2018 ACDA Southern Region Conference Hheadlinerseadliners

2018 ACDA Southern Region Conference HHeadlinerseadliners

Ruben Studdard brightened the world of follow-up, I Need an Angel. He is most well-known for his pop music with his American Idol-winning recording career, but he has also segued into television romantic balladry. In the years follow- and stage work. Ruben attended Alabama A&M Uni- ing Idol, Studdard has released six studio versity, where he joined the Omicron Delta chapter of albums, including his platinum-selling Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the men’s music fraternity of debut, Soulful, and the top-selling gospel America, and majored in voice studies.

2018 ACDA Southern Region Conference SSpecialpecial EventsEvents

Opening Concert Jason Max Ferdinand is in his tenth season as director of choral activities at Oakwood University. He holds a bach- Aeolians elor’s in piano from Oakwood Univer- sity, a master’s in conducting from Mor- gan State University, and a doctorate in choral conducting from the University of Maryland. Ferdinand has guest conducted the Morgan State Uni- versity choir and is a frequent guest conductor in the United States and around the world. He has earned the Outstanding Director Award and the 2017 Choir of the World Award at the LLangollen International Musical Festival, in Wales, UK.

Shenzhen Golden Bell Youth Choir Established in 1946, the Aeolians of Oakwood Uni- versity present choral music repertoire from the Baroque The Shenzhen Golden Bell Youth Choir and their era to the twenty-ﬁ rst century, becoming an authoritative conductor, Liu Mei, will be performing in this concert. exponent of Negro spirituals and Work songs. They have Their photos and bios are on page 24. collaborated with symphony orchestras to present mas- terpieces from symphonic choral literature of Brahms, Mozart, Schoenburg, Dvorak, Hailstork, Dett, and others, and performed in symphony halls throughout the world. In 2017 they won the Choir of the World Awards at the LLangollen International Musical Festival, Wales, UK.

CHORAL JOURNAL January 2018 Volume 58 Number 6 45 2018 ACDA Southern Region Conference SSpecialpecial EventsEvents

Souls of Seoul Spelman College Glee Club

The Spelman College Glee Club has maintained a reputation for choral excellence since 1925. The Glee Club is the premier performance organization for the College and sings for most campus events. The organization is open by Souls of Seoul is a relaunched Christian missionary audition to all students of the College community. Their choir. The ensemble began in 2004 as the Seoul Dream repertoire consists of sacred and secular choral literature Singers and later developed into the Seoul Vocal Ensem- for women’s voices, with a particular focus on traditional ble, which was a participating choir for the 2016 ACDA spirituals, music by African American composers, mu- International Conductors Exchange Program in South sic from many cultures, and commissioned works. The Korea. Under the direction of composer, conductor, and Glee Club recently celebrated the ninetieth year of their founder Jihoon Park, this ensemble of approximately Annual Spelman-Morehouse Christmas Carol Concert. sixty harmonious voices serves several communities in This event takes place in concert with the Morehouse South Korea with its gift of song. The ensemble is pre- College Glee Club. paring for a special concert engagement at Lotte Con- cert Hall (Seoul) and a debut album in 2018. Kevin Johnson, D.M.A., associate professor of music at Spelman College, is a Jihoon Park is one of the most inﬂ uential musician, composer, and active clinician. composers in South Korea. He has writ- He has traveled throughout the United ten over 500 varied and experimental States providing choral workshops, mas- compositions. Currently he also serves ter classes, seminars, and retreats for music educators the Gunsan Civic Choir as the principal and churches. He currently serves as the minister of conductor and the Dream Methodist music for Lyke House Catholic Student Center in the Church as music director. Park received a bachelor’s and Atlanta University Consortium. Johnson has been pub- a master’s in composition and conducting from Chung- lished under Colla Voce, GIA Publications, and Treble Ang University (Seoul). Park also earned a second mas- Clef Press. He continues to publish most of his music ter’s degree in choral conducting and his doctorate at through his own publishing company, Lion and Lamb the University of Arizona. He holds the honor of being Publishing. one of seven South Korean ICEP Fellows for the 2016 ACDA conductor exchange with the United States.

46 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2018 Volume 58 Number 6 February 21 - 24, 2018 Louisville, Kentucky

A Voice 4 Peace Concert The Festival Singers of Florida

Cypress Creek High School Varsity Choir

The Festival Singers of Florida are a highly select, auditioned group of music educators and performers many of whom travel more than 1,000 miles for the opportunity to sing with the group. Most members are music educators ranging from elementary- to college-level Cypress Creek High School’s Varsity Choir is a se- directors. Singers must learn music on their own and lect group of singers chosen by audition to represent the gather a few weekends a year to rehearse and perform. school and the county at various venues. This choir has It’s the opportunity to create beautiful music with people been invited to perform in New York City and chosen who share the same passion that generates the excite- as Florida Ambassadors of Music to tour Europe in the ment our audiences enjoy. summer of 2016 and in 2018. They have performed at Disney’s Candlelight Processional seven years in a row Kevin Fenton is the founding artistic di- and have received Straight Superiors at their District rector and conductor of the Festival and State MPA. Cypress Creek High School’s Varsity Singers of Florida. He is professor of Choir is beyond thrilled to represent our great state and choral conducting and ensembles at the take part in such a special concert. Florida State University in Tallahassee. He holds a bachelor’s from Friends Uni- Kyle Tolar received his bachelor’s and versity in Wichita, KS, a master’s from the Conservatory master’s from the Florida State Univer- of Music at the University of Missouri in Kansas City, sity. Tolar arrived in Orlando, Fl, to a and a doctorate from the Florida State University. non-existent program in 2011. During his time there, he grew the program from 34 students to 225. The program consists of fi ve diff erent choirs, all of whom receive top ratings at their yearly MPA assessment. Tolar has been invited to sing in NY, TN, and Europe with his choirs and is hum- bled to be invited to perform for such a special occasion with A Voice 4 Peace. Tolar toured with Festival Singers of Florida to Kenya and China and is asked to guest solo on many diff erent occasions and performances throughout the year.

CHORAL JOURNAL January 2018 Volume 58 Number 6 47 2018 ACDA Southern Region Conference SSpecialpecial EventsEvents

St. Stephen's Church Spencer County High School Adult Choir Combined Choirs

The Worship Arts Ministry of St. Stephen Church of The combined choirs of Spencer County High School Louisville, KY, has grown since the church’s founding in from Taylorsville, KY, consist of males, females, and 1926 and has evolved into a comprehensive music minis- freshmen through seniors. The ensembles are: Women’s try that serves all three campuses. Under the leadership Choir, Mixed Choir, Chamber Singers, Men’s Ensemble, of Pastor Kevin W. Cosby, the ministry is led by a ca- and an after-school A Capella group. The choirs have at- pable team of fourteen staff persons serving as directors tended district KMEA Festivals, State KMEA Festivals, and/or asst. director and a praise band for each of the and received distinguished ratings in both. They would three campuses that covers three counties in two states. like to thank the SCHS administrators for their support. The ministry features four main adult choirs, specialty choirs in age groups; a young adult choir, a graded choir Kelsi Edelen is the choir director at Spen- program for children through elementary school age, cer County High School and Girls Head and for the youth, middle school through high school. Soccer Coach in Taylorsville, KY. She The ministry also includes a men’s choir and a women’s is in her fi fth year of teaching at SCHS. choir. During her tenure, the choir program has grown from one ensemble to fi ve Kevin B. James is a nationally recognized with over one hundred students enrolled. Edelen gradu- musician, arranger, songwriter, direc- ated from Western Kentucky University with a bache- tor, and music minister. He received his lor’s in music education and is pursuing her master’s at bachelor’s in communication from the the University of Louisville. The SCHS Women’s Choir University of Louisville. In May 2006 he has received distinguished ratings at the KMEA State received an Honorary Doctorate of Di- Festival for the past two years. vinity Degree from Simmons College of Kentucky, most recently declared the 107th (HBCU) in America. James has received numerous honors, including several YMCA Black Achiever’s Academic Awards and Most Outstand- ing Young Men of America for three years.

