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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Interest Session

Belting 101: Helping Students Preserve Their Voice in the School Musical

This session will define what belting is, discuss the pedagogical differences between classical and contemporary vocal production, explore stylistic distinctions, address some of the common technical challenges faced by beginning belters, and introduce exercises and strategies for cultivating healthy belting

Kansas City MO.
Erin Guinup



Anthems for All Seasons

A journey through the liturgical year with John Rutter as he explores popular anthems he has written for the various seasons of the Church year and gives some background to his works. You are sure to discover some previously unknown gems in this interesting, informational and educational overview, led by the composer along with Kantorei […]

Kansas City MO.
John Rutter
Joel Rinsema



Alzheimer’s Stories: Music and Memory

Composer Robert S. Cohen and Librettist Herschel Garfein explore the creation of “Alzheimer’s Stories,” published by C.F. Peters, which is a featured work at the 2019 ACDA National Conference. The session will explore the collaborative process that led to the creation of the work and how music has been shown to help restore memory in […]

Kansas City MO.
Robert S. Cohen, Herschel Garfein, Mark Nathanson



When Dreams Take Flight

In February 2016, ACDA’s Fund for Tomorrow awarded Delaware ACDA one of its inaugural grants to shine a light on choirs that effect social change in inner cities.Over the past year and a half, Delaware ACDA, the Choir School of Delaware, and composer Dr. Rollo Dilworth have worked together to commission a new work celebrating […]

Kansas City MO.
Rollo Dilworth, Arreon Harley, David Lockart



What is Really Important?

This session will highlight an octogenarian’s perspective on the choral art in America and share fond memories of ACDA’s first and subsequentnational conventions in Kansas City, Missouri.

Kansas City MO.
Eph Ehly



unCONVENTional: Giving Voice to the Silenced

For choral conductor/educators on the hunt for hidden gems, music by seventeenth-century Italian women presents an untapped gold mine. Convents were hotbeds of musical activity, housing internationally renowned choirs and composers whose beautiful, accessible music has been buried in libraries for centuries. This session will introduce the music written by four of these Italian women […]

Kansas City MO.
Meredith Bowen