"WE THE PEOPLE"
EASTERN DIVISION CONFERENCE
Philadelphia, February 2010

Interest Session Titles & Presenters
(Alphabetical by Title)
and
Research Session Titles & Presenters
(Alphabetical by Title)

19th-Century Performance Practice: What Did Brahms Hear?
William Weinert & Deanna Joseph, Eastman School of Music
Assisted by the University of Toronto MacMillan Singers; Doreen Rao, conductor.
Today’s performers imagine that modern ideas about how to perform Romantic music correspond with what the composers themselves would have heard. Recently, restoration of early recordings and research into written sources have revealed a very different picture. A lost tradition of nineteenth-century interpretation is being re-discovered and specific techniques can bring performances of Romantic choral repertoire much closer to the sound-world of Brahms and his contemporaries. This session will introduce these techniques through early recordings, contemporary descriptions of choral interpretation, visual evidence, and demonstration.

Since 1994, William Weinert has served as Professor of Conducting and Director of Choral Activities at the Eastman School of Music, where he conducts ensembles and supervises the masters and doctoral programs in choral conducting. He has also served for three summers as guest professor at the Hochschule für Musik in Freiburg, Germany. He has conducted and taught master classes throughout Europe and the United States, as well as in the Far East. His ensembles have performed at conferences of ACDA, the National Collegiate Choral Organization, and the Music Educators’ National Conference. and he conducted the Collegiate Honor Choir at the 2008 ACDA Eastern Division conference in Hartford, Connecticut.

Deanna L. Joseph has served on the faculties at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Smith College. At UMass, Ms. Joseph led the Chamber Choir, the University Chorale, the Women's Choir, and taught choral conducting. At Smith College, Ms. Joseph led the Smith College Chorus, the Smith Chamber Choir, and the Smith Wind Ensemble. In addition to her academic positions, she was the founder and artistic director of the semi-professional chorus, Hodie, and was the conductor of the South Hadley Chorale. Joseph currently serves on the faculty at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, directing the College Community Chorus, and is a doctoral candidate in choral conducting at the Eastman School of Music.

Accomplishing Your Programmatic Goals: Fundraising in the 21st Century
Gary Ulrich, AGI Fundraising
An economy in turmoil need not be the end of the choral music program! This workshop is designed to help choir directors better understand how to meet the financial needs of their program. Topics will include capital campaign and event and product sales procedures, effective record keeping methods and volunteer assistance solicitation.

Gary Ulrich is a former educator who has taught at elementary, secondary and collegiate levels. An adjudicator for concert, jazz and marching bands, he has also been a clinician for Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey Music Education associations. A charter member of the Association of Fund Raising and Direct Sellers, Ulrich has 30-plus years of fundraising experience with an emphasis on school, youth and booster organizations. He is owner of AGI Fundraising with wife and partner Karen since 1988.

Breathe with Ease! Teaching Effective Breath Management Through Body Mapping
Heather J. Buchanan, Montclair State University
Removing the mystery of effective breathing and developing mastery is possible when singers have correctly mapped the structures and movement of breathing. Body Mapping provides a fast and accurate method for teaching effective breathing to choristers. It is a powerful tool for teaching effective body use so that musicians may maximize technical facility, avoiding pain and injury. This practical session will take participants through the important steps for teaching breathing effectively to singers of all ages.

Heather J. Buchanan is Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Montclair State University, NJ. Since 2005, the 150-voice MSU Chorale has collaborated with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in performances of Verdi’s Requiem, Carmina Burana, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, and The Lord of the Rings Symphony. Recent season highlights for the MSU Singers include the April 2009 premiere of That Music Always Round Me by Tarik O’Regan, performing Meredith Monk’s Ascension Variations at the Guggenheim Museum, and recording Ascension Variations on the ECM label. A certified Andover Educator, Ms. Buchanan specializes in the teaching of Body Mapping for musicians. She is co-editor of the GIA choral series Teaching Music through Performance in Choir and has published three choral octavos in the Evoking Sound Choral Series (GIA).

Building a Vocal Community
Ysaye M. Barnwell, Sweet Honey in the Rock
Dr. Ysaye Barnwell introduces teachers to teaching /learning in the oral tradition. Participants will learn at least four songs in the oral tradition and will utilize their experience to explore methodology, technic and repertoire

Ysaye M. Barnwell studied violin for 15 years and majored in music through high school, then went on to earn degrees in Speech Pathology and in Public Health. For over a decade, Barnwell was a professor at the College of Dentistry at Howard University, after which she administered health programs at Children’s Hospital National Medical Center and at Gallaudet University. She joined Sweet Honey In The Rock® in 1979, where her training as a Sing Language Interpreter facilitated the group’s practice of making concerts accessible to the Deaf. Dr. Barnwell appears as a vocalist and/or instrumentalist on more than thirty recordings with Sweet Honey In The Rock. For the past thirty years, she has spent much of her time working as a master teacher and choral clinician.

Choral Repertoire: The Gateway to Sightsinging
Matthew Swope and Sherlee Glomb, Winter Park High School
Students may view sight-singing skill development as more of an exercise than a means to an artistic end when relegated to a disconnected place within the choral rehearsal. The teaching of those skills must be an integral aspect of the rehearsal. This session will emphasize the importance of employing high-quality literature as a vehicle for developing sight-singing. Using diverse resources and classroom-proven procedures, methods to make sight-singing affordable, applicable, and enjoyable will be shared.

Matthew Swope is the Director of Choral Activities at Winter Park High School and serves on the voice faculty of Rollins College. A native of Pennsylvania, he received an MM in Voice Performance & Pedagogy and graduated Phi Beta Kappa with BA degrees in Music and Classics & Ancient Mediterranean Studies from The Pennsylvania State University. Mr. Swope is an active tenor soloist and performs nationally with the Simon Carrington Chamber Singers and Essence of Joy Alumni Singers. He has presented at conferences of the Florida Music Educators Association and the Classical Association of the Middle West and South. Mr. Swope holds memberships in ACDA, MENC, Florida Music Educators Association, and Pi Kappa Lambda.

Sherlee Glomb teaches choral music at Winter Park High School. She received her MME degree with an emphasis in choral conducting from Florida State University and a BM in piano performance from James Madison University. While teaching in the Fairfax County Public Schools (VA), Ms. Glomb conducted invited performances at the Virginia Music Educators Association annual conference, the White House, and Lee-Fendall House. She has presented at the Florida Music Educators Association annual conference and was recognized as a “Future Leader” of the Virginia Choral Directors Association. Her article, “Leading by Example,” appeared in the December 2003 issue of Teaching Music Magazine. Ms. Glomb is a member of ACDA, MENC, Florida Music Educators Association, and Sigma Alpha Iota.

Commissioning Sven-David Sandström's Messiah
Helmuth Rilling, Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart
In homage to Handel, Swedish composer Sven-David Sandström's new setting of Messiah breathes with the spirit of life itself. Prolific, having written more than 200 works in almost every art-music genre, Sandström has received commissions from the Royal Concertgebouw, BBC, Pierre Boulez, and now, for his Messiah, the OBF and Helmuth Rilling's Internationale Bachakademie. Join with us to learn of this important new commission and to hear excerpted choruses.

