Directors

Mason Meyer joined the Roosevelt Choir Department as the assistant director this fall of 2021.
Meyer conducts Intermediate Mixed Chorus, Chorale, Vocal Jazz I & II, and RiderChor. In addition, he directs Capitol Harmony, RHS Show Choir Band, and co-directs the all-male show choir Strong Ties with Robyn Starks-Holcomb. Meyer has judged large and small group contests in the midwest and northern Florida, founded the Southwest Minnesota Community Chorus (Jackson, MN 2017-18), and previously taught a private studio of piano, guitar, and voice students.
Mason Meyer is a native of Cedar Falls, IA and began studying music in the 5th grade as a band student. In middle school, he joined the school chorus and quickly developed a love for singing. After graduating from Cedar Falls High School, Mason began studying music education at the University of Northern Iowa where he studied voice with Jeffrey Brich, and conducting with Dr. Jon L. Wiles and Dr. Amy Kotsonnis. After graduating from UNI, Mason taught 6-12 vocal music in Jackson, MN. While teaching choir, he also taught private voice, piano, and guitar to a studio of 15 students. He also founded and directed the Southwest Minnesota Community Choir in 2017, a non-auditioned group for adults seeking out opportunities to engage with their neighbors and music. In 2018, Mason moved to Tallahassee, FL to begin studying choral conducting with Dr. Andre Thomas and Dr. Michael Hanawalt at Florida State University. There he assisted in directing the FSU Women's Glee Club with Dr. Judy Arthur, and instructed the FSU Opera Chorus and the FSU Vocal Jazz ensemble. After graduating from FSU, Mason taught vocal and general music at Elizabeth Cobb Middle School in Tallahassee.
Mason lives in Sioux Falls with his wife, Hailey, who teaches vocal music at Patrick Henry Middle School. They have two dogs, Penny and Harley, and enjoy traveling, cooking, and riding motorcycles in the summer.

Robyn Starks Holcomb has over 20 years of experience throughout the Midwest as a motivating teacher, musician, actor, choreographer and clinician. The head vocal director at Roosevelt High School in Sioux Falls, SD, Starks Holcomb has been conducting choirs in the high school, middle school and elementary school levels, spanning public and private schools as well as community chorus and church settings for 25 years. At Roosevelt since 2011, Starks Holcomb watched the program grow from 250 singers to 600 singers in her first seven years, serving four academic choirs, three choral ensembles, jazz choir, and three show choirs. Under her direction, the Roosevelt Concert Choir has performed in the 2016 and 2020 Midwest Region ACDA conferences, and the advanced mixed show choir, Executive Suite, was selected to perform at the 2019 National ACDA conference. Passionate about programming and repertoire, Starks Holcomb is proud to be a part of a department that engages in relationships with living composers and commissioning new work on an annual basis.

Outside of Roosevelt High School, Starks Holcomb spends time in demand as a guest conductor, adjudicator, clinician, musical director, and choreographer for choral festivals, vocal contests, competitions and regional projects. At the Midwest Regional ACDA level, she has served as Senior High Honor Choir Chair, Collegiate Honor Choir guest speaker, Senior High R&R Chairperson, reading session presenter, and the presenter on a session encouraging Inclusivity in choral programming. At the state ACDA level, Starks Holcomb has served as the SDSoutheast Representative, and a presenter for the IA ACDA summer conference. Summer of 2022, she will return to IA ACDA as a presenter, as well as music director of the All Iowa Show Choir. Internationally, Starks Holcomb spent three weeks conducting in Aix-en-Provence, France, as a selected conducting scholar with the University of Delaware's 2017 Choral Symposium, as well as a conductor with the 2019 Midwest American Honor Choir touring France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria and Germany. Recognition for her choral work and teaching have included: 2019 CMA Teacher of Excellence, 2019 and 2016 SD ACDA Encore Award, 2019 and 2014 Roosevelt High School Director of the Year, 2017 Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction Honor, 2015 Sioux Falls Teacher of the Year Nominee, and 2013 Roosevelt High School Positive Impact Award.

A well rounded artist, Starks Holcomb held a faculty position at the Dance Gallery of SD, a prominent school of dance, for 13 years. In addition, she toured as a professional Artist in Residence through the South Dakota Arts Council’s "Artists in Schools and Communities" program, teaching thousands of students annually as well as serving as a clinician for faculty in- services, workshops and collegiate lecture/demonstrations. A musical theater expert, Starks Holcomb has directed, performed and choreographed over 54 theatrical productions and toured the Midwest playing musical stage roles with both professional and amateur companies. In January, 2015, BroadwayWorld.com Regional Theater Awards announced Starks Holcomb as Best Music Director for her work with Sioux Empire Community Theater on Little Shop of Horrors.

Robyn Starks Holcomb received a portion of her undergraduate study at Augsburg University, Minneapolis, received her B.M. in vocal music education from the University of MN, Minneapolis and earned an M.A. Ed. from Augustana University, Sioux Falls. She is blessed in life by her husband and three daughters, four fur babies, amazing friends, the greatest work family, the inspiring Roosevelt humans who love to sing; as well as bicycling, rowing, and golf.