ACDA note: The operative term is “fully vaccinated.” How you determine that is up to you and your boards or governing agencies. Some people have concerns about requiring proof of vaccination (e.g., HIPAA regulations about privacy). Just as many businesses are now using the “honor system,” you may choose to do that as well. If there is any doubt, however, about whether or not there are unvaccinated people in the choirs, we urge caution and encourage you to continue following protocols.

Find the latest choir-related guidance and resources on our COVID Resources page.

On a December Friday evening in Basehor, Kansas, as the sounds of organ, bells, choir, and audience rose in the ancient carol, O Come All Ye Faithful, there was another sound, an outpouring of sobs from the gathered, but masked and distanced assembly.

The year was 2020. The occasion was the annual candlelight and carols concert of The William Baker Festival Singers. To accommodate strict COVID safety protocols, performing singers were masked and distanced six feet apart. . . . The audience was limited to 25% capacity of the church nave, also masked and distanced between family units. Still, on the week before Christmas in a year of terrible fear and loss, the story of hope and joy was told in the singing of carols punctuated by narrations and interspersed by timeless choral classics, just as it has been done since the first Festival Singers candlelight concert in Atlanta in 1985. . . .

The year that has just passed has been the most devastating in my career of over four decades. Most choral groups have been forced to remain silent, either by government dictates or by the unavailability of rehearsal and concert venues. I’ve shared many conversations with colleagues who would have continued their work, but the decision was taken out of their hands. There are many others, considering the age of members and sensitive to the concerns of their particular community, who made the difficult decision to suspend activities. . . .

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a horrific experience for all of us in the field of choral music. It is my prayer that none of us will ever again experience an event like this. . . . Most of all, I pray that choral music will never be taken for granted and will never be silenced again. Read complete post.

If you are interested in serving ACDA members and the community in one of these positions, please submit your resumé and a one-page vision statement to Gretchen Harrison, National Chair for Repertoire and Resources, at nationalrr@acda.org. Learn more about position expectations. Deadline: May 28.

R&R leadership would like to offer interested-based, genre-specific "boutique conferences" to reconnect with all our members. Please help assess interest in these by completing the survey. Deadline: Jun. 1.

New! National ACDA Webinar

Register for this free Zoom session now, or watch the livestream on Facebook. Learn more.

New! State Events

Visit our state chapter events page for a comprehensive list of events that are open to all ACDA members. Does your chapter or region have an official chapter event coming up that is open to other members? Ask your president to submit the information here to be included on this page.

Check the region conference page for dates and locations of the 2022 conferences, as well as to find links to each region's conference information.

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