Born in Stuttgart, Helmut Rilling is active as a conductor, pedagogue, and an ambassador for the music of J. S. Bach. Inspired by his devotion to Bach, he founded the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart in 1981, dedicated to furthering the composer's music through public concerts, master classes, symposia, and residencies all over the world. As a guest conductor, Mr. Rilling is active on the international podium, performing regularly throughout Europe, US, and Canada. He has a special friendship dating back some 30 years with the Israel Philharmonic, and since 1970 has been the Artistic Director of the Oregon Bach Festival. Hundreds of recordings are a testament to his activity. Rilling was the first musician to record all of Bach's cantatas (Hänssler Classic). He won a coveted Grammy Award in 2000 for his recording of Krzystof Penderecki's Credo and was again nominated in 2001 for his recording of Wolfgang Rihm's Deus Passus.

Conducting Recitative: A Guide for Conductors
Ann Howard Jones & Scott Allen Jarrett, Boston University
This session is designed to help the conductor consider and resolve issues involved in conducting and coaching recitative. The various styles of recitative - secco, accompanied and arioso - will be discussed. Suggestions will be made about duration of continuo notes, the conductor’s role in shaping the recitative, and the accepted performance style. Cadential telescoping, pacing, tempo, and expressive delivery of the text will also be demonstrated. Examples will include the St. John Passion, Messiah, The Creation, and Elijah.

Ann Howard Jones is Professor and Director of Choral Activities at Boston University, where she heads the program in Choral Conducting, conducts the Chamber Chorus and Symphonic choruses and the Tanglewood Institute chorus for high school singers. At Boston University she was awarded the coveted Metcalf Prize for Excellence in Teaching. She is widely acclaimed as a conductor, clinician, lecturer and educator. Most recently, Dr. Jones conducted the world premiere of Argento’s CENOTAPH for the 2009 National ACDA Convention. Recent publications include an article on Voice Training in the Choral Rehearsal for the Choral Journal and the chapter on Score Preparation in Women, Wit and Wisdom for GIA. With Simon Carrington, she is preparing an article on rehearsing for the Cambridge Companion to Choral Music.

Scott Allen Jarrett is the director of music at Boston University’s Marsh Chapel where he holds adjunct faculty posts in both the School of Theology and in the College of Fine Arts. He leads the Chapel Choir and Collegium in weekly services broadcast over the internet and on National Public Radio. In addition to these liturgical responsibilities, the Chapel Choir and Collegium present a yearly concert series, tours, and the Bach cantata series. Jarrett is the music director of the Back Bay Chorale, presenting the great masterworks of the choral and orchestral repertoire. He is also music director of the Oratorio Singers of Charlotte, the resident chorus of the Charlotte Symphony (NC). Dr. Jarrett received his graduate degrees from Boston University and his baccalaureate degree from Furman University.

"Conspirare" in open rehearsal and demonstration
Craig Hella Johnson, conductor
Attendees will view a rehearsal with special guest Conspirare. Conductor Craig Hella Johnson will offer general thoughts and observations about the chamber music sensibilities needed within a choral ensemble and there will be an opportunity for questions and answers.

Conspirare is a dynamic ensemble of professional singers from around the country. Led by renowned conductor Craig Hella Johnson, Conspirare brings together outstanding vocal artistry and great music to inspire passion, sensitivity and playfulness. Conspirare combines the classics with contemporary works, taking the audience on a journey of innovative sound, colorful images and thought- provoking literature. Formed in 1991 as The New Texas Festival, Conspirare began as an annual spring festival, and moved to a year round concert season in 1999. Today, Conspirare is set apart as one of a handful of professional choruses around the country bringing world-class performances to its listeners. The ensemble has garnered rave reviews, Grammy nominations, awards and national recognition for its refined artistry, virtuosity, and expressive singing.

Renowned as one of the most influential voices in choral conducting in the United States, Craig Hella Johnson is the founder and artistic director of the Grammy®-nominated choral ensemble Conspirare. Johnson has assembled some of the finest singers in the country to create a world-class, award winning ensemble committed to creating dynamic choral art. A unique aspect of Johnson's programming is his signature "collage" style: through-composed programs that marry music and poetry, seamlessly blending sacred and secular, classical and contemporary. Johnson has created and conducted collage programs for Conspirare, national ACDA, North Central ACDA, and St. Olaf College. Johnson has been honored with several awards, including the 2005 Margaret Hillis Award, the 2009 Louis Botto Award, both presented by Chorus America, and induction into the Austin Arts Hall of Fame.

Demystifying the Adolescent Choral Student
Bridget Sweet, Bucknell University
This session has been designed to inform and empower teachers working with adolescent singers. Discussion will feature practical techniques for working with this student population, emphasizing teacher awareness of the adolescent ego, the impact of emotional components of the adolescent choral student, and the importance of choral teacher flexibility. Physiological changes that occur during vocal mutation will also be discussed, as well as selecting choral repertoire for changing voices and methods of accommodating voice changes within existing repertoire.

Bridget Sweet is Assistant Professor of Music Education at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA. After completing her bachelor’s degree in Music Education at Western Michigan University, Dr. Sweet enjoyed a successful tenure as a middle school choir teacher for nearly ten years. At Bucknell University, Dr. Sweet teaches Music Education pedagogy, including choral methods and literature; she also coordinates the music student teaching program. Dr. Sweet has worked extensively with adolescent singers as a teacher, clinician, and adjudicator. Her research interests include characteristics of exemplary choral music teachers, teacher education, female and male adolescent voice change, and motivation of adolescent singers.

Diversity in Children's Choirs - Choral Goals We Share
Helen Kemp
Church choirs, school choirs, community choirs, auditioned choirs, "Please come!" choirs, and similar groups. What are the commonalities? What musical, educational, choral, social and cultural goals do we share? What about repertoire? Is there a "one size fits all" formula to assure a standard of excellence? How can we embrace and support each other within this kaleidoscope of diversity? These questions deserve our careful consideration. Let's talk!

Helen Kemp has been training singers, teachers and conductors in the art of choral singing for seven decades. Known internationally as a specialist in the area of training young voices, she has served as guest conductor and clinician in all 50 states and around the world in school, university and church settings. A hallmark of her work is her ability to empower dedicated volunteers to be successful choir directors, and to present techniques so solid and engaging that highly trained professionals continue to learn from her. Helen Kemp's mantra, "Body, Mind, Spirit, Voice: It takes the whole person to sing and rejoice" continues to be used by teachers and conductors for choirs of all ages.

Do You Hear What I Hear?
Facilitator: Thomas Lloyd, Eastern Division Community Choir R&S Chair
Panel:
Children’s Choirs: Debra Mello, Children’s Chorus of Sussex County (NJ)
Community Choirs: Thomas Lloyd, Bucks County Choral Society
Jazz Choirs: Sheryl Monkelien, the Mansfieldians
Men’s Choirs: Scott Tucker, Cornell University Glee Club
Multi-cultural/Ethnic choirs: Ron Johnson
Women’s Choirs: Susan Conkling, Eastman Women’s Chorus

Accuracy of intonation, ensemble, diction, and unity of sound are essential standards of choral excellence. But each type of choir also brings with it distinctive standards of sonority and style based on differences in age, sex, tradition, and repertoire. Panelists will bring three recorded samples of outstanding singing in their R&S category. Can we identify some aspects of choral excellence that cross voices and genres while recognizing others as distinctive to a particular musical style or genre?

