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Meet the Directors

Young singers in black on choir risers on the Maggie Atcher Theatre stage, the youth orchestra behind them
Schaumburg Youth Choir and Youth Orchestra on stage

Sarah Inendino

Director, Cantabile and Vocalis (Interim)

Sarah Inendino is originally from Northern Michigan, where she graduated with high honors from Interlochen Arts Academy and studied voice. She attended Northwestern University where she earned a Bachelors of Music in Music Education with a specialization in choral education. Sarah completed her Masters of Arts degree at Columbia University in New York City. Her specializations include choral conducting, voice pedagogy, and elementary general music.

Sarah began her career by conducting children’s choirs in Wilmette, Illinois and teaching private voice lessons. Afterwards, she taught 3rd-5th grade general music and chorus for eight years in Glenview, Illinois. Sarah left her position in Glenview to purse a PhD in Music Education, and recently completed her second year at the University of Michigan. While at the University of Michigan, she specialized in choral conducting, spending the last two years as the assistant choral conductor for the Michigan Youth Ensembles. Sarah also works with the Harper Festival Chorus as their assistant conductor, and as a private voice instructor at high schools in the Chicago suburbs. Additionally, Sarah is also active in musical theatre, as a performer, vocal coach, and music director.

In addition to her teaching, Sarah has served on the Illinois American Choral Directors Association State Board, and currently services on the Elementary General Music Divisionary Council for the Illinois Music Education Association. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, spending time with family, bird watching and yoga.


Erin Kozakis

Director, Prelude

Erin Kozakis is an enthusiastic and passionate music educator and performer.She is the general music teacher and choir director at Prospect Elementary School in Hinsdale/ Clarendon Hills District 181.A strong believer that singing is the basis of all music learning, she specializes in teaching through active music-making, weaving Orff and Kodaly principles together in the classroom.

With over 10 years of teaching experience, Ms. Kozakis previously taught at Hoffman School in Glenview, where she taught general music and led a choir of over 125 students, and at Franzen and Benson Schools in Itasca, IL.

Equally at home in the classroom or on the stage, Erin also serves as principal bassoonist with the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra and has performed with the Elgin, Rockford and Quad City Symphonies, and the Chicago Civic Orchestra.

Ms. Kozakis has specialized training in the Orff and Kodaly methods of music education, as well as children’s choral conducting and instructional technology.She holds a BM from the Eastman School of Music, a MM from DePaul University, and a MMEd from Northern Illinois University.

A native of Geneseo, IL, Ms. Kozakis currently lives in Schaumburg with her husband, Michael, and two children. She can often be found on the bike trails of Schaumburg with her family, often singing as they ride!

Page owner: Al Larson Cultural Center

Reviewed Oct. 2026 · next review April 2027