48 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2018 Volume 58 Number 6 February 21 - 24, 2018 Louisville, Kentucky

University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo Music in Worship Concert Concert Choir First Baptist Church of Asheville Adult Choir

Since 1979, the Concert Choir has been an artistic and academic forum for the students of the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo (UPRA). Its members perform a repertoire that includes sacred and secular choral works from diﬀ erent historical periods, and Latin Ameri- can and Puerto Rican folk music and popular songs. In 2012 the Choir won Silver and Bronze medals at the World Choir Games in the categories of Sacred Music The Adult Choir of First Baptist Church of Asheville and Folk Music, respectively. In 2013 it appeared at the sings weekly in the church’s worship life and presents World Festival Chorus America Cantat 7, and in April seasonal concerts three to four times a year. The choir’s 2014 it obtained a Silver diploma in the mixed choir cat- repertoire includes the complete spectrum of sacred egory at the International Choir Competition in Riva choral literature. Recent performances include Bach’s del Garda, Italy. Christmas Oratorio, Mendelssohn’s St.Paul, Lauridsen’s Lux Aeterna, Chilcott’s Jazz Mass, and Pärt’s Te Deum. The Joamel González-Soto has been conduc- choir strives to create beauty, meaning, and community tor of the Concert Choir since 2011. He through the unique combination of artistic rigor, spiri- earned a bachelor’s in music education tual vitality, and relational integrity. at the University of Puerto Rico and a master’s in music education from the Clark Sorrells has been the minister of Music Conservatory of Puerto Rico. music at First Baptist Church of Asheville In 2003 he created the Institute of Music and Art of for twenty years. He and associate minis- Puerto Rico, an educational organization dedicated to ter of music, Karen Sorrells, have aspired promoting and developing music education programs. to lead the church into the role of patron Apart from the Concert Choir, González is also the mu- of the arts as a way of serving God and sical director of the Polifonía Coral de Puerto Rico and neighbor. Together they lead eleven choral and instru- the Women’s Choir at the University of Puerto Rico at mental ensembles and the church’s Academy for the Arecibo. Arts. Twenty-four faculty members teach over 250 students private lessons in voice, keyboard, and orchestral instruments. The academy also features “Bach’s Lunch,” a monthly noon-day organ recital featuring organist Tate Addis.

CHORAL JOURNAL January 2018 Volume 58 Number 6 49 2018 ACDA Southern Region Conference SSpecialpecial EventsEvents

St. Philip’s Church Second Presbyterian Church of Charleston, South Carolina of Louisville, Kentucky Canterbury Choir Sanctuary Choir

The Canterbury Choir from St. Philip’s Church in Charleston, South Carolina, consists of thirty children The Sanctuary Choir of Second Presbyterian Church ages nine through eighteen. The Canterbury Choir’s has a legacy of presenting the fi nest in church choral primary mission is to lead the worship of St. Philip’s music in Louisville, Kentucky. The Sanctuary Choir has Church, bringing people of all ages to Christ through distinguished itself in presenting classical and contem- singing. The choir has toured extensively in Europe, per- porary traditional choral works. The Sanctuary Choir forming in the International Children’s Choir Festival in regularly performs as part of Second Presbyterian Canterbury and London six times since 2000. The Can- Church’s Concert Series. Recent performances include: terbury Choir performed in the Piccolo Spoleto Festival Mendelssohn’s Elijah (jointly with Central Presbyterian in June 2016. They are thrilled to help lead worship at Church), Britten’s Saint Nicolas and Ceremony Of Carols, this Eccumenical Service. Poulenc’s Gloria, Paul Winter’s Missa Gaia, Handel’s Mes- siah, Durufl e’s Requiem, and Rutter’s Gloria. Paula Roberts Jolene Hethcox has been conducting serves as accompanist and organist for the choir. church choirs for twenty-three years and is in her eleventh year of conducting the Jim Rittenhouse is director of mu- children’s choirs at St. Philip’s Church. sic ministries at Second Presbyterian She holds a bachelor’s from the Univer- Church, Louisville, and has been active sity of Central Florida and a master’s in the choral community of Louisville from the University of Utah, both in piano performance since 1989. He holds the Performer’s and pedagogy. She is currently working on a doctorate Certifi cate/Voice and Master of Church from the Graduate Theological Foundation. Hethcox Music degree in choral conducting from Southern Bap- enjoys teaching the 80+ choristers of St. Philip’s Church tist Theological Seminary. His solo performances as a about Christ through singing beautiful sacred music, baritone have included Britten’s War Requiem with Lou- and she hopes her choir’s music will inspire all the direc- isville Choral Arts Society, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with tors in attendance at this worship service. the Blanche Moyse Chorale (VT), and Messiah with Bourbon Baroque.

50 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2018 Volume 58 Number 6 2018 ACDA Southern Region Conference AAuditioneduditioned ChoirsChoirs

Appalachian State University Coro Vocati University Singers

University Singers is one of six choral ensembles in the Hayes School of Music at Appalachian State University. A select ensemble that performs a repertoire of diverse genres and styles, it has appeared in concert at the North Carolina MEA conference and has performed at two Southern ACDA Region conferences and at the National Coro Vocati is a professional chamber chorus based in ACDA Conference in 2005 (Los Angeles). Additionally, Atlanta, Georgia, performing in its ninth season. Coro the ensemble has provided promotional recordings for Vocati performs concerts throughout the metro Atlanta Hinshaw Music, Inc. Membership in the group is open area featuring a wide variety of music and styles. Singers by audition to all university students, regardless of major. in the choir come from a rich background of experience as university professors, public school teachers, church Stephen M. Hopkins is director of choral musicians, administrators, and even an attorney. Coro activities in the Hayes School of Music at Vocati is called to create music at the highest level of Appalachian State University, a position choral artistry and serves as a master class for singers he has held since 1992. He conducts the and an inspiration for audiences. Chamber Singers and University Singers and teaches choral conducting, choral John Dickson is the founding musical techniques, and choral literature. His previous teaching director of Coro Vocati. He holds the experience includes two years as director of choral ac- Galante Chair for Choral Music at Loui- tivities at West Texas State University in Canyon, Texas, siana State University’s School of Music. and seven years of public school teaching in Tennessee Celebrating his fortieth year as a colle- and Texas. His compositions have been published by giate academician, as director of choral Hinshaw Music, Inc. and Carl Fischer. studies he conducts the A Cappella Choir and supervises the masters and doctoral programs in choral conducting. He and his choirs have been featured at numerous ACDA, TMEA, NCCO, and ABCD conventions for more than thirty years. He is a Visiting Fellow of Wolf- son College, Cambridge, and is the founding director of the C. S. Lewis Oxbridge Choral Institute, a professional chorus serving symposiums in Oxford and Cambridge.

CHORAL JOURNAL January 2018 Volume 58 Number 6 51 2018 ACDA Southern Region Conference AAuditioneduditioned ChoirsChoirs

Etowah High School Freedom High School Elite Women’s Choir Patriot Singers

Formed in 2011, the Etowah High School Elite Wom- en’s Choir has trans- formed into the school’s premier performing ensemble. It comprises students from tenth to twelfth grade who represent the best of Etowah musically, academi- cally, and artistically. They have performed with numer- Patriot Singers is the top auditioned ensemble at Free- ous touring college choirs, professional opera musicians, dom High School in Orlando, Florida. The choir has the rock band Foreigner, and at Turner Field in Atlanta. consistently earned the highest ratings at district and The Elite Women were named Grand Champions of state assessments throughout the school’s history. They the 2016 Southern Invitational at Georgia Southern earned the distinguished honor of Choir of Distinction University. in the state of Florida for fi ve consecutive years. Under the director of Tesfa Wondemagegnehu and Edward William J. Hall currently serves as the Rothmel, Patriot Singers performed at the 2012 Florida chorus director at Etowah High School ACDA Conference. This is the ensemble’s fi rst regional in Woodstock, Georgia. Hall has dedi- conference performance and their fi rst excursion beyond cated over fi fteen years to helping stu- the state of Florida. dents achieve proper vocal production through kinesthetic learning and to the Shannon Lyles is the director of choral authentic experience of music from across the globe. He activities at Freedom High School in has led ensembles for middle and high school choruses, Orlando, Florida. Under her direction, college ensembles, church choirs, community and vol- the choirs at Freedom High School have unteer choirs, opera, musical theatre productions, high consistently earned the highest ratings school orchestras, and band. Hall holds a bachelor’s at district and state assessments, includ- from Georgia Southern University and a master’s from ing several Superior with Distinction awards in district Louisiana State University. level sight-reading and state performances. Lyles is also a four-year member of the Festival Singers of Florida, directed by Kevin Fenton. Lyles received her bachelor’s and master’s from the Florida State University.