Thomas Lloyd is Associate Professor of Music at Haverford College where he is director of the combined choral program for Haverford and Bryn Mawr Colleges. Since 2000 he has also served as the Artistic Director of the Bucks County Choral Society. He has performed as guest conductor with the Riverside Symphonia and the Illinois Opera Theater, as interim music director with the Abington Symphony, the Hamilton College Orchestra, and the Hamilton College Oratorio Society, and is the founding director of the Cornerstone Chorale and Chamber Orchestra in New York City. In addition to his musical performances, Lloyd has written for the Choral Journal. He holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory, Yale School of Music, Yale Divinity School, and a doctorate in conducting from the University of Illinois.

Earthquake, Wind, Fire . . . and a Still Small Voice-Finding a Word in Today's Many Voices
Tim Sharp, ACDA Executive Director
Tim Sharp, national executive director for ACDA, brings his expertise in sacred music to our conference. He will present ideas for helping those who lead individual congregations make sense out of today's multi-cultural, multi-stylistic approach to church music.

Tim Sharp is Executive Director of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), the national professional association for choral conductors, educators, scholars, students, and choral music industry representatives in the United States. Sharp, an active choral conductor and researcher/writer, has varied his career with executive positions in both higher education and publishing and recording.
Tim Sharp holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in conducting from the School of Church Music of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky. He is a Clare Hall Life Fellow at Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK, has studied at the Aspen School of Music, the Harvard NEH Medieval Sacred Music Studies program, and received a Rotary Fellowship for study in Belgium. He came to ACDA from Rhodes College, Memphis, TN, where he was Dean of Fine Arts, conductor of the Rhodes Singers and MasterSingers Chorale, and held the Elizabeth G. Daughdrill Chair in the Fine Arts. Before his appointment at Rhodes, he was Director of Choral Activities at Belmont University, Nashville, TN, where he conducted the Belmont Chorale and Oratorio Chorus.

Effective Advocacy for the Secondary Choral Music Program: Building Support for Your Vision
Kenneth Elpus, Northwestern University
Effective advocacy for music programs in secondary schools will always be a pressing need as school budgets become tighter. But with most advocacy help reduced to cookie-cutter messages focused on band, choir directors can feel overwhelmed and under-served. This session will show choir teachers how to form a strong vision for their programs then recruit and organize a strong parent support group to take on the advocacy role, freeing the director to focus on teaching choral music.

Kenneth Elpus currently holds a University Fellowship in the Center for the Study of Education and the Musical Experience at Northwestern University, where he is completing his doctorate. He earned a BM in choral music education from The College of New Jersey and an MM in music education at Northwestern. Prior to beginning doctoral study, Elpus was the director of choral music at Hopewell Valley Central High School in Pennington, NJ. Under his direction, Hopewell’s choirs collaborated with composer Stephen Hatfield to record and produce the all-Hatfield CD Floating Upstream. Ken’s research interests at Northwestern include music education and public policy, choral music teacher preparation, and the sociology of music education. His writing has been published in the Music Educators Journal and in Arts Education Policy Review.

Empowering Access for Individuals with Special Needs in the Choral Rehearsal
Jennifer S. Haywood, Ithaca College
This session will provide an interactive, music-centered session for choral conductors of all ensembles. Rehearsal strategies for creating inclusive environments for choral musicians with special needs will be addressed. Also included will be video/audio excerpts of inclusive choirs with whom the clinician has gathered research and/or conducted, as examples of choral possibilities. The opportunities to facilitate diverse and empowering rehearsal techniques ultimately benefit not only choral musicians with special needs, but all choral singers.

Jennifer Haywood shares perspectives of her work with choral ensembles of all ages and experiences. Active as a guest conductor at All-state, regional and county levels, she has also presented as a choral clinician at state, division, and international presentations, and has published with the Exeter Music Education Research Journal, among others. Haywood serves as Associate Professor of Music Education at Ithaca College where she mentors undergraduate and graduate conducting and music education courses, and where she conducts the Ithaca College Graduate Concert Choir, the Ithaca College Campus Choral Ensemble, and the Ithaca College Intergenerational Choir. Dr. Haywood also serves as conductor with the Ithaca Children's Choir with whom she currently conducts the Young Men's Chorus and the Choraliers.

Estill Voice Training for Choirs: A Fresh Path to Vocal Health, Flexibility, and Color
Kimberly Steinhauer, Vocal Innovations LLC
Specific tools to increase pitch range, power, and color that transform both amateur and professional choirs will be highlighted in this interactive session. Estill Voice TrainingTM is an innovative language for vocal freedom that integrates pioneering scientific research with artistic performance. Participants will learn select Figures for VoiceTM and apply them to common choral challenges. Succinct Figure Exercises based on anatomy, physiology, and acoustics will be applied to choral repertoire. Biofeedback examples of vocal changes will be demonstrated with VoiceprintTM software.

Kimberly Steinhauer has devoted her entire career to voice. As a singer, she has performed in venues ranging from pop through opera & sacred music. She is soprano soloist and Children’s Choir Director at Mt. Lebanon United Lutheran. As an educator, she has taught in the public school and university setting, including guest conducting honor choirs. She has directed Estill courses internationally since starting her work with Jo Estill in 1985. As a scientist, Kimberly was awarded a $400,000 federal grant through the VA Healthcare System to study voice motor learning in aging singers & speakers. She is adjunct faculty at the University of Pittsburgh, founding partner of Vocal Innovations, editor of The Voice Foundation Newsletter, and has published in peer-reviewed voice publications.

The Expressive Power of Intervals:  A Catalyst for Teaching Inspired Performance
Jameson Marvin, Harvard University
What might inspire our students to perform the seldom-heard gems of our western choral heritage? Perhaps the inherent expressive power of intervals - radiant with moods, feelings, emotions: a catalyst for inspired performance. We begin with hearing perfect and imperfect intervals, how intervals intersect with tuning, balance, and timbre, and why intervallic relationships suggest dynamics, phrasing, articulation, and rubato. We will discuss works by Josquin, Schütz, Bach, Mozart and why the intervals they chose to set texts inspired their compositional vocabulary.

Jameson Marvin is in his 32nd year as Director of Choral Activities, Senior Lecturer on Music at Harvard University. He teaches courses in beginning and advanced Conducting, and conducts the Harvard Glee Club, Radcliffe Choral Society, and H-R Collegium Musicum. Under his direction since 1978, these ensembles have appeared at eight National and ten divisional ACDA Conventions; his ensembles are considered to be among the premier collegiate choruses in America. Marvin’s mastery of the choral art is reflected by his distinguished national reputation as a conductor, teacher, author, scholar, editor, and arranger. Raised in Glendale, California, he received a BA degree UC - Santa Barbara, an MA from Stanford University, and the DMA from the University of Illinois.

From the First Musical Line to a Unique Concert Program: Sharing What We Have Learned in the Conspirare Youth Choirs
Nina Revering & Rick Gabrillo, Conspirare Youth Choirs
This session is based on the idea of taking a song from learning notes to creating an artistic product. Included will be the concept of tone, especially the legato connection of vowel to vowel, what we listen for in our singers, and standing in varied formations.
In addition to a conversation on creative programming, there will be discussion about the practical development of our choir and tips on the pragmatic details of building a children’s choir from scratch.

