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2026 ACDA Midwestern Region Conference February 25-28, 2026 Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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Angelica Cantanti Youth Choirs Bowling Green State University
Concert Choir Men’s Chorus

The Angelica Cantanti Youth Choirs is one of the The Bowling Green State University Men’s Chorus
oldest and most respected children’s community cho- is open to all tenor and bass students, faculty, and staff.
ral programs in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area. The The ensemble encompasses students from across many
artistic staff includes directors Ann Williams, Michelle majors, representing all seven colleges at the Universi-
Gehrz, Elizabeth Egger, and Dr. Joseph Kemper. ty, with over half being non-music majors. The chorus
ACYC offers ten ensembles for singers in grades K–12, functions both as a student organization and as a course
including opportunities for diverse levels of experience offered through the College of Musical Arts, promot-
and an adaptive program for youth with special needs. ing an atmosphere of camaraderie and exemplary mu-
ACYC is guided by its mission to inspire and nurture sicianship. During the group’s fifty years of existence,
a creative community of singers through high-quali- the BGSU Men’s Chorus has toured annually, produced
ty choral experiences. Performance highlights include numerous recordings, and performed at state, region-
the 2018 Super Bowl, National ACDA Conferences in al, and national conferences and seminars of ACDA,
2019 and 2025, and recognition as the Best Communi- NAfME, and IMC.
ty Choir in Minnesota.
Richard Schnipke, DMA, serves as di-
Elizabeth Egger (she/her) directs the An- rector of choral activities and associate
gelica Cantanti Youth Choir’s Concert professor of music performance studies at
Choir and teaches choir at Scott High- Bowling Green State University. His duties
lands Middle School in Apple Valley, include conducting the Collegiate Cho-
MN. Her ensembles have performed at rale and the University Men’s Chorus as well as teach-
MMEA (2014, 2015, 2025) and ACDA (2015, 2022). ing graduate and undergraduate courses in choral con-
She conducted ACYC singers at Super Bowl LII (2018) ducting and choral literature. Previously, Schnipke was
and led the children’s chorus for Mahler’s Symphony of a member of the faculty at Xavier University and The
a Thousand with Osmo Vänskä (2022). In 2024–2025, Ohio State University, and was a public school choral
she presented at MMEA and ACDA conferences and director in Ohio for fifteen years. As a vocalist, Schnip-
directed the Children’s Chorus for Turandot with the ke has sung professionally with Cincinnati’s Vocal Arts
Minnesota Orchestra. Also a passionate performer, she Ensemble, the Cincinnati Fusion Ensemble, Collegium
has sung with professional ensembles across the Mid- Cincinnati, Cincinnati Opera, and Opera Columbus.
west. Egger holds an MME from the University of St. Schnipke also presents frequently on the incorporation
Thomas and a BM from the University of Minnesota. on Dalcroze Eurhythmics in the choral rehearsal.

50 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2026 Volume 66 Number 5