Cindy Gerlach has worked as a local journalist, covering the arts for both the Journal & Courier and Lafayette Magazine. She earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism/magazine sequence from the University of Missouri-Columbia and her master’s degree in English from Bradley University. When her daughters were younger, she worked as the Youth Chorus & Children’s Choir coordinator for the Bach Chorale Singers, and she is the former Marketing & Communications Director for Purdue Musical Organizations.

As Executive Director of the Lafayette Master Chorale, she manages development and donor relations; fundraising; marketing and publicity; and community relations, in addition to overseeing operations. She earned her certificate in Nonprofit Executive Leadership from the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs and The Fund Raising School at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

Gerlach is currently the Director of Communications & Community Engagement for the Lafayette School Corp. She has taught in the Brian Lamb School of Communications at Purdue University and writes for Greater Lafayette Magazine. She is an active volunteer and is currently the secretary of the Historic Ninth Street Hill Neighborhood Association and has served on the boards of the Public Schools Foundation of Tippecanoe County, the Tippecanoe Chamber Music Society and the Jazz Club. She lives near downtown Lafayette with her family, where she is passionate about her historic neighborhood, travel, reading, arts and culture, and sharing craft cocktails and wine with friends.

Email Cindy Gerlach.

Karla Fultz is honored to serve as the new Director of the Lafayette Children’s Choir. A lifelong music educator with more than 30 years of experience in the Lafayette School Corp., she has dedicated her career to helping young people discover the joy, confidence and lifelong appreciation that music can bring.

Fultz earned bachelor’s degrees in Music Education and English Education from Anderson University, a master’s degree in Education from Indiana Wesleyan University and completed her Orff certification at Anderson University. She was honored with the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce Golden Apple Award in 2010 in recognition of excellence in teaching.

Throughout her career, Fultz has taught students of all ages — from Jefferson High School and Sunnyside Middle School to currently teaching  K–4 music at Earhart Elementary. She is also the co-founder of the Lafayette School Corp. Elementary Holiday Show Choir, a program that has provided memorable musical experiences for countless young singers. In addition, through successful grant writing, she has secured more than $10,000 for musical instruments and classroom resources, enriching music education for students throughout the district.

Music has always extended beyond the classroom for Fultz. She has spent many years leading worship in her church and believes that music has the power to connect people, inspire hope and build community.

The Lafayette Children’s Choir holds a special place in Fultz’s heart. Two of her four children were members of the choir and flourished as singers under the exceptional leadership of longtime director Cecil Shoemaker. Those experiences helped shape their love of music, and both have gone on to become teachers themselves.

Fultz is excited to continue the choir’s rich tradition of excellence while creating an environment where every child feels valued, challenged and inspired. Her mission has always been to help students discover the joy of music, develop confidence in their own voices and experience the friendships, discipline and wonder that singing together can bring. When she isn’t teaching or making music, she treasures spending time with her four grown children and her three wonderful granddaughters.

Patrick Meador - Concert Choir Director

Patrick Meador serves as the music teacher for both Miller and Murdock Elementary Schools in Lafayette School Corp., as well as a pianist at Walton Christian Church. Having previously sung with the St. John’s choir here in Lafayette, he is looking forward to participating in the Lafayette arts scene in new and exciting ways. Meador is an active pianist and vocalist. His favorite accomplishment is having been the first person in his family to graduate college and go on to earn his master’s degree. Over the last three years, he has instructed private voice and piano students of all ages.

Meador has performed in both vocal and instrumental ensembles, including his alma mater’s premier a cappella vocal ensemble, Vox Royale. He has had the pleasure of performing in the Main Street Electrical Parade at Disney World. As a child, Meador attended Lewis Cass Junior/Senior High School in Walton, Ind., where he was a member of the Lewis Cass Marching Kings and participated in their four-decade long streak attending the ISSMA State Finals in Indianapolis. Meador is a graduate of Johnson University in Knoxville, Tenn., where he earned his bachelor’s degree in music education alongside a bachelor’s degree in bible and theology with a minor in music performance in 2022. He went on to earn his Master of Arts in Holistic Education in 2023, also from Johnson. He is currently enrolled as a student at the University of New England where he is working on his doctoral degree in education.