Nina Revering is the founding director of the Conspirare Youth Choirs, now entering its fifth concert season in Austin, Texas. Her choral music experience began at an early age as a member of the Toronto Children’s Choir. She continued her education at the Toronto Royal Conservatory of Music, Youth Performing Arts School, Boston University, and the New England Conservatory. Nina Revering has performed widely as a soloist and chorister throughout the nation. She has been a member of Conspirare since 1995 and was a soloist in the Grammy-nominated recordings, Requiem and Threshold of Night.

Spanning a career of over 15 years as a choral educator and professional singer, Rick Gabrillo is the Associate Conductor of the Grammy-nominated ensemble, Conspirare. He is also the Associate Conductor for the Conspirare Youth Choirs with Ms. Nina Revering. After attending the New England Conservatory and Boston University, Mr. Gabrillo completed both his degrees in choral music education and choral conducting at The University of Texas at Austin in 1999 with Craig Hella Johnson. He has presented music education workshops and conducted choirs at Texas Music Educators Association and national ACDA conventions.

From Warm-up to Cool Down: Keeping Singers Engaged in Rehearsal
Sharon Paul, University of Oregon
From the moment the warm-up begins to the time singers exit the room, conductors need a wide range of tools to keep singers actively involved in the rehearsal process. This clinic will explore techniques for keeping singers physically and mentally engaged in rehearsal. Strategies for increasing singers’ retention of material between rehearsals will also be examined.

Sharon J. Paul is an Associate Professor of Music, Chair of Vocal and Choral Studies, and Director of Choral Activities at the University of Oregon. She earned a DMA in choral conducting from Stanford University, an MFA in conducting and performance practice from UCLA, and a BA in music from Pomona College. From 1992-2000, Paul served as artistic director and conductor of the San Francisco Girls Chorus (SFGC) which was first youth chorus to win the Margaret Hillis Achievement Award for Choral Excellence, presented by Chorus America in June 2000. She has presented lecture demonstrations at regional, state, division, and national music conferences and appears frequently as adjudicator, clinician, conference headliner, and honor choir director throughout the country.

The Girard Academic Music Program (GAMP): Choral Music in the Philadelphia Public Schools
Presenters: Diane Dannenfelser, William Z. Morrow, Kathleen Flaherty, Christina Bates
Program Founder: Dr. Jack Carr
Assisted by the GAMP Concert Choir
At the Girard Academic Music program (GAMP), a magnet school located in South Philadelphia, students from grades 5 -12 study music theory and participate in ensembles within a rigorous academic environment. All students are vocal majors and sing in a grade-appropriate choir. In this interest session, there will be a performance by the Concert Choir and the GAMP staff will discuss the school’s history, music curriculum and their team teaching approach to the study of choral music.

Diane Dannenfelser began at GAMP in 1981. She conducts the choirs, teaches music theory, and directs many of the musical theatre productions. Mrs. Dannenfelser is a recipient of the 2009 Lindback Teacher of Excellence Award. She did her musical training at Chestnut Hill College (BA) and Temple University (MA). Diane has furthered her musical, theatrical, and religious studies at Westminster Choir College, Villanova University, and St. Charles Seminary. She is also Director of Music at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in South Jersey.

Dr. Jack Carr founded the Girard Academic Music Program (GAMP) in 1974. Over the past thirty-five years the program has grown from 55 students to over 500. In 1985 Dr. Carr was a recipient of the ARCO “Teacher of Excellence” Award. He received his Undergraduate (1970) and Masters (1974) degrees from Temple University. In 1997 he received a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Administration from Immaculata University. In 2000 Dr. Carr was appointed Assistant Principal of the Girard Academic Music Program.

Gospel, Praise & Worship and Inspirational Choral Music: How to Sing It? Where to Share It?
J. Donald Dumpson, Bright Hope Baptist Church & Westminster Choir College of Rider University
This hands-on, fun workshop of soul-stirring Gospel, Praise & Worship and Inspirational Music will provide comprehensive suggestions for techniques, performance practice and repertoire to successfully share this magnificent music. You will leave with information that will encourage and inspire you, your choir members, clergy and congregants. This workshop will be of particular interest to conductors, singers and those involved with ethnic/multicultural choral music in worship, collegiate, high school and other choral settings.

Active as an educator, master keyboardist, conductor, vocal coach, composer and arranger, J. Donald Dumpson is Minister of Music and Arts at Bright Hope Baptist Church. He has served as artistic director and conductor for numerous choirs in the Philadelphia area, and assisted with the choral preparation of the Opera Company of Philadelphia's production of Porgy and Bess. Dumpson is on the music faculty at Westminster Choir College of Rider University where he conducts the Westminster Jubilee Singers. He co-produced the national telecast of Black Entertainment Television's First Annual African-American Sacred Music Festival and also prepared the chorus for the Marian Anderson Award concert. Mr. Dumpson earned an MM from Temple University and is currently enrolled there in the PhD program.

How to Keep Choral Music Alive in a Changing World!
Judy Hanson and Josephine Lee, Chicago Children's Choir
While change is inevitable in any discipline, it can be challenging and a little scary. What does it take to create meaningful choral experiences for singers and audiences in 2010 and in years to come? This session will explore creative and innovative repertoire, movement and staging for enhancing the choral music program to allow for a heightened aesthetic and educational experience for all.

As Director of Choral Programs for the Chicago Children's Choir, Judy Hanson directs training and offers curriculum guidance to the conductors of the In-School and After-School Neighborhood programs. She is the conductor of DiMension, a choir for young men with changing voices, and also serves as Associate Director and choreographer for the Concert Choir. A nationally known clinician, adjudicator and conductor, Ms. Hanson has presented sessions and conducted choirs for ACDA chapters throughout the country. She has also served as the Junior High/Middle School R&S Chair for Illinois ACDA. Judy Hanson holds a BS in Music Education from the University of Illinois and an MM in Music Education from Northwestern University.

Serving as Artistic Director of the Chicago Children's Choir, Josephine Lee is a classically trained pianist, conductor, arranger and producer. Under her direction, the Choir has toured nationally and internationally, received a Chicago/Midwest Emmy Award for the documentary Songs on the Road to Freedom, and has been featured on nationally broadcast performances. Lee received the 2008 3Arts Artist Award and in 2006 was named “Chicagoan of the Year in the Arts” by the Chicago Tribune. She has conducted concerts and master classes in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, South Korea, Thailand, Canada and Japan and has also conducted the Chicago, Lyric Opera, Grant Park and Oregon Symphony orchestras. She received her bachelor’s degree in piano performance from DePaul University and a master’s degree in conducting from Northwestern University.

Jazz Rehearsal Techniques, Stylistic Approaches, and Programmatic Thoughts
Vijay Singh, Central Washington University
This session will focus on stylistic elements of various jazz sub-styles (swing, ballads, Latin, bebop, blues, etc.), rehearsal techniques emphasizing musical integrity, programming considerations, and repertoire.

Vijay Singh is Associate Professor of Music at Central Washington University where he teaches voice, choral arranging, jazz pedagogy, directs the University Chorale, Women's Choir and award-winning CWU Vocal Jazz 1, and oversees the vocal jazz program. His student ensembles at CWU have been honored with invitations to perform at numerous national conferences. A graduate of Willamette University (BME) and Portland State University (MM), he has rapidly gained international attention for his eclectic musical compositions, performances, workshops, and conducting appearances. As a composer, Singh writes for all levels in both classical and jazz idioms and his compositions are available from a number of publishers. He served 4 years as ACDA National R&S Chair for Jazz Choirs and is in demand as a guest conductor of All-State and Honor choirs.

