Prelude Award Winner 2024

Abbi Faflick is the incoming vocal music director at Wichita High School Southeast. She just finished her third year teaching 6th - 8th grade vocal music and AVID at Coleman Middle School. In her first year, Abbi earned the Wichita Public Schools Distinguished Classroom Teacher Award in the New Teacher category. She holds her Bachelor of Music Education from Wichita State University and is a Kodály Level III Certified teacher. In her time at WSU, Abbi led the State and WSU C-NAfME Chapters as president. She studied voice with Dr. Pina Mozzani and was actively involved in Opera Theatre. Her favorite roles were L’enfant in Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges and Mae in Kurt Weill’s Street Scene. Abbi also teaches private voice and has a passion for developing solo singing and music literacy. She has directed several honor choirs in the greater Wichita Area and served as All City Assistant in USD 259. She currently serves the KCDA board as the membership chair, and hopes to connect with those who share her passion for the future of music education.

Prelude Award Nominations

Nominee Criteria:

  • Successful teaching and performance in choral music in Kansas

  • Professional demeanor in interactions with colleagues

  • Potential as an exemplary professional with an extended career in choral music

  • A spirit of service through active participation and involvement in KCDA and/or KMEA 

Selection Procedure:

  • Nominations will be solicited from the general membership of KCDA

  • Nominees must be current members of KCDA in their third, fourth, or fifth year of experience as a choral director,    currently teaching in the state of Kansas 

  • Nominations must include biographical information, a letter of nomination from a current member of KCDA, and a letter of support from an administrator, supervisor, or mentor.

  • The KCDA Executive Board will serve as the selection committee for reviewing nominations and voting to select a recipient.

  • Nominations may be resubmitted anytime during the eligibility period (three to five years of experience), but are not automatically carried forward for future consideration.​​

The Prelude Award is presented at the Kansas Choral Directors Association Summer Convention in Topeka, Kansas.

Previous Award Winners

2024 - Abbi Faflick

2023 - Savannah Zielinski

2022 - Eileen Price

2021 - Logan Caywood

2020 - Karis Nichols

2019 - Julia Miller 

2018 - Shawn Gamache

2017 - Darren Enns

2016 - Tiffani N. Thompson 

2015 - Eli Jones

2014 - Jon Duncan

2013 - not awarded

2012 - not awarded

2011 - Alex Underwood

2010 - Janie Brokenicky