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

Interest Sessions
In t er est S essions

Design Challenge: sonants in minutes, and frees you to program vibrant
Arranging Under Pressure Korean repertoire. Leave with a quick-reference guide,
proven rehearsal tips, and renewed confidence to in-
In this fast-paced, hands-on session, participants clude diverse voices on your stage.
will be split into teams and given just two things: a
well-known song and a pitch pipe. No scores, just voic- Sinhaeng Lee, assistant professor of mu-
es, ears, and imagination! After a brief primer on a sic and director of choral programs at
cappella arranging techniques and performance style, Colgate University, conducts the Univer-
each group will collaborate to create an arrangement sity Chorus and Chamber Singers, and
on the spot using intuition, vocal experimentation, and teaches music history. Founder/artistic
teamwork. The presenter will hop from one group director of Vox Amicis in Seoul, he champions Ko-
to another to provide insights. Afterwards, we will all rean and Western repertoire and has led choirs across
come together and share the performances in a mini fi- North America, Europe, and Asia. His DMA (Illinois),
nal concert! The goal? To foster musical instincts, build MM (Westminster), and BM (Yonsei) underpin a re-
collaboration skills, and expand a cappella arranging search focus on Korean diction, captured in his disser-
vocabulary. tation “The Choral Music of Chong Jong Yeoul.” Lee
has won the Korean Federation for the Choral Music
Shams Ahmed is an Emmy Award-win- conducting competition, placed at MidAmerica’s in-
ning producer, music director, and ar- ternational conducting competition, and will debut at
ranger based in Los Angeles. A graduate Carnegie Hall in 2026. A versatile bass-baritone and
of Northeastern University, where he di- keyboardist, he is invited regularly for masterclasses,
rected The Nor’easters, Ahmed has built ACDA/NCCO clinics, and guest conductor engage-
a career at the intersection of choral tradition, popu- ments.
lar music, and industry innovation. He made history
as the first Bangladeshi American to win an Emmy
Award for Music Direction for Ragged Old Flag: An Amer-
ican Chorus at Super Bowl LVII. He is the creator of Envision a World Without Grades:
Acapop!, a groundbreaking music brand for children Solving the Conundrum
that brought contemporary a cappella to primetime
audiences on America’s Got Talent and The Kelly Clarkson This session is for the choral music educator who is
Show. His vocal production work spans international ready to examine their grading practices to find areas
collaborations, including Invincible, a bold English/ of improvement that allow for greater access, fosters
Hindi crossover with Shreya Ghoshal and Pentatonix. leadership, elevates diverse voices, ensures equity, and
ultimately makes for a healthier and more creative mu-
sic-making space. Led by a current public school music
educator, this will be an exploration of the history of
Easy Korean Diction: grading practices and the reality of pressures on teach-
Inclusive Access to Korean Choral Works ers. Attendees will leave with a new lens from which to
view their own assessment and feedback practices. As
This is an interest session that demystifies Hangul music educators, we should be on the forefront of this
for choirs and presents a singer-friendly pronunciation movement that aims to serve every child’s health and
system that bypasses confusing romanizations, lets you well-being while providing an environment where mu-
and your ensemble master Korean vowels and con- sic making thrives without barriers. There is a better

30 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2026 Volume 66 Number 5