Artistic Leadership
Director Edwin R. Foster, Founder and Executive Director of the NJ Conservatory since 1987, is a graduate of Westminster Choir College, Princeton, NJ. He has studied conducting under Joseph Flummerfelt, Robert Simpson, Robert Shaw, Wilhelm Ehmann; Group Vocal Methods under Frauke Hausemann; Children's Choir methods under Helen Kemp; and Orff and Kodaly methods under Sue Ellen Page. His performance experiences include performance tours with Festival dei Due Mondi, Spoleto, Italy; performances with the N.Y. Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez, and James Levine; Boston Symphony under Seiji Ozawa; Pittsburgh Symphony under William Steinberg; National Symphony under Antol Dorati; Atlanta Symphony under Robert Shaw; and Yale Symphony under Krzysztof Penderecki as well as several recordings for CBS Records with the N.Y. Philharmonic. He has conducted extensively throughout Europe including performances in France, Italy, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Czech Republic, England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. His most recent performance engagements outside of the Conservatory include the NY Opera Orchestra in Wagner’s “Rienzi” and as a guest conductor for National Chorale Foundation's “Messiah” both at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center. and Opera NJ with NJ Symphony Orchestra in Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 2. He is a recipient of the Morris Council on the Arts “Outstanding Educator in the Arts” award. He has been an adjudicator for the North Jersey School Music Association, Region I of the New Jersey Music Educators’ Association, and a lecturer/panelist for the American Choral Director's Association, NJ Music Educator's Association. He has had extensive experience in the areas of Church Music and Liturgy and is a founding board member of the National Pastoral Music Association's Director of Music Ministries Division. He maintains a studio in the Preparatory Division teaching piano, music theory and conducting.
Accompanist Julie Insuk Suh holds a Master Degree in Early Childhood Education/Special Education, Touro College, NY, and a Bachelor Degree in Piano Performance from Kyungwon University School of Music, in Seoul, Korea. In 2012, she began graduate studies in music therapy and piano performance at Montclair State University. During her tenure at MSU she studied with the world famous Yamaha pianist, Lisa Lui and performed in master classes with Daewook Lee, and Dr. David Witten. She is active as a private solo instrumental accompanist in the NY/NJ metropolitan area She is certified as a Music Together (LLC) teacher in conjunction with music education and/or special special education, and also serves as an accompanist of Immanuel choir at the New Jersey United Methodist Church in Englewood, NJ and NJ Conservatory Youth Choruses in Boonton, NJ, and accompanist of Hallelujah Choir, Pine Brook, NJ. She is a recipient of Korean Community Church Outstanding Dedication and Commitment to Excellence as a choir accompanist. This past summer, she completed her internship program from P.G.Chambers School, Cedar Knolls, NJ.
Accompanist Stephanie Mangioglu holds a Bachelor of Music degree summa cum laude with a vocal concentration from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. She has studied voice with Eduardo Chama and has sung with the Rutgers University Kirkpatrick Choir under the direction of Patrick Gardner, performing with the Riverside Choral Society at Alice Tully Hall in New York City. Additionally, she has performed in the chorus of Mendelsohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at The State Theatre of New Jersey. Previous roles include Arbace in Leonardo Vinci’s Catone in Utica alongside Opera Lafayette. In addition to teaching private piano and voice lessons at RMC Studios in Garwood, NJ, Stephanie is an active singer, pianist, and organist in the tri-state area. She has played in various pit bands for musicals and works as a freelance accompanist and singer. Stephanie actively works as a music director at the Rhino Theatre in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, a semi-professional theatre troupe. She also works as a conducting associate with the New Jersey Chamber Singers. Stephanie is the current music director at the Presbyterian Church of New Brunswick.
Judith Stuss is a graduate of Berkeley College School of Business and has been employed as an executive secretary with corporations in New York City. With private lifelong studies in music and art, Ms. Stuss also serves as an instructor of Early Childhood Piano with the Preparatory Division. The mother of six, and an award winning portrait artist, Ms. Stuss' love of children and the arts has enabled her to successfully teach youngsters in various artistic venues. She has taught piano as well as drawing to young students for many years. A member of the Conservatory since 1988, Ms. Stuss serves in an administrative capacity in several divisions of NJ Conservatory, is currently President of its Board of Directors and sings alto with the Symphonic Chorus, Chamber Choir, and Invitational Octet.