ACDA News

Verena Anders, Ramon Cardenas, Melanie Stapleton, and Kimberly Waigwa have been appointed to serve two-year terms as new members to the National Diversity Initiatives Standing Committee. Verena Lucía Anders is a performing musician, conductor, composer and music educator born in Berlin, Germany to Chilean and Peruvian parents. She studied music and dance at the Peabody […]

The Outstanding Student Chapter Award was established by the American Choral Directors Association in 1978 as a means for recognizing an ACDA student chapter which, through its activities, best supports the advancement of choral music. The award consists of a $250 cash award to the student chapter, two complimentary national conference registrations for designated representatives […]

Winner of the 2023 Julius Herford Dissertation Prize: Dr. Andrew Major for “Unsettlement Music”: Documentation and Inquiry in the Unaccompanied Choral Works of Ted Hearne” The Julius Herford Dissertation Prize: Each year the Julius Herford Prize Subcommittee accepts nominations for the outstanding doctoral terminal research project in choral music. Projects are eligible if they comprise […]

The Choral Journal is the refereed, international journal of ACDA. Each issue features Each issue features: scholarly articles, anonymously peer-reviewed by the editorial board; editorials from association leadership and the Choral Journal editor; reviews of books, recorded sound, and choral works by choral experts; and columns of practical advice and ideas for choral conductors. Regular column content […]

Jessica Nápoles and Vincent Oakes have been selected by the ACDA National Board to be the two candidates for the 2025 ACDA National President-elect election. The election will be held January 7-January 30, 2025. All ACDA members with voting rights will receive an email ballot to cast your vote. The term for President-elect begins July […]

Cara Bernard, Kelly Bylica, and Rhonda S. Hackworth have been named to the Editorial Board for the International Journal of Research in Choral Singing. Their terms will be January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2030. The International Journal of Research in Choral Singing is a publication of the American Choral Directors Association. This journal welcomes […]

Congratulations to these ACDA members who have been recognized with a 2024 American Prize Award. The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts is the nation’s most comprehensive series of contests in the performing arts. The American Prize is unique in scope and structure, designed to recognize and reward the best performing artists, directors, […]

Alex Canovas and John Muehleisen have been appointed to serve a two-year term on the ACDA National Composition Initiatives Committee. The National Composition Initiatives Committee encourages the creation of quality new music for choruses of all sizes, ages, and abilities by actively supporting the work of living composers. The committee advocates for the composer membership […]

Dr. Charlene Archibeque has been named the 2025 Robert Shaw Choral Award Honoree. The Robert Shaw Choral Award is given to a choral leader who has made unusual contributions to the art of choral music. The recipient is chosen by the ACDA Past Presidents Advisory Council. The Robert Shaw Choral Award is presented during each national conference. […]

Dr. Elizabeth Hern and Dr. Elizabeth Parker have been named as co-editors of the Choral Journal’s Research Report column. They will begin their term on January 1, 2025. The Research Report column in the Choral Journal  is an avenue for sharing recent research reports and translating them to practice for choral musicians. Inclusive of research […]