On Monday afternoon, August 5, 2024, ACDA-PA past president Liz Colpo presented the annual awards before our Choir for All summer honor choir concert at West Chester University.

This year’s ACDA-PA Outstanding Young Conductor Award is presented to CONNER NEWKAM-ULRICH. Conner is the Music Director at Christ Church (United Church of Christ) in Elizabethtown (and previously, Wolf's Covenant Church in York) Nominators wrote that Conner selects diverse repertoire, and has improved the soundof his lifelong choral singers each year. Conner has exhibited dedication both to learning and to service: attending ACDA conferences, serving as an intern for “The Crossing” in Philadelphia, singing with the Susquehanna Chorale, and organizing the Mansfield University Concert Choir Alumni Affinity Group. With his ensembles, he has also helped to raise money for various charitable causes. Congratulations, Conner!

This year’s ACDA-PA Eileen Hower Memorial Award is presented to AMANDA WILSON. Amanda teaches choir & general music at Central Dauphin EAST Middle School. Nominators wrote that Amanda has spearheaded the development of the middle school choral curriculum in her School District. She is devoted to her students, always choosing high-quality literature that challenges them appropriately.

Additionally, in 2006, Amanda formed the “Sweet Soundsations” Choral event, as a way to meet the needs of treble singers in South-Central PA. (As a special note: Amanda’s colleagues noted that years ago she shared with them the research of Eileen Hower -- for whom this award is named -- specifically in regard to using S.S.A. repertoire in the middle school mixed choir setting. So her colleagues found it especially fitting to recognize Amanda with this award. Congratulations, Amanda!

This year’s ACDA-PA Elaine Brown Award for Choral Excellence is presented to…THOMAS LLOYD. Nominators wrote that, For nearly thirty years, Thomas Lloyd has contributed mightily to the cultural life of the greater Philadelphia region. Through his work at Haverford & Bryn Mawr Colleges, the Bucks County Choral Society, and Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral, Tom Lloyd has inspired and educated countless singers.

Tom is known not just for his work as a choral conductor, but also for his compositions -- particularly his 70-minute work on Dietrich Bonhoeffer, which was recorded by The Crossing. Above all, Tom is known as a convener; he has worked tirelessly to bring together people of all faiths, races, and backgrounds. Singers often remark on the life-changing experiences they have had in Tom’s ensembles (exploring music from the corners of the earth, and meeting singers with whom they otherwise might never have connected)
Tom is a loyal colleague and friend, a gifted musician, and a dedicated humanitarian. Congratulations, Thomas!
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Congratulations to all 3 of our 2024 ACDA-PA Award recipients!

Update - Choir For All Repertoire Announced!
Hymn to the Eternal Flame - Stephen Paulus
Pete Pete - Rosephanye Powell
Look at the World - John Rutter
Hope for Resolution - Paul Caldwell and Sean Ivory

Opportunity! ​The ACDA-PA Choir For All will be a one-day honor choir festival for singers ages 8-98, at West Chester University on August 5, 2024, led by guest conductors Daniel Bara and Deanna Joseph.  The goal of this choir is to foster intergenerational and intercultural dialogue through choral music. The day will be divided into age-appropriate rehearsal segments, but combine to make the "Choir For All" in the final concert:

Young Singers: ages 8-10
Middle Singers: ages 11-14
Festival Singers: ages 15-98
 
Repertoire is forthcoming and will be the same for all ages.  The music has been thoughtfully selected to share wisdom between generations and between cultures, and to have relevant vocal and musical elements for this wide variety of age groups and skill levels.

The cost for the day is $50 per singer and includes lunch, t-shirt, snack and music.

Directors can register their students as a group, or parents may register their students individually. Singers 18 and older may register themselves. Directors and parents are responsible for chaperoning their own students and helping prepare the music in advance of the festival day. Directors do not need to be members of ACDA to bring students to this event.

ACDA-PA is now accepting submissions for the 12th annual Choral Composition Competition. Compositions must be 3-5 minutes in length, scored for SATB (no divisi) and unison children’s choir.  Compositions should be accompanied by piano with the option of adding one obbligato instrument.  Please keep in mind that the piece will be rehearsed and performed within a one-day choral workshop sung by a non-auditioned intergenerational choir.  Compositions that are not accessible to this ensemble will not be considered.

1. The Choral Composition Competition is open to composers of all ages.
2. Composers must be a resident of Pennsylvania or currently enrolled as a student in a PA college or university.
3. Entry deadline: April 15, 2024
4. Winning composition award: $1000.00

Mechanicsburg, PA. During the 29th Annual ACDA-PA Summer Conference for Choral Musicians banquet on July 31, 2023 at Messiah University, the Elaine Brown Award for Choral Excellence was presented to Robert Drafall.

The Elaine Brown Award for Choral Excellence is presented to an individual for outstanding lifelong work in the choral art. Started in 1998, this award is named in honor of Elaine Brown, the founder and director of Singing City in Philadelphia, PA.

Robert W. Drafall earned both B.S. and M.S. degrees in Choral Music Education at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana.  A Chicago native, Drafall spent 10 years teaching in Illinois before moving to Pennsylvania in 1992 with his wife, Lynn.  From 1992-1996, Bob was Co-Director of Choirs at Williamsport Area High School.  In 1996, he was appointed as Choir Director at State College Area High School.  In 2011, he became the K-12 Coordinator of Music for the State College Area School District until his retirement in June, 2015.
 
Choirs under Drafall’s directions have performed at State and Regional Conferences for IMEA, PMEA, NAfME and ACDA.   The State College Master Singers were selected to perform at the Eastern Region Convention of ACDA in both 2002 (Pittsburgh) and 2006 (New York).  They were also selected to participate in The Carnegie Hall National High School Choral Festival in March of 2008.  Four choirs were selected nationally to this year-long program which included a residency in Salt Lake City, and concluded with a performance of Ein deutsches Requiem, Craig Jessop, conductor with Orchestra of St Luke’s and international soloists at Carnegie Hall. 
 
Drafall served PMEA as District 4 President and ACDA-PA as President and founder of the Summer and Fall Choral Conferences.  Robert continues to be active as an adjudicator and consultant, and currently serves on the ACDA Eastern Region Board as Membership Chair.

During the presentation, remarks were shared by several of Bob's nominators, including his former student and successor at State College Area High School, Erik Clayton.  Video congratulatory messages were shared by former students and colleagues from across the country.  Drafall shared in remarks that this was particularly special as he was involved in the creation of the award and his late wife, Lynn, was also a recipient.  Congratulations, Bob!

​Click the links below to view PDF versions of the materials distributed to conference attendees.  The Schumann file contains additional material linked via QR code in the Opening Concert program.
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• Conference Program Booklet
• Opening Concert Program
• Schumann Texts, Translations, and Performer Bios
• ​Undergraduate Conducting Masterclass Participants 
• Honor Choirs Concert Program​
• ​Insert for Singing City Songbook