ACDA-PA Awards presented

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!