Dr. Dara Gillis is Director Emeritus of the Delaware Hayes Choral Program and the director of both Consort and Cantabile ensembles at Capital University. She received her undergraduate and master’s degrees in music education from Ohio University and her Doctor of Musical Arts in conducting from Ohio State University. Her article, “African American Spirituals in the Public School Classroom: Our Most Powerful Weapon Against Racism” was published in the October 2021 edition of the Choral Journal and was excerpted from her dissertation on the same subject.
During Dr. Gillis’s tenure with the Delaware City Schools, the choral ensembles at Hayes High School received consistent superior ratings at both district and state adjudicated events and performed at such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.
Dr. Gillis is an active adjudicator and clinician with the Ohio Music Education Association. She feels strongly that her success as a music educator is owed in large part to her membership in both OMEA and ACDA, and specifically, the Ohio Choral Directors Association. Since 2004, she has served as region chair, membership chair, repertoire and resources chair and in July of 2025, Dr. Gillis assumed the office of president of OCDA for the second time. She is only the second individual in the state’s history to serve in this position twice.
When not sharing her love of choral music, Dr. Gillis enjoys reading, traveling, and playing golf with her husband.