American Choral Directors Association

The mission of ACDA is to inspire excellence and nurture lifelong involvement in choral music for everyone through education, performance, composition and advocacy.

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Wall of Honor

Established by the American Choral Directors Association in 2005, the Wall of Honor premiered during the 2005 ACDA National Conference as a large display at the entrance to the main exhibit hall in the Los Angeles Convention Center.

The Wall of Honor celebrates those members of the American Choral Directors Association who have shared their knowledge, skill, and love of the choral art with the world.

Meet the famed conductors and choral leaders immortalized on ACDA’s Wall of Honor.

Wall of Honor Biographies

Selection Committee

  • Committee is appointed biennially by the ACDA Executive Committee.
  • Committee will comprise 3 – 4 members, selected from the ACDA Past Presidents Advisory Council.
  • Committee chair will be the chair of the ACDA Past Presidents Advisory Council (ex officio).

Selection Process

  • Honorees will be selected from a list of deceased members in the past two years (November 1 – October 31) provided to the committee chair upon request by the ACDA membership & communications coordinator. 
  • The Wall of Honor Committee will hold a conference call no later than December of the year prior to the national conference to discuss potential honorees.
  • Using the list of deceased members and the Wall of Honor criteria, the committee will make the decision regarding whom to honor. Traditionally, national past presidents are included on the Wall of Honor.

Criteria for Selection

  1. Candidate must be deceased.
  2. Candidates, with rare exceptions, must have been members of ACDA.
  3. Candidate must have been distinguished in one or more of the following categories:
    • Distinguished conductor
    • Distinguished choral scholar
    • Nationally and/or internationally renowned for work in choral music
    • Distinguished choral educator
    • Distinguished composer of choral music

Notification of induction

  • Notice of selection to be published in Choral Journal on either an annual or biennial basis. Inscriptions will be 100 – 150 words long.
  • Selection will be announced on the Wall of Honor link on the ACDA webpage.
  • The executive director will notify the honorees’ next of kin. 

Display

  • A virtual display will be created on the ACDA website in “Archives” for permanent display.
  • The most recent honorees will receive special recognition with their photograph and biography to be displayed on-site at the national conference on the Wall of Honor photograph display.