52 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2018 Volume 58 Number 6 February 21 - 24, 2018 Louisville, Kentucky

Kentucky Baptist Convention ence, having served at Eastern Kentucky University, Transylvania University, Georgetown College, and in Youth Choir public school systems in Mississippi and Kentucky.

Lafayette High School Madrigal Singers

The Kentucky Baptist Convention Youth Choir began in the summer of 1989 and has ministered to a con- siderable number of churches and community centers throughout the commonwealth through worship experiences and service projects during its twenty-nine-year history. Each winter and spring, students in grades nine The Madrigal Singers compete annually in the Uni- through twelve audition for the Kentucky Baptist Con- versity of Louisville Chamber Choir Competition and vention Youth Choir and return each year through their have won fi rst place ten times. The group twice per- senior year. formed for Kentucky MEA, for the 2010 Southern ACDA Region Conference, and was awarded two silver Michael Ray “Mickey” Ballard serves as as- medals at the World Choir Games in Cincinnati in 2012. sociate pastor of music and worship at The choir won a gold diploma and the mixed youth Central Baptist Church in Paris, Ken- choir category in the Sing ‘N’ Joy International Compe- tucky. Prior to this calling, he was a tition in Louisville in 2014. They will perform at the fi rst member of the vocal/choral faculty at Music for All National Choir Festival in 2018 and will Eastern Kentucky University and the be a demonstration choir for a conductor’s master class ministerial staff at First Baptist Church of Richmond, with Joseph Flummerfelt. Kentucky. With nearly twenty years in the profession, Ballard’s conducting experience includes a variety of Ryan Marsh holds bachelor’s and mas- vocal and instrumental ensembles. He has served as a ter’s degrees from the University of Lou- master class clinician, choral and vocal adjudicator, and isville. He holds National Board Cer- choral clinician in fi ve states. tifi cation in vocal music and has taken doctoral courses at the University of Sue Ellen Ballard serves as choral direc- Kentucky. Marsh is in his fi fteenth year tor at Bourbon County Middle School as director of choirs, also teaching AP music theory and and organist at Central Baptist Church music technology. He was an elected state offi ce member in Paris, Kentucky. In addition to her for KMEA, coordinating all-state choirs from 2009 to role as co-conductor of the Kentucky 2010. Marsh serves on the ENVOY committee for the Baptist Convention Youth Choir, Ballard Music for All National Choir Festival. His choirs have also conducts the KBC Women’s Chorale. She received appeared at KMEA and ACDA conferences. a doctorate from the University of Kentucky. She has twenty-fi ve years of teaching and conducting experi-

CHORAL JOURNAL January 2018 Volume 58 Number 6 53 2018 ACDA Southern Region Conference AAuditioneduditioned ChoirsChoirs

Martin County High School Middle Tennessee State University OPUS 2018 Women's Chorus Women's Chorale

The OPUS 2018 Women’s Chorale is an auditioned, public high school women’s chorus from Martin County The MTSU Women’s Chorale provides female stu- High School in Stuart, Florida. This ensemble consists dents from across the university with an opportunity of women in the top, auditioned chorus grades nine to sing. Although half of the singers are music majors, through twelve. Students within this ensemble are ex- the other half represent many ﬁ elds of study, including pected to demonstrate a high level of musicianship skills psychology, theatre, and aerospace. An unauditioned and vocal ability. This ensemble consistently receives su- ensemble, the Chorale performs at least two concerts perior ratings at district, state, and national music per- each semester, and its repertoire includes a variety of formance assessments. They have consistently earned styles from Baroque to Broadway. In the spring of 2017 the Superior with Distinction rating at the Florida State they collaborated with musicians from MTSU’s Center Music Performance Assessment. In 2016 they performed for Chinese Music and Culture. The Chorale has per- as a mixed ensemble for the Florida ACDA conference. formed for Tennessee MEA, the Nashville chapter of AGO, and for the state holocaust memorial observance. Shane Thomas is in his fourth year as This is their ﬁ rst appearance at an ACDA conference. director of choral activities at Martin County High School. Choirs under his Angela Tipps conducts the MTSU Wom- direction have consistently earned the en’s Chorale, teaches basic and choral highest ratings at district, state, and na- conducting, and oversees the univer- tional music performance assessments. sity’s music appreciation courses. She Over the last three years, choirs under his direction have is a past president of Tennessee ACDA been named Choir of Distinction by the FVA State Mu- and served as the state R&R chair for sic Performance Assessment. He is active as the FVA women’s choirs and state membership chair. Tipps is District 13 chairmen and secretary for Florida ACDA. the founding musical director of the Nashville Cham- Thomas received degrees in music education and cho- ber Singers, an auditioned ensemble that performs ral conducting from Stetson University and Westminster unaccompanied choral music. She is the organist and Choir College. director of music at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Mur- freesboro, Tennessee, where she conducts the adult and youth choirs and oversees the children’s choir.

54 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2018 Volume 58 Number 6 February 21 - 24, 2018 Louisville, Kentucky

Pizitz Middle School Samford University Girls' Choir A cappella Choir

The Pizitz Middle School Girls’ Choir was founded in 1999. Its purpose was to oﬀ er a more challenging musical atmosphere for girls at Pizitz who wanted more opportunities to learn and perform choral music. This seventy-member choir consists of both seventh- and eighth-grade girls who are selected through an audition Samford University’s A Cappella Choir was founded process based on vocal skills, sight-reading, ear training, in 1939. For the past seven years, the choir’s campus per- and musicianship. The Girls’ Choir has performed in St. formances have been centered around a monthly service John’s Cathedral and St. Paul’s Cathedral in New York of Vespers, a worship event that formally combines the City, The National Cathedral in Washington D. C., and university’s sacred spaces and Christian mission. The for in festivals in Nashville, Gatlinburg, Orlando, and choir frequently competes in international competitions, Atlanta. including the 2014 Ave Verum competition (Baden, Aus- tria) and the Florilége Vocal de Tours (Tours, France, Brent Coleman is in his twenty-fourth in 2012, 2014). In May 2016 the choir toured Latvia, year as the choral director of Pizitz Mid- Lithuania, and Estonia in a trip that included participa- dle School in Vestavia Hills, where over tion in the international choir festival Šiauliai Cantat, 300 students currently participate in the winning top scores in every category entered, the prize choral program. He received his bache- of the audience, and the Grand Prix. lor’s from Auburn University. Coleman’s choirs have consistently been awarded superior ratings Philip L. Copeland is professor of mu- at district, state, and national festivals. The Pizitz Girls’ sic and director of choral activities at Choir was selected to perform at the 2016 Southern Samford University. Choirs under his ACDA Region Conference and for the Alabama MEA direction have distinguished themselves Conference in 2001 and 2005. on the national and international stage, winning signiﬁ cant awards in seven international competitions and performing concerts in three region conferences of ACDA and two gatherings of the NCCO. He is also director of music at South Highland Presbyterian Church and conductor of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra Chorus.