The Jazz Singer: And We Ain't Talkin' Al Jolson
Peter Eldridge, New York Voices
This session provides an interactive look at the stylistic characteristics used in jazz and pop solo singing. Clinician Peter Eldridge, member of the internationally acclaimed New York Voices, will work with student volunteers and demonstrate styles used in pop and jazz singing.

Peter Eldridge continues to draw on his many-faceted talent as he pursues an eclectic mix of activities, including composing, performing, arranging, and recording, as well as teaching on the jazz faculty of Manhattan School of Music. He has released three solo recordings and is a member of the double-Grammy winning New York Voices, which has recorded six studio albums, made numerous guest appearances, and toured internationally for more than a decade. He is also a member of the vocal group Moss, which released its first CD in the spring of 2008. Eldridge continues to perform with his own band in venues all over New York and is regularly asked to lead master classes and workshops around the world, teaching privately at his home when time allows.

Let's Talk: Question/Answer Session with Helmuth Rilling
Moderators: David Fryling, Eastern Division Youth & Student Activities R&S Chair & Robert Duff , Director of the Philadelphia Bach Institute

David Fryling is Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choral Studies at Hofstra University, where he conducts the select Chorale and Chamber Singers, and teaches beginning through graduate-level studies in Choral Conducting and Literature. During his summers, he serves as Vocal Area Coordinator and Conductor of the World Youth Honors Choir and Festival Choir for the acclaimed Interlochen Arts Camp. Recent professional engagements include numerous Area All-State, regional, district, and county honor choir festivals, workshops and adjudications in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Louisiana, Texas, and Utah. He maintains an active career as a professional choral singer in the greater New York Metropolitan area and serves as Eastern Division R&S Chair for Youth and Student Activities.

Robert Duff is the director of the Handel Society of Dartmouth College and the Dartmouth Chamber Singers, and teaches courses in music theory in the Music Department. Duff has served on the faculties of Pomona College, Claremont Graduate University, and Mount St. Mary's College, and as the Director of Music for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He holds degrees in conducting, piano and voice from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Temple University, and the University of Southern California, where he earned a DMA in 2000. An active commissioner of new music, Duff has given several world premieres of works for both orchestral and choral forces. He has served ACDA Eastern Division in leadership positions since 2004 and currently sits on the executive board.

"Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" - Reaching ALL Children Through Choral Music Education
Judy Hanson & Josephine Lee, Chicago Children's Choir
How do we ensure that current and future music educators are prepared to teach in all types of situations, including the inner city? Through their work with the nation’s largest choral music education organization, the multiracial and multicultural Chicago Children’s Choir, travel the journey of Josephine Lee and Judy Hanson as they discover the importance of music education beyond traditional choral music practices.

As Director of Choral Programs for the Chicago Children's Choir, Judy Hanson directs training and offers curriculum guidance to the conductors of the In-School and After-School Neighborhood programs. She is the conductor of DiMension, a choir for young men with changing voices, and also serves as Associate Director and choreographer for the Concert Choir. A nationally known clinician, adjudicator and conductor, Ms. Hanson has presented sessions and conducted choirs for ACDA chapters throughout the country. She has also served as the Junior High/Middle School R&S Chair for Illinois ACDA. Judy Hanson holds a BS in Music Education from the University of Illinois and an MM in Music Education from Northwestern University.

Serving as Artistic Director of the Chicago Children's Choir, Josephine Lee is a classically trained pianist, conductor, arranger and producer. Under her direction, the Choir has toured nationally and internationally, received a Chicago/Midwest Emmy Award for the documentary Songs on the Road to Freedom, and has been featured on nationally broadcast performances. Lee received the 2008 3Arts Artist Award and in 2006 was named “Chicagoan of the Year in the Arts” by the Chicago Tribune. She has conducted concerts and master classes in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, South Korea, Thailand, Canada and Japan and has also conducted the Chicago, Lyric Opera, Grant Park and Oregon Symphony orchestras. She received her bachelor’s degree in piano performance from DePaul University and a master’s degree in conducting from Northwestern University.

Making your Case: Data on How Children, Adults and Communities Benefit from Choruses
Ann Meier Baker, President & CEO of Chorus America & Catherine Davies, Director of Membership Services of Chorus America
Looking for numbers to "prove" the benefits of choral singing? Looking for quantitative data to support the value of a choral music education for children? Chorus America presents the results of The Chorus Impact Study in an interactive format that will leave you with new tools and energy to communicate the value of choruses in your own schools, colleges, and communities. Discover this important data and ways you can put it into action.

Ann Meier Baker became President and CEO of Chorus America in 2000. From its headquarters in Washington, DC, Chorus America provides a wide range of programs and services to inform the whole field of choral music, to serve its members and to link them with one another and with other leaders in the arts. Ann’s career has included more than 25 years experience in the arts and in education, with emphasis on nonprofit management, governance, fundraising, and organization change. Prior to her appointment at Chorus America, Ann was the Founding Director of the National School Boards Foundation and served as the Director of Trustee Services at the League of American Orchestras and the Director of Marketing for MENC.

Catherine Davies joined Chorus America as director of membership services in 2006. Prior to relocating to Washington, D.C., she worked in several capacities at VocalEssence, a professional chorus in Minneapolis, MN, including serving as executive assistant to founder and artistic director Philip Brunelle and overseeing concert production and chorus management as the director of operations. Davies graduated from Macalester College with a bachelor's degree in international studies and French, then discovered a passion for arts administration. She is a lifelong choral singer, having sung with the VocalEssence Chorus, Minnesota Chorale, and now The Washington Chorus.

Meet Helen Kemp: A Lifetime of Teaching Children How to Sing
Deborah Mello, Moderator
Helen Kemp has dedicated her life's work to the training of singers, teachers and conductors in the art of choral music. She has compiled strategies for teaching very young singers to find their singing voices and for helping them to develop their love of singing. Many of us have experienced Helen's mantra, "Body, Mind, Spirit, Voice: It takes the whole person to sing and rejoice." Come and learn about this remarkable woman's life journey, doing what she loves doing best.

Helen Kemp has been training singers, teachers and conductors in the art of choral singing for seven decades. Known internationally as a specialist in the area of training young voices, she has served as guest conductor and clinician in all 50 states and around the world in school, university and church settings. A hallmark of her work is her ability to empower dedicated volunteers to be successful choir directors, and to present techniques so solid and engaging that highly trained professionals continue to learn from her. Helen Kemp's mantra, "Body, Mind, Spirit, Voice: It takes the whole person to sing and rejoice" continues to be used by teachers and conductors for choirs of all ages.

Neighbours to the North: Choral Gems from French Canada
Patricia Abbott, Executive Director of the Association of Canadian Choral Communities
Born of a rich folk tradition rooted in France and nurtured by ties with Europe, French Canada’s choral tradition is a reflection of a distinct culture within North America. Patricia Abbott will give a brief history of French-Canadian choral music, help participants discover some of the gems in the choral repertoire and provide a resource document. Since many of the explorers of the Midwest were French Canadians, this is an occasion for participants to explore another dimension of American musical history.

