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2022 ACDA Midwestern Region Conference

Performing Choirs

Wartburg College Africa, and three Canadian provinces. The Wartburg

Choir represents one of the five vibrant choral ensem-
Wartburg Choir
bles offered through the music department. The Wart-

burg Choir was named the national winner of The
American Prize in Choral Performance (college/uni-
versity division) in 2017.

Lee Nelson is the Patricia R. Zahn Chair
in Choral Conducting and director of
choral activities at Wartburg College. He
conducts the Wartburg Choir, the Rit-
terchor (tenor/bass choir) and teaches
courses in beginning and advanced conducting. Un-
der Nelson’s direction, the Wartburg Choir has per-
formed nationally and internationally and was recent-
Founded in 1937, the internationally acclaimed Wart- ly honored as the national winner of The American
burg Choir performs sacred music from all historical Prize, College/University Choir Division. Nelson has
periods and styles and often collaborates with contem- conducted the choir at multiple ACDA conferences,
porary composers. The choir has toured domestically including the 2017 National Conference, and at a
and internationally, visiting 38 U.S. states, the District of performance for the White House and the National
Columbia, 23 European countries, Scandinavia, South Cathedral in Washington, DC.

2022 ACDA Midwestern Region Conference

Interest Sessions

Amplifying Womxn’s Voices: and a “Repertoire Accountability from California State Polytechnic
An Intersectional Approach to Checklist” to help evaluate reper- University, Pomona. Previously, she
toire through a more equitable lens. taught middle and high school choir
Equity in the Choral Ensemble
in the Los Angeles area for nearly a
Alyssa Cossey is an decade.
Utilizing an intersectional ap- assistant professor of
proach, this session will address eq- choral music and music
uity through programming by high- education at the Uni-
lighting repertoire written by womxn, versity of Arizona. She Beyond Words:
acknowledging the intersection of is a clinician, adjudicator, guest con- Creative Text Exploration
race and gender in choral repertoire, ductor, and presenter as well as an
and providing suggestions for how to inaugural member of the profession- in the Choral Rehearsal
reframe or replace problematic mu- al women’s choir mirabai. Cossey
sic. Attendees will also have access to holds a DMA from Michigan State A distinguishing element of cho-
composer and repertoire databases, University, an MM from California ral music is text, but too often we
informative playlists and podcasts, State University, Fullerton, and a BA bypass rich discussion of its meaning

44 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2022 Volume 62 Number 5