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2024 ACDA Midwestern Region Conference February 7-10, 2024 Omaha, Nebraska

Performing Choirs
P er f orming C hoirs

Angelica Cantanti Youth Choirs Ankeny High School
Cantanti Singers Concert Choir

The Ankeny High School Concert Choir is the pre-
The Angelica Cantanti Youth Choirs—Cantanti mier choral ensemble at Ankeny High School in Anke-
Singers is an SATB community choir with members ny, Iowa, and is one of six performing ensembles in an
representing thirty-six different high schools around award-winning comprehensive vocal music program.
the Minneapolis and St. Paul areas. The singers in Students in grades 10-12 undergo a competitive audi-
grades 9-12 rehearse once a week and are conducted by tion process for selection each year. The ensemble has
Philip Brown with collaborative pianist Jamie Schmidt. shared the stage with numerous collegiate and profes-
The award-winning Angelica Cantanti Youth Choirs sional choirs, was the featured guest choir at the Wart-
(ACYC) program was founded in 1980 and currently burg College Meistersinger Honor Choir Festival, and
has nine ensembles for singers in grades K–12, an adult was selected to perform for the 2020 Midwestern Re-
alumni choir, and a music class for singers with special gion ACDA Conference and for the Iowa Choral Di-
needs. Singers in ACYC performed at the 2018 Super rectors Association’s Iowa Choral Showcase in 2018.
Bowl.

Ben Walters is in his eighteenth year of
Philip Brown is the director of choral
activities at Totino-Grace High School music education in Iowa, and eighth as
and conductor of the high school choirs director of choral activities at Ankeny
with Angelica Cantanti Youth Choirs. He High School in Ankeny, Iowa, where
graduated from Bethany College (KS) he oversees an award-winning compre-
and received his MME from Northern Arizona Univer- hensive vocal music program of six ensembles involv-
sity. At Totino-Grace he conducts the curricular choirs ing approximately 275 singers. He conducts Ankeny’s
and heads the competitive show choir program. Brown most select choral ensemble, Concert Choir, the audi-
also conducts the Cantanti Singers, Treble Singers, and tioned treble ensemble Cantorei, and the varsity show
Tenor/Bass Ensemble—choirs of high school singers choir, Visual Adrenaline. Walters is in demand across
from across the twin cities as part of the Angelica Can- the metro and state as a judge and clinician for show
tanti Youth Choirs organization. He conducted the choir, all-state, and solo/ensemble contest events in ad-
Angelica Cantanti Youth Choirs—Treble Singers at dition to frequently serving as an adjudicator at numer-
the 2019 National ACDA Conference. ous Iowa High School Music Association Festivals and
Contests.

40 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2024 Volume 64 Number 5