A bilingual Montrealer, Patricia Abbott served as Executive Director of the Association of Canadian Choral Communities from 1993 to 2009, and is now Artistic Director of CAMMAC (Canadian Amateur Musicians/Musiciens amateurs du Canada). She also teaches choral conducting at McGill University and conducts several choirs in the Montréal region. She has shared her love and expertise of French-Canadian choral music in workshops and festivals in North America, Europe and Argentina, has guest conducted in France and Belgium, and served as an adjudicator for numerous competitions. Patricia serves on the artistic committee of the Polyfollia International Choral Showcase Festival in France, and on the editorial board of Choral Journal. She has a master’s degree in vocal performance and pedagogy from McGill University, as well as degrees in history and journalism.

The Non-Reading Reading Session
Nick Page, Boston's Mystic Chorale
Nick Page will share resources for teaching songs by rote, including songs from the new MUSIC BY HEART, Paperless Songs for Evening Worship that composer Ben Allaway and friends created. In addition to the worship resources, Nick will help us with songs for all levels of schools. Nick will share info on his own community chorus, Boston's Mystic Chorale, who involve their audiences in very exciting ways. Nick's workshop will involve lots of singing and resource hand-outs.

Nick Page is a Boston-based composer, conductor, and author who is best known for his song leading. Nick was a conductor with the Chicago Children's Choir in the 1980s and since 1990 has conducted Boston's Mystic Chorale, whose concerts always feature audience sing-alongs. In 2007, Nick conducted his Nursery Rhyme Cantata at Carnegie Hall. He has over fifty published choral pieces from Hal Leonard, Boosey & Hawkes, Transcontinental, earthsongs, Colla Voce, and Alliance, including his Sing With Us songbook and choral series from Hal Leonard.

Preparing the Parts: Effective & Efficient Marking for Choral-Instrumental Works
Daniel Abraham, American University
The markings a conductor provides in advance assure an effective and efficient process and promote the fastest route to achieving an artistic outcome. This session presents a total approach to the advance preparation of performance materials by examining what advance marking is truly essential and when excessive indications can become a hindrance. The comprehensive analysis of samples from internationally recognized conductors and a survey of orchestral/freelance performers provide a comprehensive list of good practices to achieve exceptional results.

Daniel Abraham, is co-chair of the Department of Performing Arts and Director of Choral Activities at American University. As Music and Artistic Director of the Bach Sinfonia and Bach Sinfonia Voci, his period-instrument performances include many modern premieres, as well as performances at the Kennedy Center, the Music Center at Strathmore, National Museum of Women in the Arts, and before two national meetings of the American Musicological Society. His broadcast credits including the Kennedy Center Honors Gala, as a chorus master for Christmas in Washington, on Performance Today, and commercial recordings on Dorian Records. He has been published in Choral Journal, and has produced editorial work for The Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Edition and Cambridge University Press. He is currently ACDA President for the Maryland/DC chapter.

R.I.S.E. Up! New Directions for Middle School Choirs
Marc Kaplan, Medgar Evers College Preparatory School
In this session, participants will learn how R.I.S.E. (Repetitive – Improvisational –Syllabic –Expression) merges rhythmic and melodic ostinati with non-linguistic syllables and improvisation to produce effective choral warm-ups and repertoire for today’s middle school singers. R.I.S.E. draws on teaching practices gained from personal experiences, as well as methods akin to Bobby McFerrin’s Circlesongs concept. Participants will learn authentic rehearsal strategies, motivational techniques and repertoire that allow for differentiation and student success in the classroom and in performance. Music will be distributed.

Marc Kaplan received a BA in Music and Political Science from George Washington University in 2000. Currently, he is the 6th – 12th grade vocal music teacher at Medgar Evers College Preparatory School in Brooklyn, NY. From 2002-2008, Marc worked for the West Hartford Public Schools in CT, as director of The KP Singers from King Philip Middle School. Under his direction, the KP Singers placed first in the Downbeat Magazine student music awards and were selected to perform regionally and nationally at conventions for MENC and ACDA. Kaplan has presented workshops and conducted honor choirs for RIMEA, VMEA, ACDA, NYSSMA and the Urban Education Institute at the University of Chicago. He made his conducting debut with The Hartford Symphony in 2005 and composes choral music for changing voices.

The Score is the Door
Marian Dolan, Artistic Director of "The Choir Project"
In addition to its musical and textual components, a choral score can literally be a contextual 'door' through which we can enter into a fascinating story, culture, ethnicity or tradition. Drawing on scores from ethnic as well as 'high art' traditions, attendees will read/sing part of a score, then discover/hear/see the cultural context that more fully informs and subsequently transforms the understanding of that score, thereby affecting issues of score editing, selection, teaching and programming.

Marian Dolan is Artistic Director of The Choir Project, an organization seeking to "build community chorally" through collaborative choral events of local and international caliber. Privileged to teach at Emory, Haverford, UW-Eau Claire, Florida Gulf Coast, and Westminster Choir College's Summer School, she has conducted festival choirs and led workshops in the US, Estonia, Finland, Germany, the Philippines, South Africa and Sweden. A review panelist for the NEA, and respected editor, she led the Artistic Committee of IFCM's "Voices" conferences in South Africa and the Baltics, and organized reading sessions for the 2003 World Choral Symposium. She holds graduate degrees in musicology from Boston University and in choral conducting from Yale School of Music where she received the first choral doctorate granted to a woman.

Singing in the African American Tradition: The Power of Sing
Ysaye M. Barnwell, Sweet Honey in the Rock
Dr. Ysaye Barnwell presents a workshop introducing chants and songs from Africa and the diaspora taught in the oral tradition and will provide a better understanding of the use of rhythm in the performance of these songs.

Ysaye M. Barnwell studied violin for 15 years and majored in music through high school, then went on to earn degrees in Speech Pathology and in Public Health. For over a decade, Barnwell was a professor at the College of Dentistry at Howard University, after which she administered health programs at Children’s Hospital National Medical Center and at Gallaudet University. She joined Sweet Honey In The Rock® in 1979, where her training as a Sing Language Interpreter facilitated the group’s practice of making concerts accessible to the Deaf. Dr. Barnwell appears as a vocalist and/or instrumentalist on more than thirty recordings with Sweet Honey In The Rock. For the past thirty years, she has spent much of her time working as a master teacher and choral clinician.

Singing in Hebrew: Yes We Can!
Joshua R. Jacobson, Northeastern University & Ethan Nash, Glastonbury High School
Many conductors are eager to program music from the Jewish traditions, but are reluctant to tackle singing in Hebrew. This session will present simple guidelines for pronunciation and address common diction errors. Participants will apply what they have learned by singing excerpts from selected Hebrew compositions. Annotated lists of repertoire and suggestions for programming will be provided. The dilemma of performing, on stage, music that was originally conceived for a sacred service will be discussed.

Joshua R. Jacobson, one of the foremost authorities on Jewish choral music, is Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Northeastern University and Dean of Hebrew College’s School of Jewish Music. He is also founder and artistic director of the world-renowned Zamir Chorale of Boston. Over one hundred of his choral arrangements, editions and compositions have been published, and are frequently performed by choirs around the world. Prof. Jacobson is past President of the Massachusetts chapter of ACDA. He is the co-author with Ethan Nash of Translations and Annotations of Choral Repertoire - Volume IV: Hebrew Texts, published by earthsongs in 2009. Jacobson holds degrees in music from Harvard College, the New England Conservatory, and the University of Cincinnati.

