ACDA-PA - News

"Choir for All" Summer Honor Choir Announced

1/14/2022

ACDA-PA members are encouraged to invite their high school, college, church, and community singers to join in song this summer at the Summer Conference!

Guest conductor-composers Elaine Hagenberg and Dr. Marques Garrett will lead the “Choir for All,” an honor choir associated with the ACDA-PA summer conference.

The rehearsals and performance will take place at Messiah University on Sunday, July 31 and Monday, August 1, 2022 which will culminate in an informal performance at the conference. This is an opportunity to learn music from some amazing conductor-composers as well as sing with a wide variety of people. ACDA members should assemble a quartet of singers (SATB or multiple quartets of singers) from their high school, college, church, or community choir to participate. COVID mitigation efforts will align with the CDC at the time of the event. Stay tuned for further information on registration and lodging.

Call for Awards Nominations

1/2/2022

Do you know a choral colleague who is doing exemplary work? Consider nominating this conductor for one of ACDA-PA’s annual awards: the Elaine Brown Award for Choral Excellence, the Outstanding Young Conductor Award, and the Eileen M. Hower Memorial Award (for middle school conductors). Submit a letter of nomination describing the candidate’s qualifications to Caron Daley at daleyc1@duq.edu by March 31, 2022. Awards will be presented at the 2022 Summer Conference.

Composition Competition Expands for 2021-22

8/31/2021

This just in: in 2022, ACDA-PA will hold not 1 but 2 Composition Competitions - student and non-student. Complete guidelines for both competitions can be found here. Be sure to share with aspiring composers! Both compositions will be premiered at our 2022 Summer Conference, July 31-August 2 at Messiah University (save the date!).

Conference Feedback Survey

8/3/2021

Dear colleagues,

Thank you to all who attended ACDA-PA's Summer Conference over the past two days. I hope you left inspired, encouraged and refreshed. Perhaps now your creativity can flow a bit more freely going into the new academic year.

Conference recordings are being added to Whova and all content will remain available to you until October 31st.

Please take a moment to complete our post-conference survey. Your input is valued!
https://forms.gle/5oZPm33puQ7Rkkn4A

Thanks for your resilience and patience with a virtual conference this year. I hope to see you next August at Messiah University for Summer Conference 2022.

Gratefully,

Joy Meade
President-Elect, Conference Chair

2021 ACDA-PA Award Winners Announced

8/2/2021

Congratulations to our 2021 ACDA-PA Award Winners, who were announced in a video compilation by outgoing Past President, Susan Medley, at the virtual summer conference on August 1, 2021.

Outstanding Young Conductor Award
MARK HELMS
Mark Helms is an active conductor based in southeastern Pennsylvania. Mark is currently the Director of Music and the Arts at Doylestown Presbyterian Church (Doylestown, PA), where he oversees a comprehensive music ministry involving 200 participants of all ages in a variety of vocal and instrumental ensembles. Mark also recently served as the Director of Choral Activities and Liturgical Music at DeSales University (Center Valley, PA), where he conducted three choral ensembles and taught additional courses in music.

Mark moved to Pennsylvania following the completion of his Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting at the Eastman School of Music (Rochester, NY). Mark is also a graduate of Furman University (Greenville, SC), where he completed a Bachelor of Music summa cum laude in Church Music. This fall, Mark will be returning to school to begin the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Conducting at the University of Maryland (College Park, MD).

Elaine Brown Award for Choral Excellence:
O. DAVID DEITZ
O. David Deitz retired as a choral music educator/vocal music department chair for the Central Dauphin School District in Harrisburg PA, and as an adjunct choral and music education professor for Bucknell, Mansfield, Lebanon Valley, Susquehanna and Penn State Universities. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from Mansfield State College, where he was selected to the Music Alumni Honor Roll, and a master’s degree from Penn State University. A 1999 finalist for Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year and featured director for the Fall 2004 issue of Choral Director magazine, Deitz served as president of ACDA-PA 2003-2005 and as Eastern Division Conference Chair 2010. Mr. Deitz currently serves as the Fine Arts Education Consultant for the Pennsylvania Department of Education and was named 2019 Educator of the Year by the non-profit organization Little Kids Rock.

Outstanding Young Conductor: Mark Helms

Elaine Brown Award for Choral Excellence: David Deitz

Student Members Attend FREE!

7/26/2021

ACDA student members may attend the virtual summer conference for free. Just complete the online registration form and on the "click to pay" option, choose student member to be charged nothing. We're pleased to offer this free opportunity to our student members!

Welcome to our new ACDA-PA Board!

6/30/2021

Dear ACDA-PA,

Happy July! I hope this finds you enjoying a much-deserved summer of rejuvenation! It is a tremendous honor for me to begin serving as your President. As I begin my term, I want to extend a profound “thank you” to the 2019-21 board members, especially Caron Daley, for their exceptional work steering our state chapter through the pandemic.

Starting July 1st, we welcome nine new Executive Board members and R&R Chairs to the state, including: Kyle Zeuch (Community Choirs/Life-Long Choral Music), Waltier Blocker (Music in Worship), Kathryn Hylton (Upper Voices R&R Chair), Samantha Roberts (Vocal Jazz and Contemporary Commercial R&R Chair), Stephanie Magaro (Junior High R&R Chair), Kelsey Hendler (Membership Chair/Secretary), Jordan Shomper (Treasurer), Rachel Cornacchio (Act 48 Coordinator), and Delaney Reed (Student Representative). Welcome!

As ACDA-PA continues to evolve, we are eager to sustain and develop important resources for the state. Please share your ideas with me as we move forward: president@acdapa.org

I hope to see you (virtually) at our summer conference!

Warmly,

Elizabeth Colpo
President, ACDA-PA

Summer Conference Early Bird Discount Ends June 15!

6/1/2021

The early-bird deadline for the 2021 ACDA-PA Summer Conference “New Horizons” is just 14 days away (June 15). Join us for this special time of connection, learning, and musical inspiration!

CLICK FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER

Upcoming Events & Approaching Deadlines

4/15/2021

As was just sent in the most recent membership update for mid-April, here is a recap of the upcoming ACDA-PA and ACDA East events and deadlines. For Eastern Region conference information, visit acdaeast.org. All other details can be found on this site under the appropriate menu options:

April 26 - Deadline to register for May Motivator
May 1 - May Motivator online event
May 1 - Deadline to submit Virtual Summer Conference performing choirs & interest session proposals
May 1 - Deadline to nominate a PA choir to perform at ACDA East in February 2022
May 15 - Performance applications due for ACDA East spotlight & concert choirs
May 31 - ACDA-PA Award nominations due
August 1-2 - ACDA-PA Virtual Summer Conference

Eastern Region Reception

3/18/2021

Come join your ACDA Eastern Region colleagues on Friday, March 19 at 8:30PM EDT for some March Madness (choral repertoire edition), Conductor mixology, news about our 2022 Boston conference applications, events, and headliners, and breakouts with your state chapters. PJs and Loungewear encouraged!