Author: Matt Fritz

Conference Hotels

We encourage all our membership to stay in the conference hotel so that we can continue to receive benefits from the hotel such as reduced room night cost and reduced meeting space expenses; thus allowing us to not raise registration fees in the future. A LINK TO CONFERENCE HOTEL REGISTRATION WILL BE PROVIDED FOLLOWING COMPLETED CONFERENCE REGISTRATION.

HYATT REGENCY Rochester  $163  ($186 w/tax)
Reservations: 1-800 233-1234
Group Name: ACDA Eastern Region 2020 Conference
Group Code: G-ACEA
Link: https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/group-booking/ROCHE/G-ACEA

Hilton Garden Inn Rochester Downtown  $139  ($159 w/tax)
Reservations: 585-434-2255
Group Name: American Choral Directors Association
Group Code: ACDA20
https://secure3.hilton.com/en_US/gi/reservation/book.htm?execution=e1s1

 

Composer’s Meet and Greet

Back by popular demand, the composer track at the Rochester conference will include a Composer Meet and Greet on Friday from 4:15 – 6:15 in the Hyatt Regency ABC Ballrooms.

The meet and greet will be limited to the first 40 composers who register and pay here.  Registration costs $75.00.  You must also be registered for the conference (at least for the one day rate) in order to participate. A registration form is below.

This will be an opportunity to meet with conductors who are wanting to communicate with composers about possible projects.  You will be permitted to bring free samples or any other free materials you want to share with the conductors.  No sales will be permitted.

Once you sign up and pay for your registration, you will hear from Peter de Mets, the Chair of the Composer Track at the conference with more details about the Composer Meet and Greet.

Register here!

Conference Schedule Online

Getting ready to register for Eastern Region Conference??? Want to know WHICH track to choose? Well, they both feature all the same great ACDA content, just at separate times. Coordinate with your ACDA pals by choosing the same track: Blue or Orange. Just remember that some changes are possible to the schedule AND don’t forget to order your Bobby McFerrin tickets! Here is the schedule: https://acdaeast.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Rochester-2020-Conference-Schedule.pdf

 

 

Application: Conducting Masterclass for Undergraduate and Graduate Students

The Eastern Region 2020 conference committee is pleased to announce a public masterclass in conducting to be held during the 2020 Eastern Region Conference in Rochester, NY. This masterclass is sponsored by DCINY (Distinguished Concerts International New York). The sessions will be led by renowned conductor/teacher Marguerite Brooks. Selected students will each receive a $300 scholarship provided by DCINY to offset their conference-related expenses.
For additional information, please visit Conducting Masterclass Rochester 2020

Pre-Conference Treat!!

As a pre-conference treat, the Kodak Hall Series of the Eastman School of Music will present Bobby McFerrin and Gimme5 in a Circlesong concert on Wednesday, March 4 at 7:30 pm!
Gimme5 is based on Circlesinging, a musical practice and philosophy that McFerrin has been honing since he began as a solo a cappella performer, assigning vocal parts to his fans and transforming sold-out houses into impromptu choirs. They will invite you to sing along and join in on a spontaneous adventure fueled by jazz, pop, R&B, classical and world music. ACDA East attendees have the opportunity to purchase tickets for this event held in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre at a 20% reduced rate!

If you are unfamiliar with Bobby McFerrin, click on this YouTube link – https://youtu.be/S0kCUss0g9Q – to enjoy a short sample of the magic he makes with an audience. The concert may sell-out so I urge you to investigate this opportunity as soon as possible. 

 
Ticket sales began on September 3. Thus, you may purchase your tickets immediately! https://www.esm.rochester.edu/theatre/events/bobby-mcferrin/
ACDA members will receive a 20% discount on single tickets when using the Promo Code – ACDABobby. 
Follow the directions carefully. You can accept or decline Refund
rotection. Please note that the 20% discount will appear as you checkout.

Interest Sessions Announced

ACDA members and members of associate professional and scholarly societies were invited to submit interest session proposals for the ACDA Eastern Region Conference to be held in Rochester, New York on March 4th – 7th, 2020. Below are the proposals accepted for the conference.

117 interest applications were reviewed by the interest session selection committee and recommendations were made to the conference chair, program chair, and interest session chair for final review and selection. Both the selection committee and the chairs took into consideration the overall conference theme, balance, and timeliness of the topic being discussed when choosing the presentations for the 2020 conference. We believe the following interest sessions support our commitment to present sessions that challenge, honor, and move our profession firmly into the 21st-century.

–Michael Schmidt
Conference Interest Sessions Chair

Interest Sessions

Accepted Choirs

59 choirs from communities, colleges, universities, high schools, middle schools, youth organizations, and religious institutions applied for just thirteen individual concert sessions. The applications were adjudicated in two rounds with the first round completed online and the second round completed in person. For the first round, three adjudicators independently listened to and scored the three recordings provided by each applicant. Based on the results of the first-round scores, the top four to six scoring choirs from each category of choir (children’s chorus, middle school, high school, adult, community, worship, etc.) were forwarded on to the second round. The second round committee consisted of eight adjudicators, who listened to the recordings again and then made the difficult decision of selecting just 13 choirs for performance at the conference.”One of the ACDA East conference committee’s goals was to encourage more diversity among the performing ensembles. Both rounds of adjudication included an ACDA Diversity Initiative representative to ensure that the committee itself was made up of people with diverse backgrounds and musical experiences, thus bringing with them a wider variety of expectations and listening viewpoints. Identifying information about the choirs was kept hidden from all adjudicators until after the final 13 choirs had been chosen.” And here they are!
-Mike Driscoll
Performing Choirs Chair