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From the NATIONAL OFFICERS

President PRESIDENT

EDITH COPLEY
ecopley@acda.org

My column last month focused on gratitude. VICE PRESIDENT
More specifically, I thanked the many individuals PEARL SHANGKUAN
who contributed to the success of 2025 ACDA pshangkuan@acda.org
National Conference. One individual, however, PRESIDENT-ELECT
was not mentioned: Craig Hella Johnson. Craig JESSICA NÁPOLES
Edith Copley was our keynote speaker on Wednesday evening, jnapoles@acda.org
March 19. After his impassioned and inspirational
talk, he led us in singing a short and gentle refrain, “We are the ones SECRETARY/TREASURER
we are waiting for.” Craig reminded us that who we are and what we ROBERT NATTER
do can make a difference. rnatter@gettysburg.edu
Choir is sometimes compared to sports, and I agree they’re both
“team” activities. However, if a young athlete successfully tries out for PAST PRESIDENT
the team, they go home and say, “I made it. I’m ON the team!” If a DAVID FRYLING
dfryling@acda.org
young singer wants to sing (and, yes, they may have to audition), they
go home and announce, “I’m IN the choir.” EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
I’ve taught for over fifty years, and I’ve always considered choir to ROBYN HILGER
be the definition of INclusion. Singers of every gender, ethnicity, reli- executivedirector@acda.org
gion, and sexual orientation were welcomed into the ensemble. It’s a NATIONAL R&R CHAIR
place where we can be vulnerable and our singers can be who they are GRETCHEN HARRISON
without judgment. It’s particularly important that we now provide a nationalrr@acda.org
space for those who feel alone, scared, or hurting, and let them know
they have a safe community in the choir room. A place where singers EASTERN REGION PRESIDENT
can discover friendship, empathy, poetry, music reading, history, ex- AMANDA HANZLIK
pression, languages, listening, kindness, and experience that real sense amanda.hanzlik@acdaeast.org
of community. I also can’t think of another profession that regularly MIDWESTERN REGION PRESIDENT
gives you goosebumps! On occasion, I’ve cried in the classroom and on DERRICK FOX
the concert stage—not because I’m unhappy, but because there is such foxderri@msu.edu
beauty in the air that the tears just start to fall.
As I write this column, the 28th Song and Dance Celebration is NORTHWESTERN REGION PRESIDENT
taking place in Tallinn, Estonia, where over 30,000 singers and in- WILLIAM CAMPBELL
strumentalists perform in the massive outdoor shell with over 100,000 billcampbell@nwacda.org
people out on the festival grounds. The event began in 1869 and is cel-
ebrated every five years. In 1988, thousands sang their patriotic songs SOUTHERN REGION PRESIDENT
at the festival in what became known as the Singing Revolution—an JEFFERY AMES
jefferyacdasouthern@gmail.com
act of defiance against Soviet occupation that played a decisive role in
Estonia regaining its sovereignty in 1991. Thank you again, Craig, for SOUTHWESTERN REGION PRESIDENT
reminding us that as choral musicians we can truly make a difference JONATHAN D. OWEN
for our singers, our communities, and the world. “We are the ones we Jonathano@swacda.org
are waiting for.”
WESTERN REGION PRESIDENT
JULIE DANA
jdana@acdawestern.org

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATE REPRESENTATIVE
OLIVER SCOFIELD
KI Concerts
CHORAL JOURNAL September 2025 Volume 66 Number 2 3 oliver@kiconcerts.com