Kris Ornelas

Kris Ornelas is an educator, singer, composer, and keyboardist. He holds a B.A. degree in Choral Music Education from Cal State Fullerton, an M.M. in Choral Conducting from CSULA, and a M.S. in Philosophy from The University of Edinburgh.

Mr. Ornelas directs the Voices of the Canyons Community Choir and the vocal jazz ensemble at College of the Canyons. He is also the director of choral music at West Ranch High School and Rancho Pico Junior High where his choral ensembles consistently earn top rankings and superior scores for their exceptional performances.

As a singer, Mr. Ornelas has performed with renowned artists such as Josh Groban, Andrea Bocelli, The Who, Debra Voigt, and M83 in venues such as The Hollywood Bowl, The Greek Theater, Carnegie Hall, Segerstrom Concert Hall, and The Walt Disney Concert Hall. He has received several awards and recognitions both as a teacher and singer including the SCCEA Vocal Scholarship award (2009), the Gary Wright Memorial Scholarship (2012), the 1st place award for Solo Voice in the CSUF American Music Competition (2013), the “Outstanding Soloist” Award at the Reno Jazz Festival (2014), the Helen J. Walker “Future Educators” Scholarship award (2015), and the LAUSD Rookie Teacher of the Year Award (2018).