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

Morningside University Pleasant Valley High School
Morningside Choir Leading Tones

The Pleasant Valley Leading Tones are an extra-
curricular ensemble specializing in a cappella perfor-
The Morningside Choir, the university’s premier mance of vocal jazz literature. The ensemble strives for
forty-member auditioned choral ensemble, has main- flexibility of tone through a variety of genres within
tained a respected tradition of artistic excellence vocal jazz. Their studies include exploration of stan-
for one hundred years. The choir consists of under- dards, listening to essential recordings and artists, exer-
graduate student musicians from various major areas cises in improvisation, and solo performance. Members
of study. In addition to performing at the 2024 Mid- are expected to prepare independently or in student-
western ACDA Region Conference, the ensemble was led sectionals so that rehearsals are truly a group-led
featured as a demonstration choir at the 2023 ACDA effort. Students in the Leading Tones are notably self-
National Conference Undergraduate Choral Conduct- reliant, while giving their all to a remarkably coopera-
ing Institute Masterclass. tive, team-based ensemble. Leading Tones members
also represent PVHS in the all-state chorus, all-state
Ryan Person serves as director of choral jazz choir, and ACDA honor choirs.
activities and assistant professor of mu-
sic at Morningside University in Sioux Meg Byrne is the director of vocal music
City, Iowa. He conducts the Morning- at Pleasant Valley High School, a posi-
side Choir, which tours and performs at tion she has held for twenty-nine years.
continental and national destinations each year. His She directs the Chamber Choir, Treble
choirs have been invited to participate ACDA national Chamber Choir, and the Leading Tones,
conference, North Central ACDA conference, Dvorak an a cappella jazz choir. A quarterfinalist for the Gram-
Music Festival in the Czech Republic, and Iowa Cho- my music educators’ award in 2022 and 2023, she also
ral Directors Association Showcase. Additionally, he teaches AP Music Theory and has worked as music de-
has co-presented at the NCCO conference and been partment chair and instructional lead for vocal music.
invited to conduct numerous honor choir and all-state Byrne sings regularly with the Augustana Choral Art-
festivals. Person earned a DMA from Texas Tech, MM ists under the direction of Jon Hurty. She holds degrees
from Michigan State University, and BA from Luther from Bryn Mawr College, the University of Northern
College. Iowa, and Western Illinois University. She is the High
School R&R chair for the Iowa Choral Directors As-
sociation.

CHORAL JOURNAL January 2024 Volume 64 Number 5 43