CHORAL JOURNAL January 2018 Volume 58 Number 6 55 2018 ACDA Southern Region Conference AAuditioneduditioned ChoirsChoirs

Sequoyah High School Shenandoah Valley Singers Women Children's Choir

Sequoyah Singers Women is the most advanced choral ensemble at Sequoyah High School, located in Can- Now in its twenty-sixth year, the Shenandoah Valley ton, Georgia. Singers Women performed at the 2015 Children’s Choir of Harrisonburg, Virginia, includes GMEA Convention in Athens, Georgia. Students in more than 170 youth in three music classes and three the choir are regularly selected for GA all-state chorus, performing choirs under the leadership of artistic di- reading chorus, and the Governor’s Honors Program rector Janet M. Hostetter. Founded by Julia J. White, in voice. Many students come into the choral program SVCC continues to impress audiences worldwide with with no previous choral or vocal training. The Sequoyah its high standards for musicianship training and artistic Singers Women have received superior ratings at evalua- presentations. The beauty and reputation of SVCC has tions, festivals, and competitions in Georgia and around aﬀ orded Concert Choir the honor of performing for the United States. Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, President and Mrs. Clinton, and former President Carter. Most re- Josh Markham is the choral director at cently, SVCC choristers have participated in music video Sequoyah High School. He holds de- projects both in the United States and abroad. grees from Shorter College and the Uni- versity of Georgia. The Sequoyah Sing- Janet Hostetter, artistic and executive ers Women and Sequoyah Men’s Chorus director for the Shenandoah Valley have both been featured at GMEA con- Children’s Choir, is a doctoral student ventions. In the past four years the Sequoyah Boys at James Madison University, where her Quartet has won back-to-back state championships and research focus involves collaboration two state runner-up ﬁ nishes at the GHSA State Literary with acclaimed international children’s Meet. Markham has presented interest sessions at both choirs. She received her master’s in choral conducting GMEA and Southern ACDA Region conferences. He from James Madison University and her bachelor’s from serves as an AP Reader in music theory for the College Eastern Mennonite University. Hostetter serves as con- Board and as a rater for the Praxis Music Exam for ETS. ductor, professor, clinician, guest lecturer, honor choir director, music educator, and church musician.

56 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2018 Volume 58 Number 6 February 21 - 24, 2018 Louisville, Kentucky

South Warren Middle School Taylor Festival Choir Mixed Choir

The Taylor Festival Choir (TFC) is a semi-profession- The South Warren Middle School Mixed Choir com- al chamber choir based in Charleston, SC, whose roster prises seventh- and eighth-grade students from the Rich is drawn from across the United States. Founded and Pond area of Bowling Green, Kentucky. The SWMS conducted by Robert Taylor, TFC is inspired by the life choirs have received consistent distinguished ratings at of Bob Taylor, the conductor’s late father and a noted district choral assessment. The SWMS Treble Choir choral musician and pedagogue. Established in 2001, was selected to perform at the 2015 Kentucky MENC TFC has performed in prestigious venues and festivals Conference, and SWMS choir students participate regu- throughout the United States, Ireland, and the U.K. larly in KMEA all-state choirs, Kentucky ACDA all-state TFC has recorded with Delos Recordings, MSR Clas- choirs, and honor choirs. The SWMS Mixed Choir per- sics, and Centaur Records, and serves as the professional forms for community groups, various events, and local choir-in-residence at the College of Charleston. schools. Robert Taylor is the founding director of Grant Calvert is the director of the South the Taylor Festival Choir, the director of Warren Middle School Mixed Choir. choral activities at the College of Charles- Calvert received his bachelor’s and mas- ton, and the director of the Charleston ter’s degrees from Western Kentucky Symphony Orchestra Chorus. Taylor’s University. In 2017 he received Third choirs have performed throughout the District Middle School Teacher of the United States and Europe, and have been featured in Year and Campbellsville University Middle School multiple performances at ACDA, NCCO, and AGO Teacher of the Year for Warren County. Calvert was conferences. Taylor has recorded multiple acclaimed elected president of the Third District Kentucky Mu- CDs and has served as a clinician and guest conductor sic Educators for 2017-2018. He lives in Bowling Green, throughout the United States and Ireland. Taylor is the Kentucky, with his wife Courtney Calvert, and their two recipient of the Piccolo Spoleto Lifetime Achievement children, Emma and Elliott. Award.

CHORAL JOURNAL January 2018 Volume 58 Number 6 57 2018 ACDA Southern Region Conference AAuditioneduditioned ChoirsChoirs

University High School The University of Georgia Concert Choir UGA Hodgson Singers

The international award-winning UGA Hodgson Singers serves as the premiere ambassadorial choral en- The University High School Concert Choir is an au- semble of the Hugh Hodgson School of Music at the ditioned mixed ensemble. The choir’s most recent ac- University of Georgia. The choir has performed by invi- colades are its inclusion into the 2016 Florida Vocal As- tation for Southern ACDA Region, Georgia MEA, and sociation’s (FVA) Choirs of Distinction, its selection as a in concert with The Kings Singers, with whom it has 2016 Disney’s Candlelight Honor Choir, and its invita- co-commissioned a new choral work by Nico Muhly. In tion to perform at the 2017 FMEA President’s Concert. 2014 it was the Grand Prix winner at The International The choir earns Superior ratings at District and State Choral Competition Ave Verum in Baden, Austria. The Music Performance Assessments, and its members have choir released its ﬁ rst internationally distributed record- earned seats in ACDA Honor Choirs, FVA All-State En- ing, Grace Immaculate: Prayers and Love Songs, on the Gothic sembles, and All-County Choirs. Records label in June 2017.

Yelitza Greene is the director of choral Daniel Bara is the John D. Boyd UGA activities at University High School, Or- Foundation Professor of Choral Mu- lando. She received her bachelor’s from sic and the director of choral activities Nyack College, NY, and her master’s at the Hugh Hodgson School of Mu- from the University of Central Florida. sic at the University of Georgia. There She has conducted China’s Sias Inter- he oversees seven university choral en- national University Women’s Choir and has served on sembles and the graduate choral conducting program. All-County Choir Committees and as FVA District-8 His choirs have performed by juried invitation for state, Scholarship Chair. She is a mentor to student interns regional, and national conventions of ACDA, MENC, and new teachers. and IMC. Bara holds a doctorate in conducting from the Eastman School of Music, organ and conducting de- Jay Dunn is the associate choral director grees from the University of Michigan, and is a graduate at UHS. He earned both his bachelor’s of Interlochen Arts Academy. and master’s from the Florida State Uni- versity. Dunn is an FMEA Emerging Leader who has served as FVA District-8 Chair and session clinician. He is the current FMEA Clinics Chair.

58 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2018 Volume 58 Number 6 February 21 - 24, 2018 Louisville, Kentucky

University of Kentucky Western Kentucky University Men’s Chorus Chorale

The University of Kentucky Men’s Chorus is an eighty-fi ve-voice ensemble begun in the fall of 2002. Primarily an undergraduate ensemble and represent- Rehearsing twice weekly and touring frequently, the ma- ing numerous majors on campus, the Western Kentucky jority of the members are non-music majors. The UK University Chorale seeks to build community through Men’s Chorus performed at National ACDA Confer- the diligent and earnest pursuit of artistic expression, ences in Salt Lake City (2015) and Chicago (2013). They with an emphasis on exploring human-to-human con- were featured at Southern ACDA Region Conferences nections. We affi rm the power of the human voice in Winston-Salem (2012) and Louisville (2008). The raised individually and as an ensemble to have mean- group performed at NCCO National Conventions in ingful, communicative power. The WKU Chorale has Charleston, SC (2013), and San Antonio (2006). They performed several times for state MENC. This is their also appeared at the 2010 and 2016 Intercollegiate Male fi rst appearance at an ACDA conference. In addition to Choruses National Seminars. annual regional tours, the ensemble has traveled to Italy, Spain, and Costa Rica. Jeff erson Johnson is the conductor of this choir. His pho- to and bio are on page 66. Paul Hondorp, director of choral activities at Western Kentucky University, is grateful that the muse plucked him from the corporate world in the early nineties. The ACDA CAREER CENTER Hondorp has presented/guest conduct- acda.careerwebsite.com ed in numerous states and internationally most recently through ACDA’s International Con- ductors Exchange Program to Costa Rica in October 2017. He served as Kentucky ACDA president and is a member of the Dallas-based professional ensemble Vox Humana. His textbook/CD for choral methods and conducting classes, Choral Error Detection: Exercises for De- veloping Musicianship (Carl Fischer, 2015), is in its second printing. Your next choral career opportunity could be closer than you think.

