2010 North Central Division Conference, Minneapolis, MN

Dear North Central Member, 

During the past two weeks you should have received a printed copy of the registration materials for our coming conference in Minneapolis.  I can't begin to tell you how excited I am to finally see this moment arrive!  The past three years of planning will all be worth it if you are able to take home with you a new piece of music for your choir…a new technique…a new concept a tone…a new excitement for our choral art!  Now is the time to register! 

As you look at the registration form, consider signing up for our Immersion Day offering.  This is an amazing opportunity for you to spend a day with the world's leading experts in either vocal jazz or community singing.  The Real Group from Sweden and America's own Alice Parker will share with the Immersion Day participants the secrets of their craft.  Working with these master teachers, and learning the craft so intimately seems like such a great opportunity…but you can also take Immersion Day for credit!!  That should make Wednesday a "must-have" experience for you and many others. 

Wednesday night is International Night with Orchestra Hall concerts featuring The Girls Choir of the Old Town Music House (Tallinn, Estonia) and The Bela Bartok Male Chorus (Pecs, Hungary).  Tickets for this event…AND the Thursday night concert featuring The Real Group are included in your registration fee…you simply cannot miss these performances! 

Folksong Sing America! kicks off Thursday morning and it is going to be a real treat for all of our members.  Almost all of the newly arranged folksongs, spirituals, and hymns are finished.  We will sing together the premier of these brand new arrangements by Z. Randall Stroope, Carol Barnett, Steve Heitzeg, Ben Allaway, Kenneth Kosche, Ben Kornelis, Sunny Link, and Robert Sieving.  The songbooks will be presented with each arrangement and they will travel home with you for use with your own choirs.  The best part…you will have the right to copy all of this music FREE!  Imagine singing a new Stroope arrangement with our colleagues in Orchestra Hall…and then taking it home to teach your choir! 

Reading sessions and concerts will rival national convention programs (in fact six representatives of the National ACDA office have decided to be at our conference in Minneapolis!).  North Central has some of the finest choirs in the world…and many of them are on the program.  Just take a look!  Wow!!  Where else would you have a chance to learn programming, style, staging, tonal concepts, and conducting technique from so many great conductors and their choirs…in such a short amount of time?  You will truly come away inspired!  Just think what this new information and inspiration might bring to your school, community or church choir back home! 

Music in Worship takes center stage in Minneapolis with bookend events.  Music by Heart…paperless song from a soulful planet on Wednesday…and then a conference hymn festival To Everything There is a Season at the beautiful Central Lutheran Church with The National Lutheran Choir on Saturday morning! 

The Friday night featured event is going to be unforgettable…Craig Hella Johnson...Magnum Chorum…The Singers-Minnesota Choral Artists…The St. Olaf Orchestra.  The program includes the highly acclaimed Ratcliff oratorio Ode To Common Things and the Lauridsen Lux Aeterna.  This is a must-hear event and a jewel of the conference program. 

Oh…and we must not forget to mention the five exciting division honor choirs…Howard Goodall the national ambassador for singing in the United Kingdom, and of course…Erik Whitacre! 

I know I may be a little biased…but this program adds up to be one of the most significant conferences in recent history.  I can't wait to experience it with you!  But you need to register now.  You will find everything you need at www.acda.org or www.ncacda.org will link you back to the same place.  At the time of this writing, we had about 1,400 room nights already sold at the Hilton.  Be sure to make your hotel reservation right away.  You will find information on housing at the same websites. 

Tell your friends…bring them along…this will be a landmark conference in one of America's great cities…Minneapolis 2010…A Community That Sings! 

See you in March, 

Kevin Meidl, President

HOTEL RESERVATIONS
Conference attendees are responsible for making room reservations directly with the hotel of their choice. ACDA has secured special conference room rates at ONLY the hotel listed below. Make your reservation by January 14, 2010 in order to secure these special rates. All rooms are subject to applicable state and local taxes. Book your room with The Hilton Minneapolis, 1001 Marquette Avenue, by calling 612-376-1000 or 800-HILTONS, or go online at http://www.minneapolis.hilton.com/, and click on “Special Accounts.” You must ask for (or type in) the Group/Conference
Code “CDA” to be included in our reserved room block and receive a special reduced rate for ACDA members. Make your reservation early as our block has a limited number of guest rooms available.
Hilton Minneapolis

1001 Marquette Ave South
(612) 376-1000
Single or Double $139
Executive Level $169
Triple or Quad $139
Executive Level $179
Self-Park: $13 per day    Valet Parking: $23 per day

Honor Choirs 

Eugene Rogers (junior high/middle school)

Elaine Quilichini (5th & 6th grade elementary)

Robert Ward (high school men)

Josephine Lee (high school women)

The North Central American Choral Directors Association Division Convention will be an amazing opportunity for all who love our art to share singing in new and unique ways.  March 3-6, 2010 at the lovely Minneapolis Hilton with all major concert performances taking place at Orchestra Hall this convention is not to be missed.

Don't miss the North Central Division Conference March 3-6, 2010

NORTH CENTRAL CONFERENCE BROCHURE (pdf)

For more information visit the North Central Division's web site.