Our Kansas City Story
Choral Guild Kansas City is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to artistic innovation and professional development in the choral arts. Cardinalis, the Guild’s professional ensemble, delivers bold, creative performances while anchoring an immersive apprenticeship framework that prepares emerging singers for careers at the highest professional level.
MISSION
To advance artistic innovation in vocal music while developing professional singers through high-level performances and immersive apprenticeship experiences.
VISION
To prepare the next generation of professional singers and contribute to the evolution of choral arts through bold, flexible, and innovative performances.
VALUES
Artistic Innovation, Professional Excellence , Education and Mentorship, Choral Arts Advancement, and Flexible, high-level, multi-genre artistic presentations.
Anthony J. Maglione is an American conductor, composer, producer, and tenor whose career reflects a deep commitment to artistic excellence, collaboration, and innovation in the choral arts. He serves as Director of Choral Studies at the University of Houston and as Director of the Houston Symphony Chorus. A graduate of Westminster Choir College of Rider University, East Carolina University, and the University of California, Los Angeles, Maglione has established a national reputation as a versatile musician and advocate for compelling contemporary choral music.
As a composer, Maglione is recognized for works marked by emotional clarity, craftsmanship, and accessibility. His choral music is published through James Jordan’s Evoking Sound Choral Series (GIA Publications) and the Amanda Quist Signature Choral Series (Gentry Publications). His compositions have been performed at state, regional, and national conventions and appear on recordings released by Albany, Centaur, GIA Choral Works, and Gothic Records, as well as in television and video games. Notable works include The Wedding of Solomon, premiered at the 2018 American Guild of Organists National Convention; On Life, premiered at the 2019 National ACDA Conference; and Dust Bowl, a large-scale dramatic work commissioned by Verdigris Ensemble and later restaged with support from the National Endowment for the Arts. From 2023 to 2025, he served as Composer-in-Residence for Te Deum, a professional choir based in Kansas City.
Photo Credit: Ninthnotemedia
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Dr. Anthony J. Maglione
As a conductor, Maglione has led ensembles of varied levels with artistry and precision. During his tenure as Professor of Music and Director of Choral Studies at William Jewell College, his choirs earned national recognition, including performances at regional and national conferences, two second-place finishes in The American Prize for Choral Performance, and commercial recordings on Centaur and Albany Records. He also served for a decade as Director of Music and Choirmaster at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Kansas City. Maglione is also active as a producer, gaining national attention for Betty’s Notebook by Nicholas Reeves, a groundbreaking programmable art music project. As a tenor, he has performed with ensembles including Capella Romana, Spire Chamber Ensemble, and the St. Tikhon Choir. A sought-after clinician and guest conductor, Maglione has led honor choirs nationwide and served on the summer faculty at Westminster Choir College from 2008 to 2024.
Board of Directors
Troy Schuster
President
Troy Schuster is a Kansas City-based percussionist with over 30 years of experience in music performance. Originally from Hays, Kansas, Troy attended Fort Hays State University where he graduated with bachelor degree in Music Education. Troy worked as an instructor teaching private percussion lessons and a performer in various ensembles over the years. His work as a performer has provided the opportunity to perform in three countries and 21 states.
Troy completed the Certified Financial Planning certification program at the College for Financial Planning in 2003 and has been involved in the financial industry for 26 years. He’s spent 24 of those years at Capital Investment Management where he works as a Financial Advisor.
Outside of the office, Troy loves to spend time with his wife and three children going on new adventures. Troy enjoys traveling, performing, and spending time with his pets.
Dr. Ron Witzke
Vice–President
Dr. Ron Witzke is a retired member of the voice faculty at William Jewell College, a position he held since 1984. He holds a DMA from Indiana University (1997) and a Certificate in Theology, Arts, and Culture from Fuller Seminary, Pasadena, CA (2018). Ron is fortunate enough to remain on the chorus roster of the Lyric Opera of Kansas City. He also enjoyed a solo career with the company and with various choral groups throughout the KC metro.
The Dust Bowl (a cantata premiered in Dallas, TX) is the first work for which Ron researched, compiled and edited primary and secondary sources, and crafted original poetry. Ron’s paternal grandfather emigrated from Warsaw, Poland, settling in the Texas Panhandle in 1911. In 1935, during the height of the Dust Bowl, his family (wife and three sons) abandoned their farm and moved to Owasso, California. Shortly after Ken Burns’ Dust Bowl appeared on PBS, Ron shared it with his dad, who’s latent memories of the move were rekindled. The refashioning of this great American calamity with composer Anthony Maglione is an homage to his and others’ trauma; lives that were forcefully upended by an early example of man-made climate change.
Ian Wooldridge
Treasurer
Ian Wooldridge serves as Treasurer. He first met Dr. Maglione while in high school and later joined the William Jewell College ensembles, including Cardinalis. Ian brings experience from his service on the City of Liberty’s Citizen Sales Tax Committee and from his role as Data and Membership Coordinator at the American Public Square. He is currently completing his collegiate education and will soon begin a teaching fellowship in the Kansas City area. Ian is also an active performer with another local ensemble, Fidelium.
Emma Johansen
Secretary and Marketing Chair
Emma Johansen is a Fort Worth-based graduate student and vocalist currently pursuing a Master of Divinity at Brite Divinity School. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Music and Non-Profit Leadership from William Jewell College (2025).
An accomplished choral singer, Emma has performed with Cardinalis and the William Jewell College Concert Choir, with whom she has had the privilege of performing in three countries. Her performance credits include the world premiere of Canon for Racial Reconciliation by Isaac Cates and Nicolas Reeves, as well as participation in various recordings and premieres.
Emma brings a deep commitment to mission-driven work, having interned with the Missouri Alliance for Arts Education (2023), the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (2024), and the Epilepsy Foundation of Missouri and Kansas (2023).