April 30 – May 1, 2026
Chicago, IL (In person and Remote)
Big 10 Conference Center
The American Choral Directors Association is pleased to announce the fifth International Symposium on Research in Choral Singing, a forum for the dissemination of research and scholarly activity. The International Symposium will combine diverse presentational formats and break-out sessions with opportunities for in-depth conversation, inquiry, and consideration of future research directions of all types.
The 2026 Symposium will be held in-person with an additional virtual, synchronous option for those who cannot attend in person. The Symposium will be held April 30 – May 1, 2026, at the Big 10 Conference Center in Chicago, Illinois. More scheduling information will be coming soon.
CALL FOR PROPOSALS: The proposal window has closed.
Registration Options
In-person attendees: $125.00; Student price: $50.00
This also includes lunch provided on-site on Thursday and Friday.
Virtual attendees: $95.00; Conference access provided via Zoom platform. Sessions are only offered synchronously. No recordings will be provided.
Travel and Lodging
The conference will be held at the Big 10 Conference Center located at 5440 Park Place, Rosemont, IL 60018
The conference hotel is the Doubletree by Hilton O’Hare-Rosemont located at 5460 N. River Road, Rosemont, IL 60018. Limited rooms are available in the ACDA block.
CLICK HERE to reserve your hotel room! Deadline for booking at the ACDA price is March 30, 2026.
Flight discounts to Chicago are available from Southwest and United Airlines. CLICK HERE for more information.
Keynote Speaker: Loneka Wilkinson Battiste
Loneka Wilkinson Battiste is an international scholar with over 20 years of experience teaching music in school and community settings. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Education (Music Concentration) from Dillard University, a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Oklahoma, and a Ph. D. in Music Education from Louisiana State University. Her scholarly interests include culturally responsive teaching and Black musical aesthetics. Her work has been published in the Choral Journal, Journal of Historical Research in Music Education, Journal of General Music Education, Proceedings of the International Society for Music Education, and General Music: Dimensions of Practice.
She frequently presents at local, national, and international conferences and symposia. She is also an active clinician who presents workshops on culturally responsive teaching and Black musical aesthetics. She has been a featured clinician for the Texas Music Educators Association conference in San Antonio, Texas, and was the featured mini-conference presenter for the Organization of American Kodály Educators national conference.
Dr. Battiste is dedicated to international engagement with music education. In 2019, she completed a Fulbright Fellowship in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, where she studied music of the Xambá community. She has given speeches and papers in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil; João Pessoa, Paraiba, Brazil; and Crato, Ceára, Brazil. In July 2023, she shared her research on Coco da Xambá at the International Council for Traditional Music Conference in Accra, Ghana. In September 2023, she gave the closing keynote for the Brazilian Music Education Association (ABEM) national conference in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Dr. Battiste was the founding director of the Knoxville Opera Children’s Choir, a position she held until July 2023. She is a member of the Smithsonian Folkways Education Committee and Higher Education Advisor for the Organization of American Kodály Educators. She recently served on the Tennessee Music Education Association Board as the Society for Music Teacher Education Representative and Research Chair. She has also served in various leadership positions in the Society for Ethnomusicology, including Co-Chair of the Education Section, Co-Chair of the Crossroads Section, and Co-Chair of the Gertrude Robinson Network of Scholars.
Conference Schedule
Thursday, April 30
8:30am-Noon: Conference Sessions
Noon-1pm: Lunch
1:00pm-2:00pm: Keynote by Loneka Battiste, University of Houston
2:30pm-5:00pm: Conference Sessions
5:00pm: Conference Happy Hour
Friday, May 1
8:30am-Noon: Conference Sessions & Breakouts
Noon-1pm: Lunch
1:00pm-2:00pm: Breakout Sessions
2:00pm-6:00pm: Conference Sessions
2026 SRCS Steering Committee members
Matthew Garrett – Case Western Reserve University
Jeremy Manternach – University of Iowa
Wendy Moy – Syracuse University
Diego Pinto – Northwestern University
Thomas Rinn – Texas State University
Bridget Sweet – University of Illinois
Justin West – University of Texas
Editorial/Review Board
Rebecca Atkins – University of Georgia (USA)
Cara Bernard – University of Connecticut (USA)
Melissa C. Brunkan – University of Oregon (USA)
Kelly Bylica – Boston University (USA)
Alfonso Jesús Elorriaga Llor – Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain)
Jason Goopy – Edith Cowan University (Australia)
Melissa L. Grady – The University of Kansas (USA)
Rhonda Hackworth – University of Mississippi (USA)
Jamey Kelley – University of North Texas (USA)
Marci L. Major – West Chester University (USA)
Stephen A. Paparo – University of Massachusetts Amherst (USA)
Helmut Schaumberger – Gustav Mahler Private University for Music (Austria)
Antonis Ververis – University of Ioannina (Greece)
Justin J. West – University of Texas at Austin (USA)
Motje Wolf – Editor-Elect and 2026 SRCS Program Chair, De Montfort University (England)
Questions? Contact Bryan Nichols, Symposium Chair, at moc.l1768897800iamg@1768897800adca.1768897800scrji1768897800.
