Terre Johnson Named New ACDA Chair for Music in Worship

The American Choral Directors Association is pleased to announce Dr. Terre Johnson’s appointment to the position of ACDA’s National Chair for Music in Worship leadership. ACDA’s structure focuses on specific areas of choral concentration and administration, repertoire, and standards, and Music in Worship is one of these important areas. ACDA’s Executive Committee reviewed a large and strong pool of candidates for this critical position. Dr. Johnson’s vision for choral music in the area of Music in Worship led to the enthusiastic decision to tap his leadership for ACDA.

Terre holds degrees in choral music education from Troy University, Auburn University, and Florida State University. He lives in Birmingham, Alabama, where he serves as Minister of Music at the Vestavia Hills Baptist Church. He is also Associate Conductor at Midamerica Productions in New York, for whom he conducts rehearsals across the country preparing choruses for performances conducted by John Rutter in Carnegie Hall.

In Dr. Johnson’s vision statement for this position he said, "The primary jobs of the National Repertoire & Standards Chair in Music in Worship should be to elevate the role and excellence of choral music in worship in such a way that choral music becomes more and more indispensable to every congregation, and to elevate the services offered to congregational musicians by ACDA in such a way that the organization remains an indispensable resource for them."

Beginning at age 16 he has consistently served as either a volunteer, part-time or full-time church musician. His church choirs have performed in national and international tours, as well as meetings of the American Choral Directors Association, while keeping focused on their weekly responsibility for worship leadership. His essays on the role of the arts in society and worship are widely read in his blog, Music Meanings, at www.musicmeanings-terre.blogspot.com