CHORAL JOURNAL January 2018 Volume 58 Number 6 59 2018 ACDA Southern Region Conference AAuditioneduditioned ChoirsChoirs

Western Middle School for the Arts ity choral and solo literature from all time periods and genres. Emphasis is placed on the growth of the individ- Advanced Mixed Choir ual students as musician and singer, thus ensuring every member of the choir is learning, growing, and singing at their highest level. The choir performs in three formal concerts per year, and many students participate in solo and ensemble and various honor choirs.

Katie Cook is in her sixth year as the choral director at Western Middle School for the Arts. Under Cook’s direction, the choirs at WMSFA have consistently received Distinguished ratings at KMEA Large Ensemble Assessment, and they The Western Middle School for the Arts Advanced were invited to perform at the 2014 and 2017 KMEA Choir is made up of seventh- and eighth-grade Vocal State conferences. Cook holds a bachelor’s and master’s Music Majors. The Vocal Music Department is dedi- from the University of Kentucky. cated to providing the students with access to high-qual-

2018 ACDA Southern Region Conference IInterestnterest SSessionsessions

The ABC’s of portunities will be included among cappella Education Association. She Pop A Cappella the topics discussed during this ses- travels each year to South Africa, sion. where she has worked with a team Due to the popularity of Pitch to establish Service-Learning part- Perfect, The Sing-Off , and Pentatonix, Carol Joy Sparkman nerships for continuing education in Pop A Cappella has become a rising is in her fourth year choral music. trend. These ensembles off er many as director of cho- of the same challenges presented in ral music at Clin- LaDona Tyson is in traditional choral music while mak- ton High School in her tenth year as cho- ing the choral art more attractive Clinton, Mississippi, ral director at Pearl to hesitant budding musicians. This where she directs four choirs and two River Community session will off er information to cho- contemporary a cappella ensembles. College, where she ral directors who desire to add Pop She is a member of the MS ACDA directs PRCC Sing- A Cappella ensembles to their pro- Board, where she has served as R&R ers chamber choir, RiverRoad pop gram or are searching for additional Chair for Vocal Jazz, Membership, choir, and The Voices pop a cappella resources for existing ensembles. and is currently Contemporary and group. Tyson is also the assistant di- The audition process, fi nding better Commercial. She is also the Missis- rector of the Brownstone Center for arrangements, and competition op- sippi board representative for the A the Arts. She holds a bachelor’s from

60 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2018 Volume 58 Number 6 February 21 - 24, 2018 Louisville, Kentucky

William Carey College, a master’s ducted into this society by NAfME An Introduction to ACDA's from the University of Southern in Washington D.C. Service-Learning Initiative Mississippi, and is currently pursuing a doctorate at Southern Miss. Matthew L. Garrett At the national level, ACDA is ac- She serves as the Two-Year College is associate profes- tively developing outreach initiatives R&R Chair for the Southern ACDA sor of music educa- to deepen our connections with di- Region. tion and director of verse communities and better equip choirs and coordina- the next generation of choral director of undergraduate tors to serve in settings that may be Access Strategies studies in music at Case Western Re- outside their previous experience. serve University in Cleveland, Ohio. ChorTransform is a service-learning for Creating an Before joining the CWRU faculty, initiative that was piloted at the Uni- Inclusive Choral Ensemble he was a music educator in Central versity of South Carolina, beginning Florida and Southeast Massachu- in the fall of 2016. This session will This session will present develop- setts public schools. Garrett is an be facilitated by Alicia W. Walker, mental strategies that support access active clinician/conductor and has past president of Southern Region for all people who want to join a worked with choruses in six states. and ChorTransform program de- choir. Foundational to this goal is the He has presented at state, national, veloper. It will include information assumption that adding singers who and international music education about starting the program, the ben- need help transitioning into a choir conferences. eﬁ ts and challenges, and suggestions will in no way diminish the perfor- for adapting the program to individ- mance success of the group. After Michael Figgers ual situations. Participating students examining three populations, session earned a bachelor’s and teachers will share accounts of participants will learn creative ideas in vocal music from their experiences and answer ques- for working with (1) singers in prison Florida A&M Uni- tions. choirs, (2) transgender singers, and versity and a mas- (3) non-traditional gospel choir sing- ter’s from the Flor- Alicia W. Walker is as- ers. Attendees will leave with ideas ida State University. He has taught sociate director of they can use in the next rehearsal. elementary music, middle school choral studies at the chorus, and high school band in University of South Judy Bowers, profes- the public schools of Florida, prior Carolina, where she sor of choral music to completing a doctorate in choral directs the Univer- education, holds the conducting from FSU. Currently sity Chorus and the USC Men’s Beidenharn chair Figgers serves as the director of Chorus, and teaches undergraduate in music at the Uni- music at Nations Ford Community and graduate courses in conducting versity of Louisiana, Church in Charlotte, NC, and is a and music education. Walker travels Monroe. Prior to this appointment, professor of music education at the each year to South Africa to teach she was on faculty at the Florida University of North Carolina-Char- continuing education for choral di- State University, where she taught lotte. rectors. Walker is past president of undergraduate and graduate courses Southern ACDA Region and is the in choral music and music education founder of Facets, a leadership re- and conducted the Women’s Glee treat for women conductors. Club. In June 2014, Bowers was named a Lowell Mason National Music Education Fellow and was in-

CHORAL JOURNAL January 2018 Volume 58 Number 6 61 2018 ACDA Southern Region Conference IInterestnterest SSessionsessions

Bel Canto Methods port, registration, posture, and use and is currently pursuing a PhD in of vocalization, etc., will be clariﬁ ed. music education at the Florida State in a Choral Setting The Taylor Festival Choir will then University. Garrett has worked with demonstrate how to incorporate Bel- university, church, and community The term Bel-canto is oft applied canto concepts into the rehearsal choirs throughout the country. His and perhaps often misunderstood and how they can have a positive im- compositions are published with G. in both solo vocal and choral music pact on the overall tonal philosophy Schirmer, Walton, Hinshaw, and circles. This session will examine the of the choral musician. others with several recordings of his term “bel-canto,” explore methods music to date. and philosophies that are associated Robert Taylor will be the clinician for with the term, and demonstrate how this session. His photo and bio are they can be used within a choral set- on page 57. ting. What the bel-canto writers ac- The Boy’s Changing Voice: tually say about vocal issues such as Take the High Road vowel purity, placement, breath sup- Beyond Elijah Rock: One of the challenges for music educators is understanding the male The Non-Idiomatic Choral Music adolescent changing voice, especially of Black Composers in the choral setting. Henry Leck has been a long-time advocate of keep- The spirituals and gospel music of ing the boy’s upper voice working black composers are familiar to most while the new voice settles in. While choral conductors as evidenced by teaching in China, he worked with concert programs across the coun- the Shenzhen Middle School Gold- try. However, non-idiomatic choral en Bell Choir. This choir sings treble music is lacking in the repertoire of repertoire but has many boys with many choirs. This session will in- changed or changing voices. We will clude the music of familiar and less- explore and experience how high er-known black composers. Major voice singing can work so eﬀ ectively contributions include anthems, mo- as demonstrated by this choir. tets, part songs, cantatas, oratorios, and other major and minor choral- Henry H. Leck is pro- orchestral works. A variety of music fessor emeritus in appropriate for high school, college/ choral music at But- university, community, professional, ler University and and church choirs will be discussed. is the founder and Conductor Laure- Marques L. A. Gar- ate of the Indianapolis Children’s rett was most re- Choir. Leck has conducted all- cently the director state choirs and festival choirs in of choral activities at nearly every state. He conducted Cheyney University the ACDA National Junior High/ of Pennsylvania. He Middle School Honor Choir in 2003 holds a master’s from the University and the ACDA National Children’s of North Carolina at Greensboro Honor Choir in 2011. Leck received

