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Application Guidelines for Insight Choirs - 2027 National Conference pg 3

5. Headshot of conductor in .jpg format, 3” x 5”, high-resolution minimum 300 dpi

6. Conductor and Ensemble Biographies
a. The ensemble’s biography (up to 900 characters maximum) as it should appear in the Choral Journal

b. The conductor’s biography (up to 900 characters maximum) as it should appear in the Choral Journal

7. An ensemble photo will only be requested if the session is selected for the conference. The deadline for ensemble
photo submission is October 1, 2026.

IV. Selection Process

There are two levels of screening:

1. An initial or first screening level at which finalists will be selected, and

2. A final screening level at which only those recommended from the first screening will be considered.

Level 1: Led by the National R&R Chair, an Adjudication Committee will be formed in each R&R area. The committee that
will consist of no fewer than seven members selected from the following: National R&R chair of the area; national and re-
gion R&R coordinator of the area; current and/or former region R&R chairs; choral directors who have previously presented
at an ACDA region or national conference; past region presidents; past national officers; National Standing Committee
members, and others appointed by the national R&R chair to ensure a diverse evaluation committee.

No person submitting an insight choir session application for the 2027 National Conference may serve on the adjudication
committee. The online submission process automatically tabulates responses from adjudicators and generates a list indi-
cating the collective top ten submissions in ranked order plus five alternates.

Level 2: The National Conference Committee will review the top 10 submissions in each R&R area, unless fewer than ten
are submitted in that area, in which case all submissions will be reviewed by the National Conference Committee.

Every effort will be made to represent a broad range of interest sessions for each R&R area.

V. Schedule of Dates and Application Link

• Application portal opens: February 2026

• April 15, 2026: Insight choir application, uploads, and payment completed by 11:59 pm CST

• Help desk support is available until 5:00 CST on April 15, 2026. After that time, no support will be provided, even if
technical issues are encountered. Applicants are encouraged to plan ahead to ensure they can complete the submis-
sion process. Late submissions will not be accepted for any reason.

• June 15, 2026: National applications review completed

• June 29, 2026: Applicants notified of results

Application now available through the online platform at acda.org.

CHORAL JOURNAL May 2026 Volume 66 Number 8 47