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2026 ACDA Eastern Region Conference February 25-28, 2026 Providence, Rhode Island

University of Maryland Walter Johnson High School
Chamber Singers Madrigals

The University of Maryland Chamber Singers have
achieved international renown with acclaimed per-
formances of the most challenging repertoire ranging
from the sixteenth through the twenty-first centuries. In
2011 they won the Premier Prix for Mixed Choirs and Walter Johnson High School is located in Bethes-
the Prix Ronsard for their performance of Renaissance da, MD, about twenty miles north of Washington
music at the 40th Florilège Vocal de Tours in France. DC. The Walter Johnson Madrigals have consistently
They also performed by invitation at the Tenth World received superior ratings at county and state festivals,
Symposium on Choral Music in Seoul, South Korea and have performed at the MMEA state conference,
(2014). The UMD Chamber Singers collaborate fre- the Strathmore in Bethesda, the governor’s mansion in
quently with the National Symphony Orchestra and Annapolis, the NEA foundation gala, and the opening
the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in major works of the National Museum of African American History
such as Bach’s Mass in B minor, Handel’s Messiah, and & Culture in DC. Singers from Walter Johnson have
Orff’s Carmina Burana. In addition, the ensemble has also appeared on TNT’s program “Christmas in Wash-
worked with internationally renowned conductors. ington.”

Jason Max Ferdinand is an inspirational Kelly Butler grew up in La Crosse, WI.
musician, leader, and teaching mentor She received her BME from St. Olaf
whose gifts are sought after by choirs and College in Northfield, MN, and sang in
orchestras worldwide. Since 2022 he has the St. Olaf Choir under the direction
served as the director of choral activities of Dr. Anton Armstrong. Upon moving
at the University of Maryland, having spent the preced- to Maryland, Butler completed a master’s of choral
ing fourteen years as professor at Oakwood University, conducting at the University of Maryland and sang
conducting the renowned Aeolians of Oakwood Uni- in the Chamber Choir under the direction of Dr. Ed-
versity. He is the founding artistic director of the Jason ward Maclary. She has been teaching music at Walter
Max Ferdinand Singers. In 2023 they performed at the Johnson since 2012 and has taught in Montgomery
ACDA National Conference in Cincinnati, which in- County Public Schools since 2008. She has been the
cluded a surprise appearance from Jacob Collier. This vocal director for Walter Johnson’s musicals, including
followed their appearance on Saturday Night Live with Sweeney Todd, Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera, Into
Coldplay and Jacob Collier. They made their debut at the Woods, and Aida. She and her husband have three
the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, London, in daughters and coach a summer swim team in Silver
2024. His GIA publications include Teaching with Heart: Spring, MD.
Tools for Addressing Societal Challenges Through Music and
the Jason Max Ferdinand Choral Series.

CHORAL JOURNAL January 2026 Volume 66 Number 5 23