ACDA recently named the student chapter at Ithaca College as its 2019 Outstanding Student Chapter. In announcing the award, Dr. David Edmonds, ACDA’s National R&R Chair for Student Activities, stated that Ithaca “continues a strong tradition of musical leadership and innovation and serves as a model of what student chapters can bring to our profession—they are truly doing outstanding work.”
Dr. Janet Galván, the chapter’s faculty advisor, responded “This chapter has been a model of excellence for many years, but in the past few years, they have gone beyond excellent to truly innovative. One example of that is the choral composition competition. Each year, they run a student composition competition that encourages composers in their immediate community. Another innovation is their involvement in producing and self-publishing materials that contribute to the profession. They are in process of beginning a third publication that will deal with repertoire that will diversify the offerings of a choral program.”
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 is given every two years at the time of ACDA’s national conference, and nominations are received from around the country.
This year, the award committee also recognized the student chapter at Texas State University (TSU) with an honorable mention. In announcing this honor, Edmonds noted “The TSU ACDA students have created some incredible momentum and their chapter was well-deserving of this new recognition.”
Edmonds added, “The 2019 ACDA Outstanding Student Chapter Awards are a testament to the tremendous accomplishments of ACDA student members across the country. In examining the materials of this year’s applicants, the review committee members were extremely impressed by the impact that so many student chapters are having on their home campuses, in their local communities, and even on the state and regional level. We as an ACDA member-body should be encouraged by the current landscape of ACDA student chapters and the outstanding work they are contributing to the field.”
The Outstanding Student Chapter Award consists of a plaque that becomes the permanent property of the winning chapter and two monetary awards: $250 to the student chapter and $200 to help defray the expenses of an officer or designated representative of the chapter to attend the national conference and receive the award for the chapter.
Celebrating its sixtieth anniversary this year, American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) is made up of approximately 19,000 members who represent more than 1 million singers across the country. ACDA members conduct and teach a range of choirs, including school and university-based choirs, community choral groups, professional ensembles, and music in worship. ACDA’s mission is to inspire excellence in choral music through education, performance, composition, and advocacy.
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