her to Oregon where she participated in the orchestral/choral conducting master class of Helmut Rilling, world renowned Bach specialist.

Originally born and raised in the Detroit area, Ann Marie is delighted to be "home" and beginning her work as Minister of Music at Metropolitan United Methodist Church. She and her husband, computer consultant Evans Koukios, are blessed with three children: Alex, Maria, and George, who all attend elementary school. Dr. Koukios shares the vision of the Metropolitan Ministry Team and looks forward to developing musical projects and programs which will contribute towards the goal of inspiring the renewal of the United Methodist Church and Detroit's revitalization.

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