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2026 ACDA Southwestern Region Conference March 4-7, 2026 Albuquerque, New Mexico

Performing Choirs
P er f orming C hoirs

Christ Church Cathedral Danielson Middle School

Treble Choir of Houston Varsity Treble Choir

The Treble Choir of Houston at Christ Church
Cathedral is an acclaimed ensemble of young women The Danielson Middle School choir program,
grades 5-12 that provides outstanding musical training founded in 2020, is home to approximately 250 stu-
in a nurturing environment. The Treble Choir was dents spread over six ensembles. The Varsity Treble
founded in 2006 by Marianna Parnas-Simpson. The Choir is an auditioned group of seventh and eighth
ensemble performs widely in the community and also graders who consistently receive sweepstakes at UIL
service as the resident children’s choir at Christ Church concert and sight-reading contest. Members of this
Cathedral, Houston. Highlights include: featured per- group have earned chairs in the Region 32 all-region
formance in Carnegie Hall and the Kathomew Inter- choir and have received first division ratings at solo
national Choral Festival, and an annual collaboration and ensemble contest. Varsity Treble members are in-
with the Grammy Award-winning Houston Chamber volved in a variety of extracurricular activities. Multi-
Choir Christmas at the Villa de Matel. disciplinary support has built a strong community of
singers, and growth continues, looking to the future of
Marianna Parnas-Simpson was born our program.
and raised in Ukraine and graduated
with a master’s degree in choral conduct- Stephanie Rayl is in her fifth year of
ing from the St. Petersburg Conservatory, teaching, with three years as the head
Russia. She founded the award-winning choir director at Danielson Middle
St. Petersburg Girls’ Choir, KAMERTON, which she School in Leander ISD. DMS choirs
directed for ten years before coming to the United consistently earn superior ratings at UIL
States. Since 2000, Simpson has taught at Parker El- Contest and perform at district festivals and commu-
ementary School, a HISD Magnet school for music. nity events. She is committed to fostering musical ex-
In 2002, Parker Music Program received the Signature cellence and leadership among members of her choral

Grammy Award. Parnas-Simpson was named Teach- program. Rayl graduated from the Cleveland Institute
er of the Year in 2005. Her choirs were the winners of Music and Case Western Reserve University, receiv-
of the American Prize Competition and performed at ing a BM in voice and a BA in international studies.
National ACDA (3x) and TMEA (5x). Parnas-Simpson She completed her MME at the University of Illinois
is in high demand as a clinician and conductor in the at Urbana-Champaign before returning to her home-
United States and abroad. town of Austin.

CHORAL JOURNAL January 2026 Volume 66 Number 5 149