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2024 ACDA Western Region Conference March 6-9, 2024 Pasadena, California

Performing Choirs
P er f orming C hoirs

San Juan Hills High School Saugus High School
Chamber Singers Blue Notes

The San Juan Hills High School Chamber Singers Blue Notes is Saugus High School’s top vocal jazz
is the most advanced audition-only choral ensemble choir. Under the direction of Kaitlin Holt for the past
in the choral/vocal arts department at SJHHS. The five years, this award-winning ensemble has sung in
Chamber Singers have built a reputation of singing various jazz festivals and competitions throughout
challenging works from a variety of historical periods Southern California, including the Fullerton College
of music and cultures from around the world. In Febru- Jazz Festival (First Place in HS Vocal Jazz/Intermedi-
ary 2023, the Chamber Singers performed at the Cali- ate, 2022; Third Place in HS Vocal Jazz/Advanced,
fornia All-State Music Educators Conference in Fresno, 2023). Blue Notes singers consistently place in both
California. The choir has performed many functions regional and all-state Vocal Jazz High School Honor
around the Capistrano Unified School District and is Choirs. Saugus High School Blue Notes comprises in-
proud to be a part of the SJHHS Stallion Family. spiringly resilient students who are honored to be per-
forming at their first ACDA conference.
Michael Ushino serves as the director of
the choral/vocal arts department and the Kaitlin Holt is head of the choral program
Vocal Music Conservatory at San Juan at Saugus High School in Saugus, Califor-
Hills High School. He received his MM nia, where she directs five award-winning
from the Bob Cole Conservatory at Cali- vocal ensembles and teaches the Music
fornia State University, Long Beach, and also studied Industry Career Technology Pathway
at University of California, Irvine. He currently serves courses. She actively performs with various groups in
as the president-elect of the Southern California Vocal the Los Angeles area, including her all-female acapella
Association and previously served as the High School quartet “Angeles.” Holt holds a BME in choral studies
Honor Choir Vice President. Ushino also serves as the from CSU Long Beach, an associate’s degree in jazz
co-artistic director of the Men in Blaque, based in Ir- studies from Cuesta College, and recently completed
vine, California. the coursework for her master’s from CSU Los Ange-
les. She currently serves as the Southern California Vo-
cal Association Vocal Jazz Festival chair.

176 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2024 Volume 64 Number 5