Erika McCauley

President and Founder

Artistic Director of Choirs

Erika McCauley is founder and artistic director of Cantus Youth Choirs, a nonprofit community choir program for Idaho’s Treasure Valley youth. She is a talented individual with a passion for working with youth.

Mrs. McCauley taught in the Salem-Keizer School District, a district with schools repeatedly earning GRAMMY® Awards and recognized by the National Association of Music Merchants Foundation as one of the nation’s “Best Communities for Music Education.” She taught at the elementary, middle, and high school levels from 2001-03 and 2005-07.

In four short years and with regionally and nationally recognized colleagues, Mrs. McCauley was nominated twice as “Music Educator of the Year.” Her choirs repeatedly earned superior ratings at choral competitions, including 1st Place, the Festival Sweepstakes Award, Adjudicators Award, and a Festival of Gold Certificate at a Heritage Festival in 2007, and 1st Place at the prestigious Best in the Northwest Choir Competition in 2003 and 2007 under such acclaimed judges as Joseph Flummerfelt, chorus master of the New York Philharmonic, William Hatcher, former national president of The American Choral Directors Association, and Andre de Quadros, artistic director of the Tanglewood Institute.

Mrs. McCauley’s passion for choral arts stems from a lifelong pursuit of both solo and choral music performance. She earned a Master of Arts with an emphasis in Music Education from Oregon State University in 2005 and a Bachelor of Arts in Music with an emphasis in Vocal Performance from Brigham Young University in 2001.

As an undergraduate student, she held lead and supporting roles in university operas, earned 1st place in the National Association of Teachers of Singing Vocal Competition, and performed as a soloist with the elite 40-member choral ensemble BYU Singers, directed by Dr. Ronald Staheli. As a graduate student, Mrs. McCauley served as a graduate teaching assistant, a soloist and section leader with the Oregon State University Chamber Choir, and received the Music Education Award.

Mrs. McCauley has worked as a private vocal instructor, with voice students winning and placing at the Idaho Music Educators Association District III Solo Contest. Mrs. McCauley has also worked with secondary school choirs in Oregon and Idaho as a guest choral clinician.

Mrs. McCauley’s mentors include: Russ Christensen, Carol Stenson, Ronald Staheli, Christopher Silva, Gary Frame, Steven Zielke, and Tina Bull.