News and Notices

“Talking Choral Music” YouTube Channel features noted composers, conductors and business leaders in the choral community.

Our guest today is Vladimir Morosan, the Musica Russica publisher that brings us every important choral work in the Russian sacred and secular repertoire including invaluable guides as to how to pronounce the language. He has some fascinating stories to share with us as well as to how he made this music accessible to the world over, overcoming the restrictions still in place near the end of the Soviet empire.

Click the link to take you there:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOjS4nzaLCk&t=2s

Upcoming: December 11:
An interview with composer, teacher and arranger of the gospels, spirituals and moving original music- Rosephanye Powell.

Dr. Lindsay Pope has been named winner of the most recent Julius Herford Dissertation Prize.

Pope’s dissertation, entitled “Beyond the Binary: The Intersection of Gender and Cross-Cultural Identity in Reena Esmail’s Life and Choral Works,” was called by the review committee members “a remarkable story, so needed by musicians and all of society.” They added, “Brilliant treatment of a most complex situation and a great musical talent, poetically written. The music is powerful, and the author’s analysis and discussion of each work was mesmerizing.”

The research was conducted as part of Pope’s 2019 D.M.A. degree earned in choral conducting from the University of North Texas, where she worked under Dr. Allen Hightower, Dr. Richard Sparks, Dr. Rebecca Geoffroy-Schwinden, and Dr. Vivek Virani.

In response to receiving news of her award, Pope noted, “I am so proud of this accomplishment, as I poured my heart into this work and it is affirming to be acknowledged. I am especially grateful that Reena Esmail’s music will be further elevated by this platform and that conversations about cultural difference in choral music may be more thoughtfully considered.”

Winners of the annual Julius Herford Dissertation Prize are determined by the Julius Herford Prize Subcommittee of ACDA’s Research and Publications Standing Committee. The prize is awarded to an outstanding doctoral terminal research project in choral music. Projects are eligible if they are the principal research component of the degree requirements and where degrees were conferred in the year prior to nomination.

The winner of the Julius Herford Dissertation Prize receives a $1,000 cash award and a commemorative plaque.

Virtual concert December 17, 2020 7:30pm

Beethoven 250th anniversary concert LIVE broadcast from St. Johns in the Village, NYC. Featuring selections from Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, Opferlied, and more. Join the Schiller NYC Chorus and alto soloist, Linda Childs, for this extraordinary event . Tickets can be purchased at tix.musae.me/beethoven or sinycchorus.com/events

As you know, there has been a lot of negative talk about the challenges facing musicians during the coronavirus pandemic. I’d like to share with you a positive tale of how a group of professional, London-based musicians have come together to support amateur choirs around the world in the run-up to Christmas. 

“We know that some choirs have managed to keep activities going since march using online platforms such as ZOOM and YouTube,” says Koor founder and CEO, Simon Capet. “But many, perhaps the majority, have not gathered at all since the outbreak of the pandemic. We want to help” 

Koor is a new app that was created at the beginning of March just as COVID-19 was turning the world upside down. “We created Koor with a simple goal; to make individual choir practice fun”, says Simon. With the app, choral singers can learn their parts by engaging with interactive recordings of professional singers.

At the heart of Koor is a collective of professional singers, instrumentalists and conductors. All of whom are painfully aware of how devastating COVID-19 has been on the activities of choirs everywhere. 

“We thought that we could bring some light and inspiration to choral singers during this challenging time by presenting a series of FREE online courses.”

Each course is led by musicians that make up the professional performing element of Koor; hand-picked singers and instrumentalists, many of whom are soloists in their own right: A stellar group of musicians who, under normal circumstances, would be performing with groups such as The Tallis Scholars, Tenebrae, The Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists, The Gabrieli Consort, The Sixteen, the Choir of the Age of Enlightenment and the BBC Singers. Between them, these artists have an immense wealth of experience and they excel in both historical and modern music. 

We’re bringing this incredible knowledge and talent together in our three, exceptional online courses: 

Beethoven’s Mass in C (Nov 11 to Dec 9)

As we come to the end of Beethoven’s 250th anniversary year, we offer an opportunity to learn a dramatic work that deserves to be heard far more frequently.

Handel’s Messiah – (Nov 12 to Dec 10)

For many a choral singer, a Christmas without Messiah is unthinkable! In this course, we explore this perennial favourite in the context of its history and performance. 

Christmas Fantasia – (Nov 16 to Dec 14)

A programme of beautiful Christmas music from the 20th & 21st Centuries with a satisfying balance of the well known and new. A cozy collection of festive music that promises to be as comforting as a mince pie and a glass of eggnog. 

So how do the courses work? 

Simple. Singers just head over to Koor’s youtube channel at https://youtube.com/koorvideos where all workshops are being live-streamed.

And they can get more information on how to access the sheet music for these courses by visiting https://koor.app 

And between workshops, practice with professional singers. 

With Koor, singers can learn their notes by engaging with interactive recordings of professional singers. They can isolate their parts or create a personal mix with the other voices. 

We hope you will join us for this unique experience.

Stay safe. Stay singing!

Tucson’s GRAMMY-nominated ensemble, True Concord Voices & Orchestra, is offering 3 more online video concerts in 2020.

Our Mother Earth program features music of nature from around the globe, including works by Stanford, Lauridsen and Runestad. Additionally, we’re offering a performance of Messiah and our annual holiday program, Lessons & Carols by Candlelight.

Save 25% when you purchase all 3 videos! For more information, visit https://www.trueconcord.org/performances/video-concerts/.  

We are in a time when most of us are thinking carefully about our expenses, including memberships. Our institutions are doing the same. Why is ACDA membership worth your investment?

We’re stronger together. Last March, when so many choirs had to stop gathering and performing in person, and educational institutions quickly moved online, choral directors and singers showed their creativity and generosity of spirit. All of us were helped by the ideas and diversity of expertise that surfaced, in practical ways, but also in inspirational ways. ACDA stepped up then to add resources and help connect members together when we most needed it.

You are investing in sustaining our choral tradition. Your ACDA membership joins your voice with others at a time when arts funding is under scrutiny in every quarter, especially that of choral singing. Your membership is an investment in stewardship for the art. Your dues help support scientific research on singing and the virus, which will help us continue singing in safe ways, at a time with people are turning to music for comfort and support.

You are staying connected with the science and with the art during this challenging times. As a member, you hear first about research-based strategies and practices that choral professionals around the country are finding success with. ACDA’s COVID Response Committee’s report in June brought a clear approach and the best thinking to ways professionals could re-imagine choir and singing during a rapidly changing and uncertain time. ACDA members will continue to hear from musicians, thought leaders, and scientists as we continue to move forward.

There’s a membership category that’s right for you! Our Active membership category gives you full benefits – print Choral Journal, access to all ACDA event registration, and more – for $125 (Iowa and Minnesota state chapters have additional services and infrastructure and have small additional chapter fees). We have a special price for full-time Student members this year – just $5! Our Affiliate membership is only $45, and gives you access to our online benefits, including e-publications.

If you are already an ACDA member, thank you. If you were, but your membership has lapsed, please consider rejoining your colleagues. If you would like to join ACDA, welcome! Visit https://acda.org to sign-in and renew or reactivate your membership, or to join ACDA. Alternately, contact us at (405) 232-8161 or for assistance.

Special bonus: Reactivate or join ACDA in the Active or Affiliate category by November 15 and we’ll mail you a CD of ACDA-commissioned pieces, including compositions by Theron Kirk, Daniel Pinkham, Stephen Paulus, and others. Simply email Sundra Flansburg (), ACDA Director of Membership & Communications, your membership number and and member category.