About the Director

Mrs. Kathrine Kouns
Mrs. Kouns was born in Chicago, Illinois but has lived in Arizona for over twenty years and considers it to be her home. She began studying voice and piano at a young age and was directing children's choir during her high school years. She participated in many vocal competitions throughout high school, and college and continued her musical training at Arizona State University where she earned a Bachelor of Music Degree in Secondary Education. She started the choral music department at Desert Canyon Middle School in Scottsdale, Arizona and continued teaching there from 1996 – 2000. During this time she also completed her Master's Degree in Educational Leadership and Administration at Northern Arizona University. In the Fall of 2000 she took over the position as the head choral director at Horizon High School and has been there ever since. She loves her job and probably spends way too much time with her students to whom she is so dedicated. In her spare time, Mrs. Kouns and her husband enjoy camping and sailing whenever they can get away. Mrs. Kouns has directed both the Scottsdale and Paradise Valley District Honor choirs and is currently the ACDA Western Division Chair of Show Choirs.

Mr. Phil Goldblatt is the director of choirs at Desert Shadows Middle School as well as associate director of choirs at Horizon High School. He loves being back in the Paradise Valley School District after graduating from Horizon in 2004. He completed his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Northern Arizona University in 2008 and is working on his Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from there. During his time in Flagstaff, Mr. Goldblatt served as director of the NAU Carolers, assistant director of the NAU University Singers and president of the renowned Shrine of the Ages Choir. He was the co-musical director at Flagstaff's Federated Community Church and has also assisted with the Children's Chorale of Flagstaff. He has been involved in a multitude of musical theater and opera productions including Carmen (Dancaïre), Die Zauberflote (Papageno), Die Fledermaus (Chorus), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Pharaoh), and The Music Man (Mayor Shinn). In addition to his teaching duties, Mr. Goldblatt also maintains a private voice studio. Students under his direction have been accepted into regional, state, and national honor choirs. In his free time Mr. Goldblatt loves spending time with friends and family, going to the movies, bowling, hiking, and catching up on good TV.