62 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2018 Volume 58 Number 6 February 21 - 24, 2018 Louisville, Kentucky

his training from the University of Church in Clinton, cisely target vocal skills to increase Wisconsin–Stevens Point, the Uni- MD. She holds de- their singers’ vocal ability by every versity of Colorado, and Indiana grees from the Flor- measure. Unhelpful misconceptions University. ida State University will also be addressed and corrected. and the University Attendees should come prepared to of Missouri-Colum- sing in a group setting. bia. She is a frequent guest clinician, Breaking Social Boundaries and her research interests include David Okerlund is as- through Choir community partnerships and healthy sociate professor of Gospel singing. voice and director of This session explores how choral the graduate vocal experiences can break down social Ryan Luhrs is direc- pedagogy program at barriers. Drawing on research and tor of choral ac- the Florida State Uni- lessons learned from “bridge-build- tivities at Lenoir- versity College of Music. He has per- ing” choral projects in four diff er- Rhyne University formed over 100 operas, symphonic ent states, this session seeks to em- in Hickory, NC. He works, and oratorios with major opera power choir directors interested in holds degrees from houses and symphony orchestra for strengthening their own communi- the Florida State University, Luther the past twenty years in North Amer- ties through singing. Presenters will- Seminary, and Luther College. His ica, Europe, and Asia. Okerlund’s discuss issues related to repertoire research related to the social impact students have won the Metropolitan selection, cultural sensitivity, eff ec- of singing has been published in the Opera National Council Auditions at tive teaching, and singer recruitment Choral Journal and presented at the the district, regional, semi-fi nal, and in this context and provide specifi c Chorus America National Confer- grand fi nal levels and numerous other strategies for overcoming perceived ence and Tallahassee Sacred Music competitions. boundaries related to sheet music, Conference. movement, and cultural appropria- Adam Potter is direction. tor of choral activities Choral Construction: and assistant profes- Brandon Boyd is as- Building Beautiful Voices sor of music at Rob- sistant professor of erts Wesleyan College music education and in the Choral Setting in Rochester, NY. He assistant director of previously held a similar position at choral activities at Co-presented by a university Delta State University in Cleveland, the University of voice professor and a college choral Miss. He holds degrees from Hough- Missouri-Columbia. He holds de- conductor, this session both demysti- ton College and the Florida State Uni- grees from the Florida State Univer- fi es the systematic instruction of vo- versity. sity and Tennessee State University, cal technique and provides specifi c is a published composer, and has strategies and exercises for address- been involved with community part- ing vocal issues. Choral conduc- Considering the Commission: nership programs including senior, tors will be challenged to adopt a prison, middle school, and homeless “conductor as constructor” mental- Interesting Ideas and populations. ity—one that facilitates healthy, free, Intriguing Projects beautiful, and (yes!) growing voices Frances Fonza is director of wor- in choirs of all ages. Participants will Composers Andrea Ramsey and ship and arts at Mt. Ennon Baptist learn to integrate exercises that pre- Tom Shelton share the “ins and

CHORAL JOURNAL January 2018 Volume 58 Number 6 63 2018 ACDA Southern Region Conference IInterestnterest SSessionsessions outs” of their favorite commission- egie Hall and honor choirs through- The Ensemble Trilogy: ing projects, addressing the follow- out the United States. ing topics: what conductors can ex- Conductor, Collaborative Pianist, pect in the process; parameters for a Choir commission; special considerations Creating Safe People: for the commissioning organization; In this session, the clinicians will commissioning fees; instrumenta- Honoring LGBTQ Singers discuss and demonstrate the impor- tion; poetry considerations; and in the Choral Classroom tance of the conductor/accompanist other factors that are of importance partnership and how it aff ects art- for both parties. Each composer will Though they are not always istry, choral rehearsals, and commu- select and discuss four of their favor- openly acknowledged, singers bring nity. Areas of focus include establish- ite or most interesting commission- their gender and sexual identities to ing a relationship of trust between ing projects. Attendees will have an the process of rehearsing, interpret- the conductor/collaborator/choir opportunity to hear each work and ing, and performing choral music. triangle to build a foundation for ul- receive copies of the octavos. While the creation of safe spaces is timate artistry, team-teaching from a vital consideration for LGBTQ behind the stand and at the bench: Andrea Ramsey en- singers, more can be done to explic- what they hear and what they see joys a national pres- itly value, honor, and respect singers’ determine how they sing, and con- ence as a composer, experiences and identities. The clini- ductor needs vs. accompanist needs. conductor, scholar, cian will suggest practical tools for Participants will serve as demonstra- and music educator. how choral conductor-teachers can tion choir. She regularly con- become such people by providing ducts all-state and divisional level research-based fi ndings regarding Robyn Reeves Lana is honor choirs, festival events at Carn- LGBTQ perspectives on repertoire the founder/manag- egie Hall, and serves as a principal selection, analysis, and rehearsal ing artistic director conductor for the Pacifi c Interna- processes. of the Cincinnati tional Young Women’s Choral Fes- Children’s Choir, tival in Eugene, Oregon. As a com- Joshua Palkki serves ensemble-in-resi- poser, she has approximately ninety as assistant profes- dence at the University of Cincin- choral works in publication. sor of vocal/choral nati College-Conservatory of Music. music education at She earned a gold medal in the 2012 Tom T. Shelton, Jr. is California State Uni- World Choir Games, the Ameri- associate professor versity, Long Beach. can Prize for Choral Performance of Sacred Music at He holds degrees from Michigan (2015), and the Chorus America Westminster Choir State University, Northern Arizona ASCAP Award for Adventurous College and the con- University, and Ball State University. Programming (2016). Lana serves ductor and coordina- Palkki was a fi nalist in the graduate on the Chorus America Board and is tor of the Neighborhood Children’s division of the 2011 ACDA National chair of ACDA’s Standing Commit- Choir. He also serves as the director Conducting Competition. His writ- tee for Advocacy and Collaboration. of music for children’s and youth ing appears in several choral and choirs at Princeton United Method- music education journals, including Jan Corrothers is a collaborative ist Church. Shelton currently serves Choral Journal and Journal of Research pianist and organist based in the as the president of ACDA. He has in Music Education. Greater Nashville area, where she conducted choral festivals in Carn- serves as full-time staff accompanist

