​Summer Conference 2018

Monday-Tuesday, August 6-7, 2018
Shadyside Presbyterian Church
​​Pittsburgh, PA
Come Sail Away!

Spend two exciting days connecting with colleagues, learning from experts, reading through new music, discussing common issues facing us as choral conductors, and enjoying each other’s company all in the beautiful setting of Shadyside Presbyterian Church at the 2018 ACDA-PA Summer Conference in Pittsburgh!

Be inspired by headliner Andrew Megill from the University of Illinois. Choose from an impressive array of interest sessions. Come together with those who conduct choirs similar to yours in our R&R area roundtables. Learn new music as you participate in reading sessions and browse the music in the exhibit set up by
The Musical Source. Spend a relaxing evening on a Gateway Clipper Riverboat dinner cruise taking in the skyline of the city and singing with your friends.

Recharge your “musical batteries” for the season ahead.

The registration fee includes the following:
  • All conference sessions
  • Packets of music for both reading sessions
  • Continental breakfast both days
  • Lunch both days
  • Dinner cruise on the Gateway Clipper Riverboat

Register now for the best rates! And be sure to make your reservation at the Shadyside Inn as soon as possible. Conference rate expires July 4. Extend your stay for a few days and take advantage of all that Pittsburgh has to offer! Heinz History Center, Andy Warhol Museum, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Carnegie Science Center, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and Kennywood Amusement Park are only a few of the activities that await you. And Pittsburgh has become a “foodie” destination, so expect a choice of restaurants that will suit every taste. Stick around after the ACDA-PA Conference and create your own experience in the ‘Burgh!

Andrew Megill, headliner

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​Andrew Megill is recognized as one the leading choral conductors of his generation, admired for both his passionate artistry and his unusually wide-ranging repertoire, which extends from early music to newly composed works.  He is Professor and Director of Choral Activities at the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign), where he leads the oldest doctoral program in choral conducting in the United States. In addition, he leads three of North America’s finest professional vocal ensembles:  the Montreal Symphony Orchestra Chorus, the Carmel Bach Festival Chorale, and Fuma Sacra. His performances have been praised for their “power, subtlety, and nuance” and “profound spirituality” [Le Devoir, Montreal] and have been described as “piercing the heart like a frozen knife” [Monterey Herald] and “leaving the audience gasping in amazement” [Classical NJ].
 
Dr. Megill frequently collaborates with the world’s leading orchestras.  He has prepared choirs for the American Composers’ Orchestra, American Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Dresden Philharmonie, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, New York Philharmonic, and Venice Baroque Orchestra for conductors including Pierre Boulez, Charles Dutoit, Joseph Flummerfelt, Rafael Frühbeck du Burgos, Alan Gilbert, Jane Glover, Neeme Järvi, Zdenek Macal, Kurt Masur, Zubin Mehta, Kent Nagano, John Nelson, and Julius Rudel.  An accomplished orchestral conductor, he has led the Spoleto Festival Orchestra, Carmel Bach Festival Orchestra, I Musici de Montréal Chamber Orchestra, Masterwork Orchestra, Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra, and Sinfonia da Camera (Urbana, IL), and made his debut conducting the Montreal Symphony Orchestra in 2014.
 
Dr. Megill is particularly admired for his performances of Baroque choral works.  He regularly collaborates with leaders in the field of historically-informed performance, including Masaaki Suzuki, Ton Koopman, Bruno Weil, Andrea Marcon, Paul Goodwin, Julianne Baird, Elizabeth Wallfisch, Nancy Wilson, Peter Hanson, and John Holloway.  He has conducted many period-instrument orchestras, including Piffaro, Rebel, Sinfonia NYC, Brandywine Baroque, the Sebastians, Tempesta di Mare, and the Trinity Baroque Orchestra.  He has led Bach festivals at the University of Illinois, Westminster Choir College, the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and in Ireland at the Dublin Institute of Technology.
 
Dr. Megill previously served as Music Director of the Masterwork Chorus and Orchestra (with whom he frequently performed in Carnegie and Avery Fisher Halls) and Chorusmaster for the Spoleto Festival USA (where he trained “the finest opera chorus in the world” [Charleston Post and Courier]).  He has been a guest artist with the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, TENET vocal ensemble, the Juilliard Opera Center, and Emmanuel Music (Boston), and served as interim choirmaster for Trinity Church (Wall Street) in Manhattan. Prior to his appointment at the University of Illinois, he taught at Westminster Choir College for more than twenty years.
 
