Dear Friends,

I hope all of you have had a wonderful year. I cannot believe it is almost over. Since summer is rapidly approaching, that means it is time to begin to talk about the 2009 Summer Music Conference. Like last year, the conference will be held at the Crown Plaza in Albany, New York. The dates of the conference are Sunday, August 9^th through Tuesday, August 11^th. We have some amazing events and interest sessions planned and it is my hope that many of you will attend.

I am excited to announce that Dr. Kevin Fenton will be the conductor of the Director’s Chorus this year. Kevin is Director of Choral Activities at Florida State University, and he will lead the Director’s Chorus and the ASTA Director’s String Orchestra in a performance of Antonio Vivaldi’s “Gloria.” Kevin will also present an interest session titled, “Nine Essential Elements of Rehearsal for Developing Expressive and Meaningful Performances.” Be sure to sign up to participate in the chorus. I know that you will thoroughly enjoy singing under Kevin’s direction; he is an amazing conductor.

I am also excited to announce that for the first time ever, the conference will feature a Middle School Honor Choir. The first annual Middle School Choir will be directed by Dr. Lon Berry. Lon teaches vocal music at Spry Middle School in Webster, New York where he directs the 7th and 8th grade choruses and “Spry Select,” a select mixed chorus. In addition to conducting the Middle School Honor Choir, Lon will also teach an interest session. If you are interested in having one of your students participate in this event, the contact person is Michael Murphy, the R&S Chair for Junior High and Middle School Choirs Murphy@gateschili.monroe.edu. You can also go to the New York ACDA website to download the application and nomination forms.

This year’s Children’s Honor Choir will be directed by Nick Page. Mr. Page was a conductor with the Chicago Children’s Choir from 1983 to 1986. He currently directs the Mystic Chorale of Boston as well as leading sings and workshops throughout the Americas and Europe. He has guest conducted at many festivals and concert venues including Carnegie Hall. He is also the author of three books for teachers including his SING WITH US songbook (Hal Leonard) and SING AND SHINE ON (World Music Press). In addition to conducting the Children’s Honor Choir, Nick will also teach an interest session. If you are interested in having one of your students participate in this event, the contact person is Craig Knapp, the R&S Chair for Children’s Choirs mrknapp1@aol.com. You can also go to the New York ACDA website to download the application and nomination forms.

As in previous years, the conference will also present several reading sessions that will feature a variety of high quality choral literature including elementary (Dan Bromsted, clinician), middle school (Michael Murphy, clinician), high school (Heather Baird, clinician), men’s (James Niblock, clinician) and women’s (Penelope Cruz, clinician) repertoire. Regardless of what level or ensemble type you conduct, you will not want to miss these sessions as there will be something for you.

Finally, I would like to take a moment to thank all of the members of the New York ACDA Executive Board for their hard work, commitment and dedication to our organization. These folks have spent countless hours volunteering their time to support our organization. I sincerely believe that we have one of the finest executive boards in the country and I am deeply appreciative of all they do.

I look forward to seeing many of you in Albany. Take care and have a terrific rest of the year. I wish all of you the best in your up coming spring concerts.

Sincerely,