2028 Conductors

Chris Becker is the current Director of the Wind Ensemble and the Jazz Band at Washington University in St. Louis, where he also teaches Applied Trumpet.  He has held a position in the Music Department at Wash U for over 30 years. Becker earned degrees from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music, and from Lindenwood University, and taught in public schools in Missouri for 40 years, at all levels.  During his career, he has directed marching bands, concert bands, jazz bands and combos, and taught piano, guitar, and music technology. Becker is the Conductor of the Manchester Community Band and the Genesis Jazz Project and directs the Missouri Ambassadors of Music Concert Band.  He has been a guest conductor for numerous honor bands, and he is a frequent clinician and judge for schools and festivals throughout the area. Becker is a member of numerous professional organizations and has served as the Jazz Vice President for MMEA and as Jazz Vice President for the St. Louis Suburban MEA.  He was named "Charles Emmons Outstanding Band Director" by Phi Beta Mu, and was recognized for his 36 years of teaching by the Parkway School District.  He was named to the SLSMEA Hall of Fame in 2018.

John McDonald  is the Director of Choir and Vocal Studies at Washington University in St. Louis, where he also conducts the WashU Choir and directs the vocal division. He is the conductor of Cantus, a tenor-bass ensemble within the St. Louis Children’s Choirs, and the artistic director and founder of the Continuum Vocal Ensemble. Dr. McDonald is an active member of the American Choral Directors Association and has been selected for the 2023 International Conductors Exchange Program with Germany. He holds degrees from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, East Carolina University, and Middle Tennessee State University. Dr. McDonald directed the 2026 Missouri Ambassadors of Music Choir and is looking forward to the tour in 2028. 

Daniel Henderson is in his twelth year as the orchestra director at Clayton High School. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in cello performance from the HARID Conservatory and a Master of Music in cello performance from the University of Florida. Mr. Henderson is a two-time recipient of the Cello Fellowship Award at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Alberta, Canada. Before joining Clayton, he taught in the Pattonville, Parkway, and Fairfax County school districts. In 2020, he was recognized as the Missouri American String Teachers Association Outstanding Secondary Educator of the Year. His orchestras have been invited to perform at the Missouri Music Educators Conference three times. He lives in University City, MO, with his wife, Katie, who is also an orchestra teacher, and their two daughters.

Aaron Lehde is Director of Bands and District Music Facilitator for the Ladue District, where he has taught since 2002. His duties include conducting the Symphonic, Concert, and Jazz Bands at Ladue Horton Watkins High School along with the Seventh and Eighth grade Concert and Jazz Bands at Ladue Middle School. Lehde earned his B.M. Music Education and Jazz Performance, (2000) and M.M. Jazz Performance, (2010) from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. He has served as the Missouri Music Educators Association (MMEA) Jazz Vice President (2022-2024). He has served the St. Louis Suburban Music Educators Association (SLSMEA) as President (2016-2018), High School Jazz VP (2010-2014), Middle School Jazz VP (2004-2008), and High School Band VP (2020-2022). Lehde has played saxophones and other woodwinds with numerous artists including the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, the MUNY Orchestra, Frankie Valli, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Manhattan Transfer, Maynard Ferguson, Byron Stripling, Dave Weckl, Wayne Newton, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Bernadette Peters, Johnny Mathis, Idina Menzel, Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Glenn Miller Orchestra, Jay Leno, Marty Allen, Bob Newhart, and “Weird Al” Yankovic. His touring and performance experience has brought him to 49 states and 32 countries worldwide.