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2024 ACDA Southern Region Conference February 21-24, 2024 Louisville, Kentucky

P er f orming C hoirs
Performing Choirs

Lafayette High School Miami Arts Studio 6-12 @Zelda Glazer

Madrigal Singers BellArmonia

The Madrigal Singers are recognized for outstand- BellArmonia is the premier SSAA ensemble at Mi-
ing choral singing in a variety of styles and genres. The ami Arts Studio 6-12 @ Zelda Glazer, a performing
group has performed for the Kentucky MEA Con- arts magnet school located in Miami, Florida. This
ference (2009, 2015, 2020, 2024) and for the ACDA ensemble is made up of Hispanic students who are
Southern Region Conference (2010, 2018, 2024) and all first- or second-generation immigrants from Latin
was awarded two silver medals at the World Choir America. Each time we travel to a new place we try
Games in Cincinnati in 2012. The choir won a gold to bring a piece of Miami with us by preparing rep-
diploma and the mixed youth choir category in the ertoire in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole. The
2014 Sing ‘N’ Joy International competition in Louis- MAS Vocal family consists of a united group of stu-
ville. The choir appeared as a featured choir at the In- dents, parents, alumni, teachers and administrators
augural Music for All-National Choir Festival in 2018, working toward our goal of building musical skills into
and served as a demonstration choir for the conductors' performances that inspire our community, country and
masterclass with the late Dr. Joseph Flummerfelt. world.

Ryan Marsh holds bachelor’s and master’s Cindy Ellis is a Cuban American music
degrees from the University of Louisville. educator and vocalist. As a jazz vocal
He holds National Board Certification in soloist and alto with the Jason Max Fer-
vocal music and has completed course- dinand Singers, Ellis frequently performs
work at the doctoral level at the Univer- and teaches masterclasses to K-12 stu-
sity of Kentucky. Marsh is in his twenty-first year as dents throughout North America. Most recently, the
director of choirs, also teaching AP Music Theory and JMAX Singers collaborated with Jacob Collier and
serving as the program coordinator for the School for Coldplay for NBC’s Saturday Night Live and were the
Creative and Performing Arts magnet program at La- headlining ensemble at the 2023 ACDA National Con-
fayette. His choirs have appeared at KMEA and ACDA ference. A native of Holguín, Cuba, Ellis immigrated
conferences and consistently receive distinguished rat- to the United States in 2005. She earned her BME
ings at assessment events. He is also a contributing au- from Florida International University and her MME
thor to the Teaching With Heart compendium series by from the University of Missouri. Ellis is one of two full-
Jason Max Ferdinand. time choral directors at Miami Arts Studio.

72 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2024 Volume 64 Number 5