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The American Choral Directors Association is pleased to announce a collaboration with J.W. Pepper that makes the choral literature from all thirteen of the choral reading sessions presented at the 2011 ACDA National Conference in Chicago available to all choral directors. This collaboration has created a resource that allows everyone to see and hear ACDA’s […]

A great idea.  Or is it?  Let me hear from you.    

I've never heard of World Voice Day before, an event created by voice doctors (initially in Brazil) to "raise awareness" of voice disorders. But in this morning's email I got a notice about a free voice screening for professional singers offered by a clinic in New York on this year's "World Voice Day".   The […]

Way to go, Eric – a standing "O" at TED:   Who knows what the sound of one hand clapping is, but a choir of hundreds of singers connected by nothing more than webcams and an internet connection sounds, surprisingly, pretty sublime. Classical composer and conductor Eric Whitacre unveiled a clip from his new virtual […]

I had the most fortunate opportunity to work with the choirs from Brigham Young University this past week.  It was a wonderful, maybe even life-changing, experience.      Ron Staheli easily ranks in the top tier of incredible collegiate choral conductors.  I've known of his outstanding musicianship through his recordings and reputation.  I was astounded, […]

Next week, American Choral Directors will hold our 2011 Biennial National Conference in Chicago. If you are attending, I look forward to seeing you there. If you are not attending, this posting is for you. First of all, there is still time to plan on attending, but that is not my main point. ACDA Conferences […]

Saw this on twitter today:     So what do you think the search for choral composer pulls up in the first search result?   (scroll down for the answer)           How many people would have guessed Dan Forrest?  

Great video – I love the double rainbow and special guest appearance by Antoine Dodson:    

Amelia Nagoski describes the power dynamics in choir in terms of the conductor's demeanor: Calm, assertive energy.  My husband has it in spades.  He is the Choir Whisperer.  He’s chill, but he’s authoritative. …His highly-skilled competence and thoughtful artistry are distilled through channels of calm assertion that make him powerful beyond the typical high school […]

Get a feel for Chicago, home of the 2011 ACDA National Conference: