Page 104 - CJJanuary2026

2026 ACDA Southern Region Conference March 4-7, 2026 Memphis, Tennessee

Headliner/President’s Concert
H eadliner/P r esiden t ’ s C onc er t

Scholar Program, Fashun lived in Salvador da Bahia, tet, and Men’s and Women’s Vocal Ensembles. Towers
Brazil, researching Afro-Brazilian music and culture. has adjudicated choral festivals and competitions at the
His project title, “The Dissemination of Afro-Brazilian local, state, and national levels, including for South-
Music in Salvador da Bahia,” explored the cultural, ra- ern ACDA Region. He has served as president of the
cial, religious, and musical milieu that contribute to the MACJC Choral Directors Association and currently
shared musical identity of Afro-Brazilians. leads the two-year college R&R division of Mississippi
ACDA. Towers holds a PhD and an MME from the
University of Mississippi.
Coahoma Community College
Concert Choir
Mississippi Valley State University
Valley Singers

The Coahoma Community College Concert Choir
maintains an established reputation in Mississippi for
performing diverse repertoire that includes arranged
concert spirituals, oratorios, and gospel music. They
have sung at the Congressional Black Caucus Foun-
dation in Washington DC, Mississippi ACDA, and the The Valley Singers have been Mississippi Valley
Southern Miss Invitational Choral Conference. Kel- State University’s premier choral ensemble since 1960
vin K. Tower’s arrangement of “A Change is Gonna and exemplify the university’s commitment to excel-
Come” was featured in the internationally aired Pulse lence in the performing arts. Comprising forty-five
film documentary (London, England). The choir con- select vocalists, the Valley Singers represent the pinna-
tinues to garner the profoundly honored place of rep- cle of MVSU’s choral tradition, showcasing a diverse
resenting Coahoma Community College nationally repertoire that spans centuries and styles. The Valley
and globally. They have toured throughout the United Singers have earned invitations to prestigious confer-
States and most recently in Tokyo, Japan. ences and festivals, including their historic debut at the
2025 Mississippi MEA/Mississippi ACDA State Con-
Kelvin K. Towers serves as the fine arts ference. The ensemble also represented the university
department chair and director of cho- on the international stage at the 2025 International Ve-
ral activities at Coahoma Community rona Choral Competition in Italy, where they proudly
College in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Since received the Silver Cup in their category.
joining the college in 2002, Towers has
built a distinguished twenty-three-year career leading Brandon T. Cash is director of choral activities and as-
a wide range of vocal ensembles including Concert sistant professor of music at Mississippi Valley State
Choir, Gospel Choir, Show Choir, Barbershop Quar- University, where he conducts the University Choir,

102 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2026 Volume 66 Number 5