Dr. Megill is a frequent champion of music of our own time.  He has conducted regional or world premieres of works by Caleb Burhans, Paul Chihara, Dominic DiOrio, Sven-David Sandström, Caroline Shaw, Lewis Spratlan, Steven Stucky, Jon Magnussen, Arvo Pärt, and Krzysztof Penderecki, and has collaborated with the Bang on a Can All-stars, the Mark Morris Dance Company, folk singer Judy Collins, puppeteer Basil Twist, and filmmaker Ridley Scott.  Recordings of choirs conducted or prepared by him may be heard on the Decca, EMI, Canteloupe, Naxos, Albany, and CBC labels.

Hotel Information

Hotel Information
A special group rate is available at Shadyside Inn All Suites Hotel. Located a short walk from Shadyside Presbyterian Church, Shadyside Inn features spacious one and two-bedroom suites,
free wi-fi, free parking, a fitness center, and many other amenities.
Our special conference rates are:
  • One-bedroom suite $109 per night + tax
  • Two-bedroom suite $119 per night + tax
Group rates expire July 4, 2018 at 5:00 pm.
Guests can secure a suite within the block by one of two ways; by emailing Mariena at reservations@shadysideinn.com or by phoning the hotel at 412-441-4444. If phoning, please ask guests to speak with Mariena, Melissa or Bridget. It's important that guests state the August 5 & 6 American Choral Directors Association Group when corresponding.

Conference Schedule-at-a-Glance

Click here for a more detailed schedule, including interest session titles, presenters, and descriptions.

Monday, August 6, 2018
8:30-12:00 Registration
9:45-10:00 Welcome
10:00-11:00 Interest Sessions
11:00-11:15 Break (Shop with The Musical Source)
11:15-12:30 Session with Dr. Andrew Megill
12:30-1:30 Lunch Break
1:30-2:30 Interest Sessions
2:30-2:45 Break Enjoy light refreshments while you shop with The Musical Source
2:45-4:15 Reading Session 1
Youth Choral Music
  • Sr. High – Kelli Rocchi, conductor
  • Jr. High and Middle School – Alexis Farrell , conductor
  • Children and Community Youth – Jeffrey Brunner, conductor
Life-Long Choral Music
  • Community Choirs – David McConnell, conductor
  • Music in Worship – Mark Anderson, conductor
4:15-4:30 Break (Shop with The Musical Source)
4:30-5:45 Session with Dr. Andrew Megill
6:30-7:00 Board the Gateway Clipper River Boat
7:00-9:30 Dinner Cruise on the Gateway Clipper River Boat

Tuesday, August 6
8:00-9:00 Registration
8:30-9:30 Interest Sessions
9:30-9:45 Break Enjoy light refreshments while you shop with The Musical Source

9:45-11:00   Session with Dr. Andrew Megill
11:00-11:15 Break (Shop with The Musical Source)

11:15-12:30 Reading Session 2
Collegiate Choral Music
  • College and University Choirs – Christopher Jackson, conductor
Ensemble-Specific Repertoire and Resources
  • Contemporary/Commercial Music (incl. Show Choir & Vocal Jazz) – X, conductor
  • Male Choirs – Richard Teaster, conductor
  • Women's Choir – Lorraine Milovac, conductor
  • Multicultural/ Ethnic – X, conductor
  • Self-Published Composers – Peter DeMets, conductor
12:30-1:30 Lunch
1:30-2:30 R&R Area Roundtables
  • Lifelong Choral Music (Community Choirs; Music in Worship)
  • Youth Choral Music (Sr. High; Jr. High/Middle School; Children and Community Youth)
  • Collegiate Choral Music
  • Ensemble-Specific (Contemporary & Commercial; Male; Women’s; Multicultural; Self-Published)
2:30-2:45 Break 
  • refreshments while you shop with The Musical Source
2:45-4:00 Session with Dr. Andrew Megill
4:00 Conference Concludes
4:15 ACDA-PA Board Meeting
ACDA-PA: American Choral Directors Association of Pennsylvania
Independent voices joining to form a common theme.