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(An excerpt from the Choral Journal article, “Daniel Pinkham’s Music for Treble Chorus,” by James McCray.)          For more than thirty years, Daniel Pinkham (b. 1923) has been one of the most frequently performed American composers of choral music.  Throughout his distinguished career, Pinkham has provided engaging, practical music for treble voices. Often the […]

(An excerpt from the Choral Journal article, “Tonal Unity in Berlioz’s Requiem," by David Janower.)          Berlioz's Requiem is often thought of only as a work of gigantic proportions, with impressive, even bombastic effects that require a large number of performers and are guaranteed to raise the audience out of their seats. The four […]

(An excerpt from the Choral Journal article, “Conference Notes” discussing what was planned for the 1960 ACDA National Conference, which took place exactly 53 years ago this week.)          The beautiful Renaissance Room in the Ambassador Hotel in world-famed Atlantic City will be the setting for the 1960 American Choral Directors Association national conference, […]

(An excerpt from the Choral Journal article, “William Walton’s Choral Style: A Birthday Offering,” by Kenneth Fulton.)          This March [1982], William Walton will celebrate his eightieth birthday. Those eighty years have provided the world with music of consistently high quality, secure in its philosophy of creation and uniformly dedicated to music as an […]

While watching football with a buddy, we looked at each other in disgust over some less-than-stellar play and blurted out in unison, “Fundamentals.”  The team we were watching had apparently forgotten such basics as blocking, tackling, and tucking the ball.   In his article, “Turn! Turn! Turn! To Everything There is a Season” (Central Division […]

Ever ponder how you came to be a choral conductor?   A week from right now, thousands of choral directors will be enjoying the incredible artistry on display at the 2013 ACDA National Conference.  At some point during one of the brilliant concerts, someone will ponder in the depths of their heart just how fortunate […]

(An excerpt from the Choral Journal article, “Money, Motels, Music, and More: A Conference Primer.”)   Cutting Costs        Obviously, the biggest expenses are travel and housing. How can you cut costs to attend an ACDA conference? Here are some tips: • Sleep four (or more?) to a room. With four bodies in there, you […]

(An excerpt from the Choral Journal article, “Prickly Puzzles and Daunting Dilemmas:  Facing Fate, Fear, and Family – Part 3,” by Sally Schneider.)          I immediately recall conversations and observations of my past ten student teachers, spanning fifteen years of choral music education in urban high schools. What worked and what hadn’t worked for […]

Over 300 published pages spread across several issues of the Choral Journal.  Multiple hundreds of postings on ChoralNet, ACDA’s website, ACDA divisional & state sites, and the Association’s various sundry web properties.  Incalculable numbers of calls, e-mails, and mailings; to say nothing of the unfathomable amount of individual commentary on various social media sites.  Now […]

The mission of the American Choral Directors Association is to inspire excellence in choral music through education, performance, composition, and advocacy.                 Rare is the choral conductor who has not longed to be able to talk with a Mozart, or a Brahms, or a Bach.  As ‘re-creators’ of their music, we would hang on every […]