Music Director - Sterling S. Poulson

He is Music Director and Founder of The Choral Arts Society of Utah, conducting as many as six concerts each year with the 100 voice choir.  He was appointed Associate Music Director of the Jay Welch Chorale in 1985 and served under Dr. Jay Welch for eleven years.  He was appointed Music Director and Conductor of the Choral Arts Society of Utah in December 1996. His career includes guest-conducting performances with the Utah Symphony, West Valley Symphony, the New American Symphony, the Sierra Nevada Master Chorale & Orchestra, the Fillmore Regional Chorus & Orchestra, the South Davis Community Choir & Orchestra and the Southern Utah Heritage Choir.  He has had several guest conducting appearances with the Utah National Guard’s 23^rd Army Band, including a performance of Randall Thompson’s Testament of Freedom in the Assembly Hall on Temple Square.

In 1997 he was appointed Music Director of the Days of '47 Pops Concert held in Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City every July.  He has expanded this free concert to a two night event and it is one of the more popular summer concerts in Salt Lake City.  In May of 2002, he received the Award of Harmony from The Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Singing in America, presented by the Saltaires Show Chorus for his work in promoting music education and appreciation in our community.  He serves as the Chair for Repertoire and Standards for Community Choirs, Utah Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association. Since 1988 he has served as music reader for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Broadcast Music and the Spoken Word.

Sterling Poulson is currently the chief meteorologist for 2News, joining the KUTV 2News Weather Team as an anchor, weather producer and meteorologist in December 1989. This veteran forecaster graduated with a degree in Meteorology and gained his weather experience during his ten years with the United States Air Force. Sterling's television career began in 1985 when he joined KSL television in Salt Lake City as a weather producer and meteorologist. Sterling earned the Broadcast Seal of Approval from the American Meteorological Society and served a three-year term as a member of the Board of Broadcast Meteorologists from 1997-2000. He chaired the AMS Broadcaster's National Convention in San Francisco in June 2000. He enjoys visiting schools with the 2News Storm Tracker speaking to school kids about weather and science.  He is currently the Chair of the Clark Planetarium Board of Directors.  He is a member of the board of directors for the Days of ’47 Inc., and is Chairman of the Board of the West Valley Symphony of Utah, Inc.

During his ten years on active duty with the USAF, He served a thirteen-month tour in Vietnam from 1970-1971. He was later given a special assignment to the National Emergency Command Aircraft, 1st Airborne Command Control Squadron in direct support of "Air Force One" at Andrews AFB, Maryland. He was a Severe Storms Forecaster, assigned to the Air Force Global Weather Center at Offutt AFB, Nebraska, providing aviation forecasts in support of Air Force and Department of Defense missions worldwide. He is currently a Senior Master Sergeant with the Utah Air National Guard, assigned to the State Headquarters Public Affairs staff.  Some of his responsibilities include producing and co-directing the Armed Forces Day Concert with the Utah   National Guard 23^rd Army Band and serving as emcee for the annual Veterans Day Concert and Governor’s Day Parade.

Sterling resides in Centerville with his wife Danette and enjoys fishing and spending time with his family, including his five children and seven grandchildren.

Associate Director/Orchestrator - Donny Gilbert

Donny Gilbert was born in Murray, Utah in 1974. In 1978, he moved to Castle Dale, Utah where he graduated from Emery County High School in 1992. He began his formal musical career by attended Snow College on a trombone scholarship. He later attended the University of Utah where he studied composition privately with Henry Wolking, Dr. Steven Roens, Dr. Morris Rosenzwieg, Dr. Miguel Chauaqui and Bruce Reich, and trombone with Russ McKinney, Bass Trombonist with the Utah Symphony. Donny has earned both Bachelor and Master Degrees in Music Composition from the University of Utah and will soon pursue his doctoral studies.

Donny has written and arranged music for several performing ensembles and for several student films. He is currently Conductor of the West Valley Symphony and Associate Music Director of the Choral Arts Society of Utah. In addition to his conducting duties, Donny has received several commissions for musical works, including works to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the West Valley Symphony, the 100th Anniversary of bands at Snow College, and even a new fight song for Snow College.

Pianist - Jacqueline F. Young

Jacqueline F. Young was born in Marblehead, MA on the coast just north of Boston. She started accompanying while in elementary school and was an organist at the Baptist and Methodist Churches from the age of twelve. She graduated from Lowell State College with a BS in music and education and was the accompanist for the Boston-New England Opera during the early 60's. She worked and did graduate work in opera direction at the New England Conservatory of Music. She also did graduate work in musicology at BYU and accompanied the Utah Valley Opera.

Jackie has worked in the music departments at Sinclair College in Ohio, Pepperdine University in LA and Weber State University in Ogden. She has spent over fifty years playing and accompanying innumerable vocalists, instrumentalists, a variety of choral groups and playing in the LDS church. She considers music a great gift to be shared with others and now wishes she had kept a record of everyone she has accompanied since the age of six.