As an innovative conductor, teacher, and vocalist, McKenna Stenson has built a career inspiring students to sing with confidence and motivating communities to create lasting change through song. Her energetic demeanor permeates positivity throughout the ensemble, creating a community of compassion, trust, and resilience.
Stenson is an assistant professor on faculty at the University of Kansas (KU) where she serves as Associate Director of Choral Activities. She conducts KU Glee Club and Oread Singers and in addition to leading ensembles, teaches classes in choral methods, undergraduate and graduate conducting, and voice.
Stenson enjoys serving as a guest conductor, clinician, presenter, and adjudicator for choirs throughout the United States and abroad. Recent engagements include teaching internationally with The Cornish-American Song Institute “Music Across the Pond”, where she taught seminars in choral conducting and choral masterclasses, and directing the Kansas Treble All-State Honor Choir. She has served in state leadership roles and presented sessions at state, regional, and international conferences including the World Symposium on Choral Music (Istanbul, 2023.) Stenson was nationally recognized as a Country Music Award Foundation Music Teacher of Excellence for 2020. Most recently she was named third-place winner of the 2021 American Prize Conducting Competition and a finalist for the 2022 South-Western American Choral Association Graduate Conducting Masterclass. Prior to her appointment at KU, Stenson was a DMA student in Choral Conducting at the University of North Texas (UNT) where she studied under Dr. Allen Hightower, Dr. Kristina MacMullen, and Dr. Jessica Nápoles. She directed the UNT Camerata and assisted Dr. Kristina MacMullen with the UNT University Singers. Additional teaching appointments at UNT included Music Fundamentals and serving as a teaching associate for Undergraduate Conducting and Vox Aquilae, the university’s flagship early music ensemble.
Stenson earned a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and Bachelor of Music in Music Education from The Ohio State University and a Master of Music from Michigan State University. Stenson enjoyed serving as a public school teacher as the Choral Director and CFPA Vocal Director at Charles J. Colgan High School. Stenson, named “New Faculty Member of the Year” in 2017, directed five choirs during the day and three after-school ensembles at Colgan High School. Under the direction of Stenson, the Colgan Choral Ensembles were invited to perform at venues such as the Kennedy Center Millenium Stage and served as arts ambassadors throughout the Virginia Commonwealth. In 2018, the Colgan High School Chamber Ensemble was selected to perform at the Virginia Music Educators Association conference and received a standing ovation for their performance. In her free time, she enjoys running, singing with her husband Bryan, and interviewing women conductors on her new podcast conduct(her) with co-founder (and sister) Kyra Stahr.