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

Missouri State University Neosho High School
Women’s Chorus Choraleers

The Missouri State University Women’s Chorus Choraleers is the varsity mixed choir at NHS and
was founded in 2014 and is open to all MSU students. has been in existence since 1968. They have a busy
Women’s Chorus personnel consist mostly of under- performance schedule, actively performing through-
graduate students who come from diverse backgrounds out the year as both a concert choir and a competitive
and a variety of majors. The Women’s Chorus per- show choir. Choraleers consistently advance to finals
forms multiple concerts each semester and tours to at show choir competitions and have earned several
area high schools and throughout the region and was grand champion awards in recent years, as well as con-
invited to perform at the Missouri MEA 2022 in-ser- sistently earning exemplary ratings at MSHSAA state
vice conference, the 2022 SWACDA Conference, and large ensemble contest as a concert choir. The group
the 2023 National ACDA Conference. In November averages fifty to fifty-five members in grades 9-12.
2023, the Women’s Chorus performed at the NCCO Members tend to be highly involved in the vocal music
National Conference, where they performed a world- department at NHS as well as regularly participating
premiere work by Reena Esmail. in all-district, all-state, SWACDA, and ACDA National
honor choirs.
Erin Plisco is the associate director of
choral studies at Missouri State Uni- Melanie Soule received her BME from
versity. She is a frequent guest clinician the University of Central Missouri and
across the United States and abroad and has taught high school for twenty-one
currently serves as the National ACDA years. She has been at Neosho High
SSAA R&R chair. Choirs under her direction have School for fifteen years, where she directs
performed at the 2022 Southwestern ACDA Region show choirs, concert choirs, and teaches a voice class.
Conference, the 2022 and 2025 Missouri MEA Con- Soule has served as the music director for many school
ferences, the 2023 National ACDA Conference, the musicals, served as both a judge and clinician at show
2023 NCCO National Conference, and Carnegie Hall. choir competitions and MSHSAA contests, and has
Plisco completed the DMA in choral conducting from mentored several student teachers and young educa-
the University of Arizona. She also studied at Trini- tors. She has served on the executive board for MCDA
ty College, University of Cambridge, where she was a and is the SWMMEA district president, a music rules
recipient of the prestigious Gates Cambridge Scholar- interpreter for MSHSAA, and is on staff for the Mis-
ship. souri Ambassadors of Music.

CHORAL JOURNAL January 2026 Volume 66 Number 5 155