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2026 ACDA Northwestern Region Conference March 4-7, 2026 Tacoma, Washington

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Headliner Concert/Opening Night Concert
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and the Tacoma Youth Chorus. She presents work-
Headliner Concert shops and master classes in schools throughout the
region and is in demand as a clinician, adjudicator,
All of Us: presenter, and guest conductor. Recent guest conduct-
Considering Matthew Shepherd ing highlights include the Seattle Men’s & Women’s
Choruses and the Shaoxing Philharmonic Children’s
Chorus in China.
Our headliner concert is a collaborative performance
of Craig Hella Johnson’s three-part fusion oratorio on
the murder of Matthew Shepherd, featuring singers University of Washington
from Seattle University and the University of Wash-
ington; coaching by the composer, Craig Hella John- Chamber Singers
son; staging design by Rod Caspers; and projections
by visual artist Camilla Tassi. Composed on the eve
of the twentieth anniversary of Matthew’s death, the
work premiered in 2016 by Conspirare and has been
performed by hundreds of choirs around the world,
leaving listeners hopeful and joyous while spreading a
message of compassion and understanding.

Seattle University
Chorale, Chamber Singers, and University Singers

Geoffrey Boers is director of choral ac-
tivities at the University of Washington
in Seattle, a program widely recognized
as forward thinking, unique, and of great
distinction. Under his direction, the grad-
uate choral program has developed a singular mission:
to nurture the whole student as conductor-teacher-ser-
vant-leader-scholar. Boers maintains an active conduct-
ing, teaching, workshop, and clinic schedule, and in ad-
dition to his position at the UW, he sings professionally
and is the conductor of the Tacoma Symphony Cho-
Leann Conley-Holcom has served as di- rus, where he conducts both the choir and symphony
rector of choral and vocal activities at players in a four-concert season.
Seattle University since 2018, interim di-
rector of music from 2022 to 2023, and
music program director starting in July
2023. Previously, Conley-Holcom was director of cho-
ral activities at Chabot College and led choirs for the
Grammy Award-winning Pacific Boychoir Academy

72 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2026 Volume 66 Number 5