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

P er f orming C hoirs
Performing Choirs

University of Tennessee chestra and other UT choirs to perform masterworks
Men’s Chorale of the choral repertoire.

Andrew Skoog made his Carnegie Hall
debut as tenor soloist in Handel’s Messiah
with the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orches-
tra conducted by Sir John Rutter. Skoog
has sung with orchestras all across the
United States, including the American Symphony Or-
chestra in Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. Skoog
made his international debut singing Carmina Burana
with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra in Bergen,
Norway. Critics hail him as ideal in Carmina Burana,
The University of Tennessee Men’s Chorale is open which he has performed forty-eight times across the
to all UT students and focuses on building communi- United States and abroad. Twice a Metropolitan Op-
ty through the choral tradition while exploring a wide era regional finalist, Skoog made his professional oper-
range of repertoire written specifically for tenor and atic debut as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with Opera
bass voices. In addition to regularly scheduled sea- San Antonio. Skoog is professor of voice at the Uni-
sonal concerts, the Men’s Chorale performs outreach versity of Tennessee, where he also conducts the UT
concerts across east Tennessee and performs for UT Men’s Chorale.
Volunteer Men’s and Lady Volunteers sporting events.
They occasionally join with the UT Symphony Or-

2026 ACDA Southern Region Conference

Interest Sessions
In t er est S essions

Access and Belonging in Adult Choirs non-auditioned choruses, including a pop choir in the
UK, a university-affiliated community ensemble, a
as a Societal Benefit children’s choir program, a suburban women’s choir,
a large city community choir, and a family of chorus-
How does the promotion of belonging in choirs ben- es based around a single genre. Session attendees will
efit not only singers but also the larger society as we leave with suggested practices for use with their own
face increasing loneliness, high levels of anxiety, and ensembles.
sociocultural divisions? This presentation summarizes
current social science findings on the effectiveness of Helena von Rueden is Elliott Associate
group singing at improving well-being and bridging Professor of Music at Hampden-Sydney
social differences. This session presents data collect- College, a small liberal arts college in
ed from interviews of prominent directors who lead VA, where she teaches conducting, pia-

116 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2026 Volume 66 Number 5