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STANDING COMMITTEES
From the
Executive Director

ADVOCACY & COLLABORATION
ALEX GARTNER, CHAIR
agartner@pensacolasings.org

Finding Harmony in Uncertain Times
COMPOSITION INITIATIVES

KATIE HOUTS, CHAIR I hope this summer has brought you time to
rest and rejuvenate. As the school year begins and
katie.houts@gmail.com
concert seasons take shape, I want to pause and
DIVERSITY INITIATIVES recognize the courage, care, and creativity each of
ARREON HARLEY-EMERSON, CHAIR Robyn Hilger you brings into your rehearsal rooms. We all feel
arreon@equitysings.com it—the weight of uncertainty, the tension in our
communities, the shifting ground beneath our feet. It’s an anxious
EDUCATION & COMMUNICATION time, and our choral spaces are not immune. But even in the midst of
JOHN MCDONALD , CHAIR this unease, you return to your choirs with open arms and open hearts.
JohnMcDonald@wustl.edu That matters.
Our rehearsal spaces have always been more than rooms filled with
INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES risers, pianos, and music stands. They are sanctuaries. They are plac-
JOSHUA HABERMANN, CHAIR es where singers—students, professionals, and community members
joshhabermann@gmail.com alike—come to breathe, to connect, to release, to feel safe. They come
to be reminded of who they are and who they can be. In your choirs,
REPERTOIRE & RESOURCES people find belonging and respite. They find their voices. They find
GRETCHEN HARRISON, CHAIR moments of peace that carry them through the noise of the world
nationalrr@acda.org
outside your rehearsal doors.
The start of a new season is full of unknowns. Will the voices blend?
RESEARCH & PUBLICATIONS Will the repertoire land? Will we have enough basses? But it’s also full
ELIZABETH CASSIDY PARKER, CHAIR of possibilities. Because every time you invite someone into your choir,

eparker@temple.edu
you’re offering them more than a musical experience. You’re offering
them a place to be seen, to be supported, and to be part of something
bigger than themselves.
This year, as the headlines swirl and the pressures mount, let’s dou-
ADVOCACY STATEMENT ble down on what we know works: compassion, encouragement, and

The human spirit is elevated to a broader understanding the transformative power of music. Let’s recommit to making our
of itself and its place in the world through the study of and classrooms and rehearsal spaces the kind of places where people feel
participation in choral music. Singing in a choir produces safe to take a breath, take a risk, and raise their voices.
more active and involved citizens. It affects self-worth You are not alone in this work. You are part of a vast network of
in youth and adults. It builds connectivity throughout choral leaders across the country who are holding space, building
communities. Society benefits from the aesthetic beauty community, and lifting others through song. That is powerful. That is
and community of singers created by choral programs
within schools, houses of worship, and community necessary. And that is worth celebrating.
organizations through involved citizenry, connectivity May this season bring you moments of beauty, deep connection,
throughout communities, and feelings of personal self- and the joy of shared music making. And may your choirs—each and
worth. The American Choral Directors Association and every one—remain a haven where people are reminded that harmony,
its membership resolve to ensure the survival of choral in all its forms, is still possible. WELCOME BACK!
programs for this and future generations by:
Actively voicing support for funding at local, state,
and national levels of education and government;
collaborating with local and national organizations to
ensure the distribution of arts funding data and arts-
related activism opportunities; advocating for full access
to choral singing and inclusion of all singers in a choral
program; and ensuring the distribution of advocacy
statements and data regarding choral programs.
2 CHORAL JOURNAL September 2025 Volume 66 Number 2