64 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2018 Volume 58 Number 6 February 21 - 24, 2018 Louisville, Kentucky

for the music depart- tional levels. Ruybalid holds certifi - study and perform. This session will ment of Austin Peay cation in the Kodály approach, Orff - focus on using an oral transmission State University in Schulwerk, and Elementary Level 1 method (teaching without a score) Clarksville, Tennes- certifi cation in Edwin Gordon’s Mu- through the medium of gospel mu- see. In demand as a sic Learning Theory. sic to increase the aural skills of the collaborative pianist, choir and the individual singer. Corrothers performs as accompanist for many choral conventions, work- Get Off the Score with Gospel Jason Thompson is shops, festivals, recitals, and reading an assistant profes- sessions across the United States and Music: Increasing Choral Singers’ sor of music teach- abroad. Aural Skills Using an Oral Tradition ing and learning in the Herberger Insti- Choral singing that begins with tute for Design and Fostering Proper the sounds of the music rather than the Arts at Arizona State University. Vocal Technique in with the notation can be vital to Additionally, he serves as an affi li- choral singing, namely by promot- ate professor in the School of Social the Primary (K-3) Grades ing pitch and rhythm-matching ac- Transformation and affi liate fac- curacy, increasing error detection, ulty with the Center for the Study How do we encourage correct vo- promoting critical listening, and en- of Race and Democracy. The Gos- cal technique in our youngest musi- hancing musicianship skills. Gospel pel Choir that he resurrected in fall cians? This session will explore the music, an example of a music that 2015 grew 273% in its fi rst full aca- musical activities common to the can be experienced aurally, has be- demic year and currently boasts an general music classroom (e.g., sing- come a curriculum staple in many enrollment of more than 120 singing games, play parties, lullabies) choral programs, and the genre’s ers. and look specifi cally at how elemen- popularity makes it appealing to tary music educators can encourage proper singing technique through the use of these activities. Specifi c applications from Kodály, Orff - Schulwerk, and Edwin Gordon’s Music Learning Theory will be discussed. Music Summer Schools Michael Ruybalid is visiting assistant 2018 professor of music Choral Singing School education at the Uni- An intensive residential course for select versity of Maryland, singers looking to develop choral musicianship where he teaches skills within a small choir. courses in elementary general music An additional course, Composing for Choirs, education. He earned his doctorate is run in parallel with the choral singing school, in which students will also receive daily in music education from the Uni- tutorials in choral composition. versity of Oklahoma. Ruybalid has Full information and application details: presented conference sessions and www.conted.ox.ac.uk/choralsummer workshops at the local, state, and na-

CHORAL JOURNAL January 2018 Volume 58 Number 6 65 2018 ACDA Southern Region Conference IInterestnterest SSessionsessions

Growing the Population Help! My Guys Sound Terrible: Introducing the Center for of Male Choral Singers: Quick Solutions to Congregational Song Boys Tell Us How Common Problems If you work in a church or syna- This session will focus on fi nd- This research was inspired by the gogue, one of your primary respon- ings from an analysis of narrative clinician’s own personal struggles sibilities is to spiritually nurture your research about adolescent boys and as a beginning choir director with congregation through music. One choral singing, with specifi c atten- teaching novice male singers. As of the primary ways we do that is tion to three questions: 1) what at- a part of her masters thesis, Jaclyn through choosing and leading con- tracts boys to choral singing, 2) what Johnson created a survey to see if gregational song. This session will deters boys from choral singing, and other directors (in particular, female introduce all of the programs and 3) what are boys’ suggestions for re- high school directors) had experi- resources available through the new- form in choral pedagogy and per- enced similar struggles. During this ly opened Center for Congregation- formance? The goal of the session session, Johnson will briefl y discuss al Song. We are most excited about is to identify common themes in the the survey fi ndings, then will give a showing you our new resource con- narrative literature in order to posi- variety of research-based pedagogi- nection tool that will provide custom tively address one of the most per- cal strategies to common problems results from our database of blogs, vasive problems in our fi eld: the lack dealing with the novice, male voice. books, videos, podcasts, and much of choral participation by adolescent These strategies can also be applied more. boys. to the changing and aged male voices and can benefi t every choral edu- CJ Redden-Liotta Patrick K. Freer is pro- cator from the brand-new teacher to serves as minister of fessor of music at seasoned professional. music at Vienna Bap- Georgia State Uni- tist Church and di- versity. His degrees Jaclyn M. Johnson is rects choral activities are from Westmin- the associate director at Falls Church High ster Choir College of choral activities School in Fairfax County, Virginia. and Teachers College-Columbia at the University of He is the R&R Chair for Music and University. Freer has conducted or Tennessee, Knox- Worship and Lifelong Learning area presented in thirty-nine states and ville, conductor of coordinator for Virginia ACDA. As twenty-three countries, including the Oak Ridge Chorus, and R&R a musician called to ministry, he has conducting the 2018 NW ACDA Chair for Multicultural and Ethnic served churches in seven diff erent Region Youth Honor Choir and the Music for Tennessee ACDA. En- denominations over the past twenty 2014 SW ACDA Region JHS Mixed sembles under her direction have re- years. Redden-Liotta is a graduate Honor Choir. Freer is associate edi- ceived numerous honors, including of the University of North Texas tor of the International Journal of Re- performances at the 2011 ACDA and George Mason University, and search in Choral Singing, past editor of National Conference, 2010 West- currently is a doctoral candidate in Music Educators Journal, and is an edi- ern ACDA Region Conference, and choral conducting at George Mason torial committee member for Update: 2014 Central ACDA Region Confer- University. Applications of Research in Music Edu- ence. In 2014, Johnson represented cation. He is a member of ACDA’s the United States as an International National Standing Committee for Exchange Conductor to China. Research & Publications.

66 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2018 Volume 58 Number 6 February 21 - 24, 2018 Louisville, Kentucky

It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint: Vocal Arts Nash- of The Bahamas’ biggest recording ville. At West End he artists, it’s sure to have the festival Retaining Singers over conducts the seventy- feeling of a traditional Junkanoo! the Long Haul ﬁ ve-voice Chancel Choir on a weekly Sonovia Pierre is se- How do you get the most out of a basis and in concerts nior cultural oﬃ cer choir who is sick of looking at you? of major works with orchestra. He at the Ministry of In every setting we often hit a ceil- oversees a music department that in- Youth, Sports, and ing after a certain amount of time cludes two adult choirs, four choirs Culture in the Com- as their director. Either you’re reus- for children and youth, and two monwealth of The ing the same tricks, they’ve already handbell choirs. He is the winner of Bahamas. As an active participant of heard that story twice, you’ve gone the 2015 American Prize in choral the arts community in The Bahamas, to the well on that anthem too many conducting, and his choirs have per- she is the assistant director of the Bel times, or that warmup isn’t achiev- formed at regional conventions of Canto Singers, a semi-professional ing a tangible result. This session MENC, ACDA, and AGO. group that has most recently toured will address ways to keep singers the major basilicas and cathedrals in engaged through four years of high Eastern Canada. As a performer she school or college and also address Junkanoo! can be seen with Ting um Dem, a multiple years in a community or Exploring Contemporary Choral local Bahamian band, singing tradi- church choir. Feedback, diversifying tional Bahamian hits and favorites. instruction, creating partnerships, Music of the Bahamas creative programming, and personal Christy Lee continues relationships will be discussed. This session explores contem- to lead a diverse ca- porary music of The Bahamas, in- reer as a collabora- Tucker Biddlecombe cluding pop and sacred works, and tive pianist, cham- is director of choral everything in between. Led by one ber musician, vocal activities at Vander- bilt University’s Blair School of Music, where he conducts MusicQuotables.com the Vanderbilt Chorale and Sym- for Choir Directors & Musicians phonic Choir, and serves as director Enjoy fun, clever choral apparel & gift items! of music teacher education. He also serves as director of the Nashville Symphony Chorus, the vocal arm of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. He taught secondary music for ten years in New York and Florida, and his choirs have performed for state and regional conferences of ACDA.

