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

Interest Sessions
In t er est S essions

Bach for Our Time during the Covid-19 pandemic. Jackson remains an ac-
tive professional choral singer and soloist, with focuses
In a time when we are all grappling with the many in the Baroque, Renaissance, and modern eras. He has
crosscurrents in public life, turning to an anchoring fig- appeared on three Grammy-nominated albums (Best
ure like J. S. Bach can provide a moment of respite and Choral Performance) and also serves as Skylark Vocal
a chance to refresh ourselves in the ongoing musical Ensemble’s director of education, where he focuses on
stream that is our choral heritage. Both presenters have how to make Baroque and modern compositions more
extensive experience with Bach’s music, while at the accessible to large ensembles.
same time being strong advocates for current cultural
and musical trends. Responding to our twenty-first-cen-
tury landscape can mean pairing Bach with new works Beyond the Years:
from different traditions; sometimes this can mean fo-
cusing directly on this unique figure in music history. In The Vast Legacy of Florence Price
this session, we will present a list of Bach’s works that
are far more accessible to the average choir—of any Led by Dr. Stephen Spinelli (Boston Conservatory)
age, in any setting—than might be imagined. We will and Prof. Tamara Acosta (Ithaca College), with guest
sing through pieces by Bach as well as contemporary expert Brenda Ulrich, JD, this session explores Flor-
works that use Bach as a reference point. ence Price’s vocal music as a lens into autobiography,
race, and authorship. Participants will engage with rare
Chris Shepard launched The Complete manuscripts, critical editions, and recordings—includ-
Bach in 2024, a 132-concert project to ing selections from ONEcomposer’s Grammy-winning
present live performances of all of J. S. album. A primer on copyright law will address how sys-
Bach’s works for the first time. Shepard is temic barriers shaped Price’s exclusion and what her
a conductor and music director of CON- entry into the public domain means for today’s per-
CORA (CT’s oldest professional choir), the Worcester formers and educators. Attendees will receive a curated
Chorus, and Con Brio Choral Society. He has been the guide to current research, scores, and archival holdings.
steward of two longstanding annual Handel’s Messiah More than a historical correction, this session presents
traditions: Worcester Chorus’s annual performance at a path forward—toward a choral future that is inclu-
Mechanics Hall; and from 2015 to 2023 he conducted sive, representative, and resonant.
annual performances at Carnegie Hall by the Master-
work Chorus. He holds degrees from the Hartt School, Stephen Spinelli is director of choral
the Yale School of Music, and the University of Syd- studies at the Boston Conservatory at
ney, where his PhD thesis on the performance history Berklee and music director of the Back
of the B Minor Mass received ACDA’s 2012 Julius Her- Bay Chorale. Formerly assistant direc-
ford Prize. tor of choral programs at Cornell, he
has taught at several universities and performed with
Christopher Jackson is the artistic direc- leading vocal ensembles, including The Crossing and
tor and conductor of the Bach Choir of Roomful of Teeth. He is cofounder of ONEcompos-
Bethlehem, America’s oldest Bach choir, er, a nonprofit dedicated to celebrating historically
founded in 1898. He has worked for excluded musical voices. ONEcomposer’s 2024 debut
eighteen years as a conductor, educator, album, Beyond the Years: Unpublished Songs of Florence Price,
professional singer, and scholar. He was nominated as a won the 2025 Grammy for Best Classical Solo Vocal
finalist for the American Prize in Virtual Performance Album. Spinelli curated, edited, and coproduced the
for his work with the Muhlenberg College choirs project based on archival research. A former Beinecke

28 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2026 Volume 66 Number 5