Ethan Nash received his bachelor’s degree in music from Yale University and his master’s and DMA from the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford. He is currently the Director of Choral Activities at Glastonbury High School. Ethan has served on the faculty of the Hartt School, the Hartwick College Summer Music Festival, Wesleyan University's Center for Creative Youth and the Hartford Conservatory.

Strategies for Working with Middle School Voices
Victor V. Bobetsky, Hunter College of the City University of New York
Participants will explore how to choose and arrange music to meet the needs of adolescent singers and how to create interesting, singable vocal parts for boys with limited ranges. They will examine and sing through choral arrangements created for middle school voices based on folk songs from China, Guyana, Israel, Italy, Russia, and Spain. Participants will also identify techniques to help unison singers become part singers and learn to apply these techniques to the arranging process. Everyone will receive complimentary copies of the arrangements.

Victor V. Bobetsky’s career in music education has encompassed teaching middle school vocal/general music in Brooklyn, New York, supervising music teachers in several urban and suburban school districts, and training future music teachers as Director of Music Education at Hunter College (CUNY). His arrangements of folk songs of diverse cultures for middle school voices are published by Boosey & Hawkes, Cambiata Press, GIA Publications, and Musica Russica. His recent book, "The Magic of Middle School Musicals: Inspire Your Students to Learn, Grow, and Succeed," is co-published by Rowman and Littlefield Education and MENC. His article, “Corigliano’s Fern Hill: An Addition to the Twentieth-Century Repertoire for High School and College Choruses,” was published in the October 2005 Choral Journal.

Teach a Child to Read: The Recipe for a Lifelong Relationship with Music
Elaine Quilichini, Calgary Girls Choir
Often music theory is taught separately and becomes an exercise that our students don’t see as connected to real music. This session will help you develop strategies for pulling music reading skills directly from the repertoire you are working on, and will inspire you to continually work toward developing independent, literate singers. Ultimately, the accomplishment of that goal will increase the level of your own music making and the satisfaction and joy your singers experience.

Elaine Quilichini founded and is Artistic Director of the Calgary Girls Choir, one of Canada’s most dynamic youth music programs. In 2008 she led the Choir for its third first-place win in the prestigious CBC National Radio Competition for amateur choirs in Canada. In addition to her private music studio, she directs the University of Calgary’s Women’s Choir and edits her signature choral series published by Alliance Music Publishing. Quilichini is also Artistic Director of the Nebraska Wesleyan University Summer Youth Choral Program and the Summer Kodály Programs at Wichita State University. She has conducted numerous state, provincial and national honor choirs in Canada, the US and abroad and has twice had the privilege of conducting the National Kodály Honor Choir at OAKE conferences.

That Sound!!!!!!
Jerry Blackstone, University of Michigan; assisted by the Eastern Division High School Men's Honor Choir
More than an open rehearsal, Jerry Blackstone will engage both the audience and the TTBB Honor Choir in the quest for a beautiful, communicative, in tune, elegant, and manly choral sound.

Jerry Blackstone is Director of Choirs and Chair of the Conducting Department at the University of Michigan, where he conducts the Chamber Choir, teaches conducting, and administers the choral program. In February 2006, he received Grammy Awards for Best Choral Performance and Best Classical Album as chorus master for William Bolcom’s Songs of Innocence and of Experience. Blackstone has appeared as festival guest conductor and workshop presenter in thirty states as well as New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Australia. As conductor of the University of Michigan Men’s Glee Club from 1988-2002, Professor Blackstone led the ensemble in performances at ACDA national and division conferences and on extensive concert tours. Their recently released CD, I have had singing, is a retrospective of his tenure as conductor of the ensemble.

Toward A Uniquely American Musical Experience -- A Cross-Cultural Companion to Bach Cantata BWV 110
Doreen Rao, University of Toronto; assisted by the University of Toronto MacMillan Singers
Special Guest: Imant Raminsh
The 2006 Toronto Bach Festival commissioned composer Imant Raminsh to write a companion cantata to BWV 110, Unser Mund sei voll Lachens. Using the cantata's voicing, instrumentation, and chorale melody, Raminsh wrote In the Trail of the Wind, In the Shadow of God. Doreen Rao and the University of Toronto MacMillan Singers will present a lecture-demonstration introducing Raminsh's cantata and highlighting the educational and social relevance of studying and performing Bach cantatas alongside the music of living composers, with Raminsh in attendance.

Appointed to the University of Toronto Faculty of Music as The Elmer Iseler Chair in Conducting, Doreen Rao serves as the Director of Choral Programs and Conductor of the University of Toronto MacMillan Singers and Bach Festival Singers. Her choirs enjoy on-going collaborations with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Gryphon Trio, Nexus Percussion Ensemble and the Elmer Iseler Singers. Recognized as one of the world's leading experts on children's and youth choirs, she founded the ACDA National Committee on Children's Choirs and was Artistic Director of the award-winning Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus. She was recently appointed Music Director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus, the recipient of the Cameron Baird Conductor's Chair.

Training Young Voices: School, Church & Community Choirs
Facilitator: Deborah Mello, Eastern Division Children's Choir R&S Chair
Panel:
Elaine Goldsmith, Director of Talisman Choir under the auspices of The Festival Chorus of Pittsburgh and an elementary music specialist at Fox Chapel School District, PA
Kenneth Hess, Director of Music Education and elementary school choral director in New Providence, NJ
Amanda Page Smith, Director of Children's Music Ministries at The Brick Presbyterian Church, Park Avenue, NY
A panel of conductor-teachers who work with young voices in school, church and community choir settings will share their experiences. Kenneth Hess, elementary school choral director, Amanda Page Smith, Director of Children's Music Ministries, and Elaine Goldsmith, elementary music specialist, will present the model choir that he or she conducts. Topics presented will include: engaging young singers in music making, rehearsal techniques, vocal development of young voices, and the similarities and disparities of these choirs.

Deborah A. Mello is the Founding and Artistic Director of the Children's Chorus of Sussex County, NJ. She has served as New Jersey and National R&S Chair for Children's Choirs and is currently Eastern Division Chair. A recipient of the Artist Teacher certificate from the Choral Music Education courses founded by Doreen Rao, Mello has been a Teaching Associate in the CME courses taught in the United States, Canada, and in Europe. She has conducted area, state, and regional honor choirs throughout the US and has presented numerous workshops on elementary music education, music curriculum, children's choirs, choral repertoire, and choral conducting. She has authored articles that have been published in NJMEJ, the ACDA Eastern Division newsletter, Choral Journal and most recently in a publication of MENC.

Undergraduate Choral Conducting Master Class
Facilitator: David Fryling, Eastern Division Youth & Student Activities R&S Chair
Clinician: Joe Miller, Westminster Choir College of Rider University
Choir: Mansfield Concert Choir; Peggy Dettwiler, conductor
Joe Miller leads this master class, joined by four auditioned undergraduate conductors and the Mansfield University Concert Choir, Peggy Dettwiler, conductor. The session will focus on pedagogically sound approaches to training the choral ensemble, including the following: strategies for responding to what the conductor hears; techniques for solving vocal, rhythmic, and harmonic problems; the use of verbal and non-verbal communication and utilizing gesture to shape and nurture the composer's musical idea.

