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From the NATIONAL OFFICERS

President PRESIDENT

DAVID FRYLING
dfryling@acda.org
It’s the middle of July as I type, and I’m fresh off the
first of two “Summer Sings” hosted by the eVoco Voice VICE PRESIDENT
Collective, the community ensemble I direct. These EDITH COPLEY
events are a magical concentrated brew of everything ecopley@acda.org
that’s fun and rewarding about being a conductor or PRESIDENT-ELECT
singer in a choir. And the way they’re stuck smack dab PEARL SHANGKUAN
David Fryling in the middle of this beautiful “leisure” season I wrote pearl.shangkuan@calvin.edu
about a couple issues ago highlights three truths that I
hope we all hold as self-evident: SECRETARY/TREASURER
TOM MERRILL
Singing together is therapeutic. I bet most of you could quote a favor- merrilltg@gmail.com
ite study suggesting strong correlations between singing and various health
benefits. When we sing, we fully enter the present moment. Psychologists call PAST PRESIDENT
this “flow state,” the benefits of which have been found to include “increased ANDRÉ THOMAS
athomas@acda.org
happiness, higher intrinsic motivation, greater creativity, and better emotion-
al regulation.” Singing together allows space to express our emotions, be EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
1
vulnerable with each other, and find affinity among strangers. It is a powerful ROBYN HILGER
form of group therapy that heals and rejuvenates. executivedirector@acda.org
NATIONAL R&R CHAIR
Choir is community. Of course, singing in a choir is more than this. It is GRETCHEN HARRISON
also where many of us (and our singers) find their deepest friendships, meet nationalrr@acda.org
their life partners, and forge their own “found families.” We sing to support
each other, lift each other up, and create something extraordinary—music, EASTERN REGION PRESIDENT
yes, but also community—together. AMANDA HANZLIK
amandahanzlik@gmail.com
People who listen to each other can work together. We all know that MIDWESTERN REGION PRESIDENT
a musician’s job is first and foremost to listen. I remember my primary music DERRICK FOX
classes as a formative time of learning to simply listen: to pitches, to rhythm, foxderri@msu.edu
to dynamics, and (most importantly) to each other. In the choir rehearsal, we
deepen our journey of active listening together. What we gain in the process NORTHWESTERN REGION PRESIDENT
is empathy, understanding, and a sense of accomplishment in chasing truth STEVEN ZIELKE
and beauty. stevenzielke@nwacda.org
SOUTHERN REGION PRESIDENT
As we leave summer behind us, hold space to be open to renewal and in- JEFFERY AMES
spiration whenever it alights. As we meet and embrace our choir families in jefferyacdasouthern@gmail.com
the months ahead, know that the lessons you impart, the encouragement you
offer, and the love for music you instill in your singers have a far-reaching and SOUTHWESTERN REGION PRESIDENT
positive ripple effect. Remember, what you do every day in your classrooms JONATHAN D. OWEN
and rehearsal halls changes the world for good. Jonathano@swacda.org
Here’s to the year ahead: May the songs we sing resonate with harmony, WESTERN REGION PRESIDENT
joy, and light in our classrooms and concert halls, and throughout the world. JULIE DANA
jreydana@comcast.com

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATE REPRESENTATIVE
OLIVER SCOFIELD
1 https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-flow-2794768 KI Concerts
oliver@kiconcerts.com
CHORAL JOURNAL September 2024 Volume 65 Number 2 3