Houts Appointed As National Chair for Composition Initiatives

Katie Houts has been appointed as the next National Chair of the Composition Initiatives National Standing Committee. Houts’ term begins July 1.

Meet Katie Houts

Katie Houts is a music educator and composer who specializes in children’s choirs and developing voices. She especially loves helping students build relationships and confidence through choral singing and share important musical messages of hope, welcome, and affirmation. Katie currently lives in Salt Lake City, where she loves to explore the food and arts scene with her husband, Ryan, and their three kids – Ben (18), Annie (15), and Archer (10). 

A Midwest native, Katie graduated from Wartburg College (Waverly, IA) with degrees in Church Music and Religion. She has served as Choristers Guild’s Sacred Choral and Curriculum Editor since 2013, where she is responsible for curating and editing the sacred catalog of publications: choral anthems, musicals, curriculum, and teaching resources. She also serves on the faculty of the Choristers Guild Institute and hosts the Choristers Guild webinar series. Katie has served ELCA, UCC, and UMC congregations in both full-time and part-time roles as Director of Worship and Music, Worship Curator, Organist, and Children’s Choir Director. 

Since 2019, Katie has served on the artistic staff of Rise Up Children’s Choir, Utah’s premier contemporary choir for children ages 6-18. The 2021 and 2022 winner of Utah’s Best of State award for “Best Music Education Organization,” RUCC serves 250 young singers across the Salt Lake Valley and reaches a global audience with over 300K subscribers to their YouTube channel and over 30 million views of their music videos. Katie directs Ignite, RUCC’s training choir for ages 6-13, and is the assistant music director and accompanist for the Children’s Choir, RUCC’s advanced mixed choir for ages 8-18. She also directs the 5th and 6th grade choirs at Wasatch Waldorf Charter School (Holladay, UT). 

Katie is a published composer, professional accompanist and studio musician, and a frequent children’s choir clinician and conference presenter. She currently serves on ACDA’s National Committee for Composition Initiatives, working to support and champion the work of living choral composers. 

ACDA offers our sincere appreciation to Robert Bode, who has served as Chair since 2024. Thank you for your service to composition initiatives and ACDA.