Misuri (Missouri) Smyth has been actively involved in the Juneau Fine Arts Community as an Accompanist, Artistic Director, Music Teacher, and Performer since moving to Juneau, Alaska in 1988. She recently retired from the Juneau School District after teaching String Orchestra, Choir, and Drama at Floyd Dryden Middle School (FDMS) for 15 years. Misuri studied MA in Teaching; BA in English, Music; Certified in Kodaly (1, 2); Choral Music Experience (1, 2,), and studied piano & music theory with the Royal Schools of Music, in NZ. Formerly the Artistic Director of the Alaska Youth Choir (AYC), a local children’s choir from 1996 – 2014, she toured AYC and the Juneau Community Chorus to perform King Island Christmas an Alaskan Christmas Oratorio at the Fringe Festival, Scotland in 2013. Misuri has directed music for FDMS Productions; Perseverance S.T.A.R. Program; and Theatre in the Rough. She has also directed FDMS Productions and more recently the Thunder Mountain High School’s Spring Musical, Mamma Mia. Misuri was awarded the JAHC Mayor’s ‘Patron of the Arts’ Award in 2011 and nominated as a recipient of the AWARE ‘Woman of Distinction’ Award. During the Summer, Misuri can be found working on various music projects one of which is camping with Artistic Director’s Dawn Kolden & Linda Moyer at Pilgrim Cove, McCall Idaho as a Cultural Specialist and Music Coach for the Educational Theatre of Idaho for youth 5-17 years old.