Judy Sagen, Director

Judy Sagen retired from School District 196 of Rosemount, Apple Valley and Eagan, Minnesotain the spring of 2011, after teaching choral music in the district for 37 years. Her career began at Valley Middle School and later taught choirs at Rosemount High School, Eagan High School and Eastview High School. She received her undergraduate degrees in Music Education and Piano Performance from Drake University and her Master’s Degree from the University of Minnesota.

While teaching in District 196, Judy’s Concert Choirs and Treble Choirs were featured performers at both the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) state and regional conferences and the Minnesota Music Education Association (MMEA). Her choirs have toured Europe, the British Isles, and the Czech Republic and performed with world-renowned Chanticleer in a festival concert in the Twin Cities. Under her leadership, her groups have also performed the Mozart Vesperae Solennes de Confessore with the New York City Chamber Orchestra at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center, and participated in the North Star Choral Festival in New York City.

Judy has served as MN-ACDA President, R&S Chair for Women’s Choirs, Metro-East Chair and has been a presenter at numerous state conferences and Summer Dialogues. She also held the position of MMEA’s Vocal Vice-President. In the summer of 2002, she worked as head coordinator of all volunteers for the World Choral Symposium. Judy is actively involved as a clinician and adjudicator around the tri-state area. She is recognized in Who’s Who of American Teachers and Who’s Who of American Women, and was the recipient of The Christopher Randall Award given to an outstanding teacher in District 196.

She was named the 2003-04 Minnesota Choral Director of the year by the MN American ChoralDirector’s Association and was selected by the Minnesota Music Education Association as the 2009 MN Music Educator of the year. In the spring of 2011 Judy received the District 196 Outstanding Service Award recognizing her 37 years of excellence in teaching. In February of 2013 she was selected to conduct the Minnesota ACDA State 9-10 Honor Choir, and in April of 2013 , she received the South Suburban Service Award for her dedication and service to the South Suburban Conference. Judy was the 2017 recipient of Rosemount High School’s Legacy Award.

Judy worked for two years at the University of Minnesota serving as an Instructional Artist in Residence. Judy worked as an adjunct professor at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul where she directed 3 choirs and served as the sabbatical replacement for Director, Dr. Angela Kasper.

Judy originated and serves as the Artistic Director of the Minnesota Valley Women’s Chorale, a 90 member community treble choir south of the river, now in it’s 11 th year. The MVWC was invited as one of five select community choirs to perform in A Christmas Portrait with Mack Wilberg, conductor of The Mormon Tabernacle Choir at the State MN-ACDA Fall Conference in 2017. They were again featured in fall of 2022 at the State MN-ACDA Conference.

Judy has worked as a teaching artist through the Hennepin Theatre Trust and the Minneapolis Jewish Community Center, where she has served as music director for a musical theatre workshop for adults with developmental disabilities. A special opportunity for Judy was conducting the Director’s Chorus at the Summer ACDA Conference at St. Olaf College in August of 2018. One of the highlights of her career was being selected by her peers to receive the ACDA’s F. Melius Christiansen Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020 for her outstanding contributions to choral music in Minnesota.

Judy is married to Michael Atherton and they have two grown children, Brent (wife Stacy,and children Brielle and Jamie) and Amy Jo Cherner (husband David, and children, Eli, Avi and Ayla).