Page 64 - CJJanuary2026

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

In t er est S essions
Interest Sessions

the University of Michigan Women’s Glee Club during In Her Voice:
her doctoral studies at the University of Michigan. Spotlighting Female Choral Composers

Gerald Case-Blanchard, baritone, serves The purpose of this interest session is to introduce
as vocal director and music program area attendees to In Her Voice: Spotlighting Female Choral Com-
coordinator at Kellogg Community Col- posers (GIA, 2025), a book that focuses only on women
lege, where he has taught since 2004. A composers who write primarily for choral ensembles
native of Philadelphia, he holds a BME and who represent a span of several centuries, multiple
from West Chester University of Pennsylvania, an MM countries, and various genres of music. Fifty-six authors
in vocal performance from Central Michigan Univer- wrote about 225 composers, giving information about
sity, and a DMA in voice performance from Michigan their lives and music. Each entry includes biographical
State University. His recordings include With a Song in information; the titles of several compositions with de-
My Heart (Blue Griffin Records), I Can Tell the World, Live tails about voicing, instrumentation, duration, publish-
with the Earl Nelson Singers, and Mozart’s Requiem with the ers; and a bibliography for further reference. A panel of
Detroit Symphony Civic Orchestra. He has held facul- four people involved in the book’s creation will describe
ty appointments at the University of Michigan–Flint, the context of the project and share video recordings
Adrian College, Lansing Community College, and the from additional contributors.
Michigan State University Community Music School.
He currently serves on the board of directors for Mich- Hilary Apfelstadt is professor emerita of
igan ACDA. choral studies at the University of Toron-
to. She remains active as a guest conduc-
Steven Hankle is associate professor of tor, clinician, masterclass presenter, and
choral music and music education at the author. She has served ACDA as interim
University of Dayton, where he directs executive director, national president, Central Region
the University Chorale and Bella Voce president, North Carolina president, and has received
and teaches choral conducting and meth- leadership awards from both ACDA (NC-ACDA,
ods. He also serves as chorus director for the Dayton Ohio-ACDA, Central Region, Midwestern Region)
Philharmonic Orchestra Chorus and as choral facul- and Choirs Ontario in Canada. She has taught public
ty at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, where he conducts school, community, and church choirs and was a faculty
the Festival Choir, Vocal Ensemble, and Staff Choir. A member at the University of North Carolina-Greens-
versatile conductor and educator, Hankle has led per- boro and The Ohio State University. Her ensembles
formances of major works by Rutter, Brahms, Hagen- have performed at conferences of ACDA and Choral
berg, Thomas, Faure, and Mozart, and has served as Canada, and she has guest conducted many festival
conductor, clinician, and adjudicator throughout the choirs, including forty all-state choirs in the United
United States, Kenya, and Mexico. A native of Chi- States and the National Youth Choir of Canada. She
cago, Hankle earned degrees from San Francisco State curates a choral series by Canadian composers for Hin-
University and The Florida State University. shaw Music.

Alan Troy Davis is a conductor, music ed-
ucator, voice teacher, and tenor with ex-
perience in academic, church, and com-
munity music settings. Davis has taught
choral music at high schools in Oregon,

62 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2026 Volume 66 Number 5