Faculty and Staff

Dr. Richard Schnipke serves as Associate Professor of Music Performance and Director of Choral Activities at Bowling Green State University. His duties at BGSU include conducting the Collegiate Chorale and Men’s Chorus, as well as teaching graduate courses in choral repertoire and graduate and undergraduate conducting. Previously, Dr. Schnipke held faculty positions at Xavier University and The Ohio State University and spent 15 years as a public-school choral director. He holds degrees from Bowling Green State University and The Ohio State University and has done additional graduate studies at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

Choirs under Schnipke’s direction have performed at national and regional conferences of the American Choral Directors Association and have made numerous appearances at the Ohio Music Education Association Professional Development Conference and the Ohio Choral Directors Association Summer Conference. Schnipke’s choirs have also sung for the American Musicological Society and for several national seminars of the IMC: The Tenor-Bass Choral Consoritum. Dr. Schnipke also regularly prepares professional choruses for the Toledo Symphony Orchestra and frequently presents at state, regional, and national conference on the incorporation of Dalcroze Eurhythmics in the choral rehearsal.

Schnipke performs regularly as a professional chorister and has served as tenor section leader for Cincinnati’s Vocal Arts Ensemble (Grammy Award winner, Craig Hella Johnson, music director). He is a Past-President of the Ohio Choral Directors Association, has served on the National Board of the National Collegiate Choral Organization, and is currently on the board of IMC: The Tenor-Bass Choral Consortium.

Heather McEwen Goldman is a pianist at Bowling Green State University where she accompanies both Volaré and Collegiate Chorale. She is also the Music Director and Organist at First Presbyterian Church in Bowling Green, OH.  She has an MM in Piano Accompanying and Chamber Music from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY where she played for Musica Nova, the Eastman-Rochester Chorus, and toured the country as part of the University of Rochester’s capital campaign. Prior to her time at Eastman, she was a New York City Teaching Fellow and obtained an MS in Math Education from City College in New York. She made her concerto debut with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra. Heather has collaborated with many opera singers and choruses, and enjoys playing chamber music both classical and modern.

Aaron Roos is a Perrysburg-based choral conductor, vocalist, composer, and pianist. He currently serves as the Music Director at First Presbyterian Church of Perrysburg, and directs the St. Francis Singing Blue. His compositions and arrangements have been performed across the country, including at state and regional conferences.

As a conductor, Roos is a sought after clinician and guest artist. His ensembles have been recognized for their artistry, discipline, and joyful music-making. Under his leadership, the ensembles have earned consistent superior ratings at district and state contests. Roos studies voice with Dr. Sarah Luebke, and sings professionally with the Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble (Joe Miller, music director), the NOVA Ensemble (Kevin Foster, music director), whateverandeveramen (Brad Pierson, music director), and the Toledo Symphony Chamber Choir (Alain Trudel, conductor). He has also traveled across the country performing with the BGSU Collegiate Chorale and BGSU Men’s Chorus.

Roos earned his Bachelor’s degree from Bowling Green State University (BME in Choral Music Education), graduating Magna Cum Laude. He is currently pursuing his Master’s Degree in Choral Conducting at Bowling Green State University under the mentorship of Dr. Richard Schnipke. 

Teaching music has been a huge blessing in Abend’s life. He taught middle school and high school choir in Orrville, Ohio for 3 years. During his time, he directed five choirs of various experience levels, and he also acted as assistant marching band director and drama director. He also had the opportunity to travel with Bexley High School’s Vocal Ensemble, directed by Mrs. Amy Johnston Blosser, on two separate overseas tours. One tour in 2022 to Spain and Portugal and the other in 2025 to Sweden and Denmark.

At the Ohio State University, Abend studied voice with Dr. C. Andrew Blosser. He has performed in choirs under the direction of Dr. Robert Ward and Dr. Robert Bode. While teaching, he has assisted in choral projects, including honor choir performances, directed by Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt, Dr. Britt Cooper, Dr. Scott MacPherson, and  Dr. Matthew Swope.

Abend holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from The Ohio State University. He is excited to be continuing his education at Bowling Green State University where he plans to receive Master’s Degrees in Vocal Pedagogy and Choral Conducting. He is also excited to have the opportunity to be one of the Graduate Teaching Assistants for the choral area during his studies.