Every fall the Idaho American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) hosts a fall conference in Boise. Teachers and choral conductors from all over the state participate in workshops, master classes, and concerts.
The sixteen singers of the Idaho State University Chamber Choir and pianist Gabe Lowman will perform in the Cathedral of the Rockies Sanctuary for the event’s Gala Concert on October 7, 7:00 p.m. under the direction of Dr. Scott Anderson, Professor of Music and Voice and Director of Choral Activities in the Department of Music at ISU.
“We were invited to perform at the main concert,” Anderson says. “It’s a huge, beautiful space for a choir to sing in, and it’s an honor for us to be selected.”
The Friday night Gala Concert will feature performances by the Idaho State University Chamber Singers, The Boise State University Meistersingers, and the Idaho ACDA Invitational Conference Choir.
Eight ISU Chamber Choir singers will also be part of the Idaho ACDA Invitational Conference Choir: Sopranos Miren Gabiola and Crystal Levato; Altos Emily Alldrin and Deanna Cole; Tenors John DeRouen and Jullio Murillo; and Basses Jesse Crabtree and Maximo Orr. Conducting will be Maria Guinand, a well-known choral conductor from Venezuela.
Guinand is a world renowned master conductor. Her specialty is South American music. and the invitational choir will perform a program featuring Venezuelan and South and Central American composers.
As part of the conference, members of the choral community across Idaho have the opportunity to attend workshops and sessions and hear performances during the three day event. Participants in the conference are varied. They include children’s, women’s, men’s, high school, and university choirs.
Anderson says, “Any of our students who are potentially going into teaching have the opportunity to hear choirs of different levels. This is a great educational opportunity for them.”
For the ISU Chamber Choir program, Anderson says he has taken a great deal of time to carefully select pieces that convey a message of hope and healing and of looking forward to the future.
“We’re ending our set with the beautiful, sublime “We Shall Walk Through the Valley of Peace” arranged by Moses Hogan,” Anderson says. “That summarizes what our program is about.”
Anderson looks at the conference as a way to share the ISU choral music program with a larger community.
“So many of the people that graduate from ISU end up teaching in the state,” he says. “A lot of people in the audience will have ties to ISU. We’re singing for many of the conductors of the state and there will be a couple hundred high school students there. It shows that ISU has one of the strongest programs in the state.”
Idaho ACDA Fall 2022 Conference events will be held at Cathedral of the Rockies at 717 North 11th Street in Boise, Idaho from October 6-8. The public is welcome to attend conference events. For more information or to register, please visit idacda.org. or visit the IDAHO ACDA Facebook Group. Tickets for the October 7 Gala Concert can be purchased at the door for $10. Cash, check, or card accepted.
