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From the NATIONAL OFFICERS

President

PRESIDENT
DAVID FRYLING
I recently had the pleasure of joining ACDA Na- dfryling@acda.org
tional Vice President, Edie Copley, in a conversation
with Grammy-winning conductor JoAnn Falletta, VICE PRESIDENT
who will lead the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and EDITH COPLEY
ecopley@acda.org
Chorus in a performance of Verdi’s Messa da Requiem
at the ACDA National Conference in Dallas. PRESIDENT-ELECT
David Fryling Maestra Falletta has conducted Verdi’s Requiem PEARL SHANGKUAN
numerous times, but she describes it as a piece that pearl.shangkuan@calvin.edu
always feels fresh and overwhelming. “It’s a journey that has so many twists
and turns,” she says. “You come out at the end of it feeling like you’ve SECRETARY/TREASURER
been through an enormous personal struggle, which is [Verdi’s] struggle. TOM MERRILL
And yet, it ends with hope.” merrilltg@gmail.com
For Falletta, Verdi’s Requiem blends fear, hope, and faith in a way that PAST PRESIDENT
is uniquely Verdi. She notes the raw power of the work’s Dies Irae, which ANDRÉ THOMAS
she first encountered reading its text during funeral masses as a child. Even athomas@acda.org
then, she was struck by its terrifying imagery. Conducting the text now, she
says, “The Requiem is like stepping into Verdi’s inner world. It’s a journey EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
filled with anger, hope, and fear—a rollercoaster of emotion that leaves you ROBYN HILGER
executivedirector@acda.org
breathless. Each performance feels as if it’s my first time conducting it.”
Of course, so much of what makes this work beloved is the choral col- NATIONAL R&R CHAIR
laboration at its heart. Falletta speaks of her deep appreciation of choral GRETCHEN HARRISON
ensembles and, specifically, their chorus masters, whom she credits with nationalrr@acda.org
creating an expectation of “extraordinary excellence” in each choral EASTERN REGION PRESIDENT
collaboration. She seems to truly treasure working closely with choruses, AMANDA HANZLIK
marveling at the unique beauty only a choir can create. “There’s nothing amandahanzlik@gmail.com
like it in the orchestra alone,” she says.
One of the first women to gain prominence in the orchestral conducting MIDWESTERN REGION PRESIDENT
world, Falletta also reflects on the challenges she personally faced coming DERRICK FOX
up as well as the progress that has since been made in the field. To improve foxderri@msu.edu
equity and access, Falletta has been an advocate for and contributor to NORTHWESTERN REGION PRESIDENT
conducting apprentice programs that give young female conductors a STEVEN ZIELKE
platform to learn and grow. Today, she sees more women on the podium stevenzielke@nwacda.org
and is quite optimistic about the future.
I encourage you to watch our entire interview with Maestra Falletta. SOUTHERN REGION PRESIDENT
Links to our conversation will be shared in your ACDA weekly email JEFFERY AMES
digest and posted to the ACDA website. It’s the perfect way to whet your jefferyacdasouthern@gmail.com
aural appetite in anticipation of what is sure to be an epic performance SOUTHWESTERN REGION PRESIDENT
in Dallas. See you there!
JONATHAN D. OWEN
Jonathano@swacda.org

WESTERN REGION PRESIDENT
JULIE DANA
jreydana@comcast.com

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATE REPRESENTATIVE
OLIVER SCOFIELD
KI Concerts
CHORAL JOURNAL February 2025 Volume 65 Number 6 3 oliver@kiconcerts.com