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ACDA NATIONAL Robert Shaw Award Reception for Dr. Charlene Archibeque
2025

March 18-22 Dallas, TX

The American Choral Directors Associa-
tion is pleased to award its highest honor, The
Robert Shaw Choral Award, to a choral leader
who has made unusual contributions to the art
of choral music. The recipient is chosen by the
ACDA Past Presidents’ Council from a pool of
nominees that come from the ACDA member-
ship. The Robert Shaw Choral Award is pre-
sented during each National Conference.
Dr. Charlene Archibeque is considered one
of America’s foremost choral conductors and
teachers. She was the first woman to earn the
DMA in Choral Conducting (University of
Colorado, 1969) and served for thirty-five years
as director of choral activities at San Jose State
University, where she trained hundreds of to-
day’s choral conductors and mentored over
eighty master’s students. The world-renowned
SJSU Choraliers took sixteen tours abroad,
winning seven international competitions and
performing in major music halls. Choirs under
Dr. Archibeque’s direction have performed at Charlene Archibeque speaking at the award reception in the Moody
twenty-five state, regional, and national ACDA Performance Hall on Friday, March 21.
conferences. Her honors include receiving the
2008 Howard Swan Award presented by the Califor-
nia Choral Directors Association, the 2013 Excellence
in Choral Music Award presented by the University of
Colorado, being named Outstanding Alumna at the
University of Colorado, and receiving both of San Jose
State’s highest honors: Outstanding Professor and Pres-
ident’s Scholar.
Dr. Archibeque has conducted and prepared over
150 major choral works with orchestras and performs
music from all historical periods. She has conducted
hundreds of honor, festival, and all-state choirs in for-
ty-six US states and six Canadian provinces. She has
served as headliner for state, regional, and national
ACDA, MENC, and MEA conferences. Dr. Archibe-
que holds degrees from the University of Michigan, Charlene with ACDA Vice President Edith Copley. “It was my
San Diego State, and the University of Colorado. She is honor to present the Robert Shaw Choral Award to Dr. Charlene
editor of the Charlene Archibeque Choral Series with Archibeque on Thursday and Friday nights in the Winspear Opera
Santa Barbara Music Publishers. House. She is a dear friend and an incredible musician, teacher,
conductor, and clinician who has been an inspiration to her students
Photos courtesy of Margie Camp and André Thomas. and choral colleagues for decades.”

56 CHORAL JOURNAL June/July 2025 Volume 65 Number 9