Songs of (Re)imagining

As ACDA leadership works to expand their umbrella of belonging, it’s necessary for this blog to shift. The goal thus far has been to talk about transitioning into/out (ha) of COVID, understanding how choral professionals have navigated public health and the much-needed equity work being undertaken. Since this blog started last June, ACDA and membership have made changes. The Diversity Initiatives Committee continues to make many good and needed recommendations for growth within our ACDA organization. Our choral colleagues continue to share their work through professional developments and personal conversations. And many, many members have expressed a desire to learn and work within their own communities. In addition, our knowledge of COVID and the path it has taken has changed. Choral professionals are still having to make decisions re: singing and public health, but music making has continued.

While I will continue to talk to choral colleagues and share conversations in this blog, I want to address another need: Repertoire. When I work with choral professionals, one of the central topics I get asked the most about is repertoire, often for specific voicings, specific concepts, or specific themes. And now, as choral professionals are looking to have a more diverse representation of composers, text, and topics, repertoire questions seem to have doubled.  With ADEIB as the continued lens, this blog will be sharing repertoire, composers to check out, and other programming ideas.

I encourage you to review what composers and titles you typically program. Does your programming create belonging within your program, or are voices excluded? 

In the meantime, drop a comment below and let me know some of your favorite composers and repertoire.  What are you looking for as you program? What are you hoping for?