Chora Link - October 2018
Peggy Dettwiler

Eastern Region President
2018-2020

ACDA

East

on

the

Move
 

I write with news of the first meeting of the 2018-2020 Eastern Region Board held in Rochester, New York, on September 21. Twenty made the journey to this lovely city and two joined us online. You can see most of these dynamic folks “on the move” standing on the escalators of the Rochester Riverside Hotel. Admittedly, the stairs were turned off!
 
I am excited about the vision we have begun to develop for the 2020 conference and humbled by the profound and bold statements made as we broke new ground in leading this dynamic organization. A tentative conference schedule has already been drafted, negotiations are progressing with two invited choirs, and plans are underway to broaden the categories for auditioned choirs. Britten’s War Requiem with the Eastman choral and orchestral forces and faculty and alumni soloists is firm in the schedule for Friday night, March 6! And we have added an additional Repertoire & Resource committee entitled Equity & Justice led by André de Quadros and Andrew Clark!
 
One of our goals is to bring additional infor-mation into the application process so that more directors from large and small schools and rural and urban populations might be encouraged to submit their choirs for consi-deration. Hopefully, the categories that are often under-represented might be expand-ed as well. We also plan to put diversity into action! 
 
Rochester, NY
Site of the 2020 Region Conference
The board meeting reminded me of the tremendous work ethic in-herent in most choral conductors!

I close with portions of a poem by Marge Piercy, “To Be of Use.”
 
   “The people I love the best
   jump into work head first
  without dallying in the shallows
  and swim off with sure strokes
almost out of sight.
 
  I love people who harness themselves,
an ox to a heavy cart,
who pull like water buffalo,
with massive patience,
who strain in the mud and the
muck to move things forward,
who do what has to be done,
again and again.
 
I want to be with people who
submerge in the task, who go
into the fields to harvest
and work in a row and pass the
bags along,
who are not parlor generals and
field deserters
but move in a common rhythm
when the food must come in or
the fire be put out.”
 

So proud to be connected with the movers and shakers of ACDA! 
More to come in the coming months!

Peggy Dettwiler
 
SING-UP PROJECT

Do you know someone who should be an ACDA member?
Are you looking to reconnect yourself or have students who are aiming
at a career in the choral profession? Then click on the link below.

MURIEL KAUFFMAN THEATRE
Kansas City, MO

ACDA

 60th ANNIVERSARY JUBILEE
NATIONAL CONFERENCE

February 27 - March 2, 2019
Kansas City, MO

For more information, click below:


The December Choral Journal
will have full information.
Upcoming Events in the Eastern Region
CONNECTICUT - Fall Conference, Oct. 27 - Guilford H.S., Guilford, CT

DELAWARE - Festival for Women's Voices , Nov. 9 - Sanford School, Hockessin, DE
Registration due by Oct. 1, 2018 Joanne Ward: singer1349@gmail.com

MAINE - Fall High School Festival, Nov. 7 - Mesalonskee H.S. (northern site); Nov. 8 - South Portland H.S. (southern site) www.maineacda.org https://goo.gl/forms/MxJPhA00W0iIKBVx2

MARYLAND/DC - Repertoire Workshop, Oct. 13 - UMBC campus, Baltimore, MD.

MASSACHUSETTS - High School Choral Festival, Oct. 20 - UMass, Amherst, MA. Registration closes Oct. 5, 2018. Kirk Averitt: kaveritt@bcdschool.org

NEW JERSEY - Voices United Choral Festival, Nov. 2 - East Orange H.S., East Orange, NJ http://njacdaevents.info/index.php/orangesFestival

PENNSYLVANIA - Fall Conference, Oct. 26-27 - Lincoln University, Chester County, PA. www.acdapa.org/fall-2018.html

Mucho Macho Festival, Oct. 30 - McGuffey MS/HS, North Versailles, PA

Sweet Harmony Festival, Nov. 9 - South Fayette H.S., McDonald, PA www.acdapa.org

RHODE ISLAND - Fall Workshop, Oct. 20 - Providence College, Providence, RI https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScDbVj9bWqryRzhwfwhIhSwLdSI9C0QnWecZAUmm93PsYkW5Q/viewform

 VERMONT - Winter Madrigal Festival, Dec. 7 - Cathedral of St. Joseph, Burlington, VT
Links to State Chapters