Matthew Phelps is the minister of music at West End United Method- Multiple Colors, All Sizes and Many Fun Messages for CHOIR! ist Church in Nashville, TN, and is See them all online at: MusicQuotables.com the founder and artistic director of

CHORAL JOURNAL January 2018 Volume 58 Number 6 67 2018 ACDA Southern Region Conference IInterestnterest SSessionsessions coach, conductor, and educator. In Mama Maestras: it brings? This session will present May of 2012 she had the pleasure of Building a Conducting Career.... a panel of fi ercely ambitious moms being a translator and vocal coach who aspire to “do it all” and an open for the inaugural United States/ with Kids and honest conversation about what Cuba Choral Summit in Havana, that entails. Cuba, and she was an Executive Building a conducting career Leader for America Cantat 2016 demands time, patience, and a will- Panelists: in The Bahamas. She holds degrees ingness to travel, all of which are in from the Florida State University, short supply for moms. However, Cara Tasher the Cleveland Institute of Music, developing one’s musicianship at University of North Florida and the University of Alabama. She the podium requires fl exibility, em- is the newest faculty member in the pathy, effi ciency, and wisdom, which Coreen Duff y music department of Mississippi are skills that all parents must pos- University of Miami State University. sess. How to reconcile the beauty of motherhood, and all its attendant Kimberly Dunn Adams musical benefi ts, with the challenges Western Michigan University

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68 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2018 Volume 58 Number 6 February 21 - 24, 2018 Louisville, Kentucky

Misty Bermudez, soprano this multicultural country to learn- ees will learn how both visual and Professional Choral Singer ing, teaching, and performing these aural interval identifi cation exercises and Conductor unique works. Participants are asked can be used to train the eyes and ears Miami, FL to sit in voice groups (SATB) and will to read, think, and hear ahead. be joined by choral singers already Deanna Joseph familiar with the repertoire. Partici- Denise Eaton, a thir- Georgia State University pants will receive guidelines on pro- ty-fi ve-year veteran nunciation, tone, movement, and music educator, au- Facilitator: proven methods of teaching (rote thor, and editor, is Kathryn Longo and notation based), while singing known for her inno- Florida International University and dancing through some acces- vative teaching style. sible, representative works of the She has served as adjunct professor Kathryn Kelly Longo tradition in a low-pressure environ- at Sam Houston State University, is the director of cho- ment. both the vocal vice president and ral studies at Florida president of Texas MEA, and the International Uni- Johann Jacob van choral editor at Carl Fischer Music versity, where she Niekerk hails origi- and BriLee Music. Eaton has taught conducts the Concert nally from the Re- over fi fty workshops across the coun- Choir and Women’s Chorus, and public of South try. teaches graduate and undergraduate Africa, where he conducting courses. The FIU Con- completed his un- cert Choir was recently invited to dergraduate studies; directed choirs Then Sings My Soul: perform with the National Sympho- at the K-3, 4-7, and 8-12 level; and ny of Cuba in Havana. Longo holds served as teaching and conduct- Toward a More Dynamic Choral dual bachelor’s degrees in music and ing intern at the Drakensberg Boys Presence in Worship music education from the University Choir School. He currently serves as of Connecticut, a master’s in choral assistant professor of music at Cen- Why are great preachers and ac- conducting from the University of tre College in Danville, Kentucky. tors so compelling and convincing, Oregon, and a doctorate in choral He holds graduate degrees in choral even when they are saying words that conducting from the University of conducting from Temple University someone else wrote? It is because Miami. and the University of Washington. they are believable—their words, vocal tone, and body language are con- gruent and convey the same mes- Sounds the Call to Come Together: Strategies and Tools sage. Psychologist Albert Mehrabian Exploring South African Encouraging Profi cient has called these the three “V’s” of communication: the verbal, the vo- Choral Music Sight Reading cal, and the visual, a dynamic and rhetorical way to convey meaning. Since 1994, South African choral Veteran music educator Denise The purpose of this session is to ex- music has become increasingly pop- Eaton will share her eff ective ap- plore how singers can use rhetoric to ular in choral concerts in the United proach to teaching sight reading. bring a more dynamic choral pres- States. In this interactive session we Eaton’s well-thought-out, systematic ence to worship. Specifi c techniques will explore the rich choral tradi- method gives students tools certain will include: word mapping, text ap- tions of South Africa, from under- to improve their sight-reading skills propriate tone quality, characteriza- standing the context and history of through creative repetition. Attend- tion, and movement dynamics.

CHORAL JOURNAL January 2018 Volume 58 Number 6 69 2018 ACDA Southern Region Conference IInterestnterest SSessionsessions

Charles S. Hausmann The Use of Movement to enhance the learning experience. has served as profes- to Enhance Choral Rehearsal Additional supportive teaching re- sor of choral studies sources will be discussed. at the University of and Performance Houston’s Moores Stefanie Cash is the School of Music since Many believe world music is a director of music ed- 1985, where he has also served as cross-curricular discipline that can ucation at Berry Col- director of choral studies and head expand worldview through exposure lege. She is respon- of the graduate choral conducting to the music and performance prac- sible for teaching program. As former director of the tices of diff erent cultures. Recent methods and tech- Houston Symphony Chorus, Haus- surveys indicate some directors may niques classes, conducting the Berry mann prepared and conducted the be reluctant to program world mu- Women’s Choir, and supervising stu- chorus for more than 800 concerts, sic due to the challenges of teaching dent teachers. Choirs under her di- collaborating with many of the language, concerns over tone pro- rection have performed for KMEA world’s leading conductors. He is duction, and limited time available and GMEA in-service conferences currently director of traditional mu- to teach the music. This session in- and the 2008 Southern ACDA Re- sic at Memorial Drive Presbyterian cludes pedagogically effi cient and gion Conference. Cash received her Church, Houston. healthy ways to teach world music bachelor’s from Morehead State with systematic approaches to lan- University, master’s from the Uni- guage learning, vowel selection to versity of Kentucky, and Ph.D. from aff ect tone color, and movements the Florida State University.

NEXTDIRECTION

A new program to inspire and develop future choral conductors

Collegiate Symposium Joe Miller, headline conductor June 25-27, 2018

High School Conference Edith Copley, headline conductor June 27-30, 2018

Developed by the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association as a state program, the Wisconsin developers and ACDA are opening the event up to a national audience in 2018.

It is being planned as a collaborative sponsorship between ACDA national, regional, and state levels. Stay tuned for more!

To be notified as the event develops, contact the ACDA National Office ([email protected]).

70 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2018 Volume 58 Number 6 2018 ACDA Southern Region Conference HHonoronor CChoirhoir CConductorsonductors

Children’s Middle School/Junior High Tenor/Bass

Anthony Trecek-King is artistic director of Ken Berg graduated from Samford Uni- the Boston Children’s Chorus, where he versity in Birmingham, Alabama. For has established a unique music educa- twenty-eight years he was the direction curriculum that fosters independent tor of choirs and fi ne arts chairman at thinking among young musicians. Trecek- John Carroll Catholic High School in King has earned international acclaim Birmingham. In 2011, he retired from conducting choirs and orchestras throughout Europe, church work to become the fi rst full-time music direc- the Middle East, and the Americas. He has worked with tor of the Birmingham Boys Choir. Berg has served as the National Youth Choirs in Great Britain and mem- a state and Southern ACDA Region offi cer and has also bers of the Schola Cantorum de Venezuela, the Juvenil served on the Training Courses Committee of the Royal Schola Cantorum, and the University Simón Bolívar. He School of Church Music in America. His choirs have earned a bachelor’s from the University of Nebraska at sung at ACDA, OAKE, and MENC state, division, and Omaha and a master’s from the Florida State University. national conferences. His music is published with a large number of publishers.

Middle School/Junior High Treble High School SATB Sandy R. Holland is the founding director of the Young Voices of the Carolinas. Allen Hightower is the director of cho- Before beginning a new program for the ral studies at the University of North greater Charlotte area, Holland was the Texas. At UNT, Hightower serves as artistic director of the Charlotte Chil- conductor of the A Cappella Choir and dren’s Choir for twenty-three seasons. the Grand Chorus and oversees a com- Under her direction, the Charlotte Children’s Choir prehensive choral program that includes gained regional, national, and international recognition seven choral ensembles. Hightower leads the master’s as an outstanding arts organization dedicated to chil- and doctoral programs in choral conducting. Prior to his dren and choral excellence. Before moving to Charlotte appointment at UNT, Hightower was the ﬁ rst holder of in 1991, Holland received her bachelor’s from Pfeiﬀ er the Weston Noble Endowed Chair in Music at Luther College and her master’s from Indiana University. She College, where he served as conductor of the Nordic currently teaches general and choral music at Scholars Choir and artistic director of Christmas at Luther. Hight- Academy and directs children’s choirs at St. John Baptist ower holds degrees from Sam Houston State University, Church. the Eastman School of Music, Baylor University, and a doctorate in conducting from UCLA.

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