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STANDING COMMITTEES
From the
Executive Director

ADVOCACY & COLLABORATION
EMILY WILLIAMS BURCH, CHAIR
EmilyWilliamsBurch@gmail.com Juncta Juvant - “Strength In Unity”

COMPOSITION INITIATIVES Juncta Juvant, translated as strength in unity, is

DAN FORREST, CHAIR written on the seal for the City of Cincinnati. Our
dan@danforrest.com

conference theme of “Belonging” fits perfectly as we
DIVERSITY INITIATIVES set our sights on convening in Cincinnati for the 2023
ARREON HARLEY-EMERSON, CHAIR Robyn Hilger National Conference. From the conference commit-
aharley@choirschoolofdelaware.org tee, to every honor choir submission, to each interest

session proposal and every concert program planned, to the hundreds of
EDUCATION & COMMUNICATION people who served as adjudicators, this conference has been built from
JAMILA MCWHIRTER, CHAIR the hard work, passion, and dedication of all of you. We cannot thank
jamila.mcwhirter@mtsu.edu you enough for the hours you have spent to create an offering that is truly
designed to elevate Belonging in every way in ACDA.
INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES This conference has two new and unique features that we want to
JOSHUA HABERMANN, CHAIR raise to your level of awareness as not to be missed. First is the inclusion
joshhabermann@gmail.com of Insight Choirs as part of the National program. The name of Insight
Choirs is truly a description of the insight that will be gained from these
REPERTOIRE & RESOURCES sessions in understanding how these choirs demonstrate the intersection
GRETCHEN HARRISON, CHAIR between pedagogy, practice, values, and connection to the communities
nationalrr@acda.org they serve. From choirs that serve refugees to those celebrating cultural
heritage or even utilizing the ensemble as a vehicle to explore matters of
RESEARCH & PUBLICATIONS
social justice, you will not want to miss these sessions.
JESSICA NAPOLES, CHAIR The second new opportunity is one of participation: Immersion
Jessica.Napoles@unt.edu

Choirs. Immersion Choirs are free, optional experiences intended to
provide artistic, cultural, and educational experiences for attendees. You
are encouraged to immerse yourself in a wealth of literature, styles, and
rehearsal techniques that may be different from your own traditions and
ADVOCACY STATEMENT experiences. Gold track Immersion Choirs are the Black Diaspora Im-
mersion Choir and the Indigenous People’s Immersion Choir. Blue track
The human spirit is elevated to a broader understanding
of itself and its place in the world through the study of and Immersion Choirs are the Vocal Jazz Immersion Choir and the Latinoa-
participation in choral music. Singing in a choir produces mérica Immersion Choir. The culmination of these experiences will be
more active and involved citizens. It affects self-worth on Saturday with an All-Conference Sing! Participation is limited to 200
in youth and adults. It builds connectivity throughout participants per choir, so you will want to register early to ensure you have
communities. Society benefits from the aesthetic beauty a spot! You can find additional descriptions about the Immersion Choirs
and community of singers created by choral programs on the FAQ page of the conference website.
within schools, houses of worship, and community
organizations through involved citizenry, connectivity We are excited to announce the launch of the new ACDA Conference
throughout communities, and feelings of personal self- App for Cincinnati as well. We have been hard at work to improve our
worth. The American Choral Directors Association and conferencing app experience. A big thanks to Voices United (a collabora-
its membership resolve to ensure the survival of choral tive summer conference of the Delaware, Maryland/DC, and Virginia
programs for this and future generations by: chapters) for helping us with our pilot. Stay tuned to your ACDA weekly
Actively voicing support for funding at local, state, and e-newsletter and conference attendee updates for more information. See
national levels of education and government; collaborating you in Cincinnati!
with local and national organizations to ensure the
distribution of arts funding data and arts-related activism
opportunities; advocating for full access to choral singing
and inclusion of all singers in a choral program; and
ensuring the distribution of advocacy statements and data
regarding choral programs.