Joe Miller is conductor of two of America’s most renowned choral ensembles – the Westminster Choir and the Westminster Symphonic Choir. As director of choral activities at Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, NJ, he oversees an extensive choral program that includes eight ensembles. His 2009-2010 season includes collaborations with the New York Philharmonic, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and the San Francisco Symphony with conductors John Adams, Alan Gilbert, Sir Roger Norrington, Helmuth Rilling and Michael Tilson Thomas. Miller will also conduct the Westminster Symphonic Choir performing Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem with the Westminster Festival Orchestra. His season with the Westminster Choir includes a concert tour of California, a recording project, and their annual residency at the Spoleto Festival USA.

Wedding in Shiraz: Middle Eastern Songs for the Western Choir
Joan Isaacs Litman, United Nations International School, assisted by Cantigas Women's Choir (Hoboken, NJ) and United Nations International School Mothers Choir (NYC)
The repertoire, compelling in beauty and accessible to those trained in Western choral tradition, will be drawn from the peoples of Iran, Syria, Turkey, Lebanon and Egypt. Vocal considerations, simple instrumental accompaniment, and aspects of respectful approximation in performance practice will be explored. Important cultural context will be provided, culminating in an Iranian wedding reception. The session will briefly address the topic of public/private singing in the Islamic world and implications for school performance issues here in the US.

Joan Isaacs Litman is a native of Los Angeles and has directed choirs in the New York metropolitan area for thirty years. She is a member of the music faculty of the United Nations International School in Manhattan, directing the UNIS Mothers' Chorus and a children's choir. Joan is the founding Artistic Director of the Cantigas Women's Choir based in Hoboken, NJ. She was the winner of the first Excellence in Teaching award from Westminster Choir College and in 2009 was named Educator of the Year by the Organization of American Kodaly Educators. With a longing to stimulate trust and enjoyment of often misunderstood cultures, Ms. Litman has focused her musical research on music of the Middle East. Her anthology, Caravan of Song, will be published in 2010.

What the World Needs Now: Finding the Clarity, Courage and Conviction to be a Choral Artist
Craig Hella Johnson, Conspirare
This session will be an engaging exploration of the role of the conductor and conductor/teacher. A meaningful balance of the inspirational and the practical, the questions considered will be applicable to all levels of the conductor/teacher role including educational, civic, church and professional conductors. Fundamental questions will be asked: How do we reconnect with the initial inspiration that led us to be conductors and what can we do to consistently lead our choirs and audiences into the deepest possible musical experiences?

Renowned as one of the most influential voices in choral conducting in the United States, Craig Hella Johnson is the founder and artistic director of the Grammy®-nominated choral ensemble Conspirare. Johnson has assembled some of the finest singers in the country to create a world-class, award winning ensemble committed to creating dynamic choral art. A unique aspect of Johnson’s programming is his signature “collage” style: through-composed programs that marry music and poetry, seamlessly blending sacred and secular, classical and contemporary. Johnson has created and conducted collage programs for Conspirare, national ACDA, North Central ACDA, and St. Olaf College. He has been honored with several awards including the Margaret Hillis Award, the Louis Botto Award, both presented by Chorus America, and induction into the Austin Arts Hall of Fame.

 
Research Session Titles & Presenters
 

Just a Click Away: Public Domain Choral Music at the Library of Congress
Melinda O'Neal, ACDA Research & Publications Committee
Explore an exciting new web site hosted by the Library of Congress in collaboration with ACDA, featuring public domain choral works by American composers active between 1870 and 1923. These include spirituals, humorous works for children, simple church anthems, and works by the leading composers of the day, including several by women. Web site users can download and print choral octavos for their choirs free of charge. They can also obtain historical information about the composers and pieces.

Melinda O’Neal, in her sixth season as artistic director & conductor of Handel Choir of Baltimore, is professor of music at Dartmouth College. She was conductor of the Handel Society of Dartmouth College (1979-2004), founder of Dartmouth’s Chamber Singers, and visiting professor and/or conductor at Indiana University, University of Georgia, Towson University (MD), Seattle Symphony Chorale (WA), and Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, among others. O’Neal holds MM and DM degrees in conducting from Indiana University, BME from Florida State University. Her research and performance interests include the relationship of text and music, historical performance practices, and Hector Berlioz.

Research Forum: What Makes Research Valuable?
Facilitator: James John, Eastern Division Research & Scholarship Project Chair
Panelists: Ann Clements, Past Chair of MENC's Special Research Interest Group on the Social Sciences; David DeVenney, Editor of The Choral Research Memorandum Series; Carroll Gonzo, Editor of The Choral Journal; Dennis Shrock, Editor of The Choral Scholar; and William Weinert, Editor of The American Choral Review

Source Studies in Music of the Baroque Era

• Beneath the Notes: Extra-Musical Clues from the Printed Page
  Timothy Newton, State University of New York at Oneonta.
• Bringing Ignacio de Jerusalem's Manuscripts to Performance in the Twenty-first Century
  Sherrill Blodget, Castleton State College

Topics in Twentieth and Twenty-first Century Choral Music

• Effective Programming: An Examination of Contemporary American Women Composers
  Jennifer Kelly, Lafayette College
• Sacred Choral Music in the Soviet Regime
  Andrea Goodman, Cantilena Chamber Choir

Writing in the Choral Journal
presented by Carroll Gonzo, Stephen Town and the Choral Journal Editorial Board
Participants are invited to bring an article idea, thesis statement, or work-in-progress and work directly with members of the Editorial Board toward advancing promising ideas into articles for possible publication.

Carroll Gonzo is the Chiuminnato Distinguished Professor of Research at the University St. Thomas in Saint Paul, MN, where he conducts the Women’s Choir, teaches research, and supervises the writing of master’s theses. He received his BM from Lawrence University, and an MM and PhD from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. He has served on the faculties of the University of Illinois, University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin, the Hartt School of Music and the University of Texas - Austin. Gonzo has received a number of research grants, published 50 articles in professional research journals, and contributed chapters to numerous textbooks. He is the editor of the Choral Journal. Gonzo has conducted choral festivals and served as clinician and adjudicator in the United States, and Canada.

Research Gallery Participants

Nine projects on a wide array of topics will be displayed in visual format. Researchers will be available to discuss their work, and will have supporting materials to give to interested colleagues. Short oral presentations will be given on Thursday morning during the gallery opening, and projects will remain on view throughout the conference.

Beneath the Notes: Extra-Musical Cues from the Printed Page
Timothy Newton, State University of New York at Oneonta

Bringing Ignacio de Jerusalem's Manuscripts to Performance in the Twenty-first Century
Sherrill Blodget, Castleton State College

The Effect of Selected Nonmusical Factors on Adjudicators' Ratings of High School Solo Vocal Performances
Sandra A. Howard, Keene State College

Effective Programming: An Examination of Contemporary American Women Composers
Jennifer Kelly, Lafayette College (assisted by student researcher Caitlin Flood)

The Influence of Gender in Middle School Choral Students' Self-perceptions of their Vocal Performances
Bridget Sweet, Bucknell University

Ocean Grove (NJ) Auditorium Choir: One Hundred Forty Years of Singing
Cindy L. Bell, Hofstra University

Preferred Rehearsal Styles and Performance Quality in an Adult Community Chorus
Susan Avery, Ithaca College

Sacred Choral Music in the Soviet Regime
Andrea Goodman, Cantilena Chamber Choir

Voices and Visions from an Oasis of Choir Culture
Andrew Puntel, Fordham University

Last revised June 26, 2010

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