Middle Level Choir
Grades: 7-8
Dates: Friday & Saturday, January 8-9, 2027 (Registration 11:00 am on Friday; Concert 5:00 pm on Saturday)
Location: Eau Claire, WI (Rehearsals at Lismore Hotel, Concert at Pablo Center)
Coordinator: Siera Williams & Kenton Baker middlelevelallstate@wischoral.org
Nominations: The All-State Middle-Level Choir will consist of approximately 120 singers from grades 7 and 8. Each director may submit up to 8 names (4 treble clef and 4 bass clef). For each clef, the singers should be ranked from 1-4, with 1 being the most qualified.
Nomination Form: Nominations open September 1. CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE.
Special Note for Nominations:
WCDA will select students for All-State ensembles by entity. Schools with multiple directors should coordinate nominations as a team. Our goal is to ensure the most equitable representation possible across all participating schools and directors. Directors who teach at more than one school or entity may submit nominations for each entity they represent. If you have questions, please contact the All-State Chair.
Registration Fee: $235
Guest Conductor-Clinician: Coty Ravel Morris
“Coty Raven Morris is the most important music educator of our time.” – Suzanne Nance, President & CEO, All Classical Radio
New Orleans native Coty Raven Morris is a proud alumnus of Texas State University-San Marcos where she studied with Drs. Lynn Brinckmeyer and Joey Martin. She received her Masters of Music in Choral Conducting from Michigan State University in the Spring of 2020 under Drs. David Rayl, Jonathan Reed, and Sandra Snow.
She is currently the Hinckley Assistant Professor of Choir, Music Education, and Social Justice at Portland State University. Prior to this, she was the Director of Choirs at Crosby High School in the Houston area and has served as the Outreach Choir Director at the MSU Community Music School and Music Director at Grand Ledge United Methodist Church. Her choirs received consistent Sweepstakes & Division I ratings at UIL and choral festivals.
Morris was the recipient of the Hays CISD Linebarger Academic Recognition Award for 2013 & Galena Park ISD’s Dazzling Diamond Award in 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2018 for outstanding mentorship and leadership in her field. She serves on committees and holds leadership roles within both the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) and the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). Her most recent acknowledgments include being a three time Music Educator Grammy nominee, a 2024 and 2025 Music Educator Grammy Finalist and being named one of Yamaha's '40 Under 40' music educators.
Morris is a sought-after clinician and speaker across the country. Her reach has extended through her partnership with Music Workshop, where she helped develop a national professional development curriculum for music educators focused on wellness, equity, and accessible classroom practices. She was recently a featured conductor of the Texas Music Educators conference, NW ACDA, and Southern ACDA. Her Choral series with Carl Fischer publishing, Ravensong, features works composed using her poetry. Morris has been a choir member of the South Texas Vocal Artists and Mirabai and has devoted over a decade of summers to working as a camp director at the Texas State, Northeastern, Lamar University, Oregon Repertory Singers, and Blue Lake Fine Arts summer camps.
Morris is also a host at All Classical Radio and the International Children’s Arts Network (ICAN), a radio station dedicated to celebrating the joy of childhood, exploring diverse cultures, and enhancing children’s learning by providing access to the arts and fostering a love for music and literature. She serves as a Chorus Master and Artistic Collaborator with Portland Center Stage, the Oregon Symphony Orchestra, and Choirs of America. A newly published author and composer, her poetry and compositions have been performed at a multitude of honor choirs and festivals across the country.
Coty Raven Morris is the Founder of Being Human Together, a budding community rooted in music education striving to normalize difficult topics in our field through conversation and connection. BHT seeks to discuss traditionally taboo topics like mental health, systemic oppression, diversity, and inclusivity. And… she is also an avid boxer!
2027 Repertoire:
Horizon by Emily Crocker
Tipitin by Maria Grever arr. Raul Dominguez
Tarekita by Reena Esmail
Sound the Trumpet by Handel arr. Dilworth
Who I Want To Be by Coty Raven Morris arr. Saleel Menon
*Subject to Change
Dates: Friday & Saturday, January 8-9, 2027 (Registration 11:00 am on Friday; Concert 5:00 pm on Saturday)
Location: Eau Claire, WI (Rehearsals at Lismore Hotel, Concert at Pablo Center)
Coordinator: Siera Williams & Kenton Baker middlelevelallstate@wischoral.org
Nominations: The All-State Middle-Level Choir will consist of approximately 120 singers from grades 7 and 8. Each director may submit up to 8 names (4 treble clef and 4 bass clef). For each clef, the singers should be ranked from 1-4, with 1 being the most qualified.
Nomination Form: Nominations open September 1. CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE.
Special Note for Nominations:
WCDA will select students for All-State ensembles by entity. Schools with multiple directors should coordinate nominations as a team. Our goal is to ensure the most equitable representation possible across all participating schools and directors. Directors who teach at more than one school or entity may submit nominations for each entity they represent. If you have questions, please contact the All-State Chair.
Registration Fee: $235
Guest Conductor-Clinician: Coty Ravel Morris
“Coty Raven Morris is the most important music educator of our time.” – Suzanne Nance, President & CEO, All Classical Radio
New Orleans native Coty Raven Morris is a proud alumnus of Texas State University-San Marcos where she studied with Drs. Lynn Brinckmeyer and Joey Martin. She received her Masters of Music in Choral Conducting from Michigan State University in the Spring of 2020 under Drs. David Rayl, Jonathan Reed, and Sandra Snow.
She is currently the Hinckley Assistant Professor of Choir, Music Education, and Social Justice at Portland State University. Prior to this, she was the Director of Choirs at Crosby High School in the Houston area and has served as the Outreach Choir Director at the MSU Community Music School and Music Director at Grand Ledge United Methodist Church. Her choirs received consistent Sweepstakes & Division I ratings at UIL and choral festivals.
Morris was the recipient of the Hays CISD Linebarger Academic Recognition Award for 2013 & Galena Park ISD’s Dazzling Diamond Award in 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2018 for outstanding mentorship and leadership in her field. She serves on committees and holds leadership roles within both the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) and the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). Her most recent acknowledgments include being a three time Music Educator Grammy nominee, a 2024 and 2025 Music Educator Grammy Finalist and being named one of Yamaha's '40 Under 40' music educators.
Morris is a sought-after clinician and speaker across the country. Her reach has extended through her partnership with Music Workshop, where she helped develop a national professional development curriculum for music educators focused on wellness, equity, and accessible classroom practices. She was recently a featured conductor of the Texas Music Educators conference, NW ACDA, and Southern ACDA. Her Choral series with Carl Fischer publishing, Ravensong, features works composed using her poetry. Morris has been a choir member of the South Texas Vocal Artists and Mirabai and has devoted over a decade of summers to working as a camp director at the Texas State, Northeastern, Lamar University, Oregon Repertory Singers, and Blue Lake Fine Arts summer camps.
Morris is also a host at All Classical Radio and the International Children’s Arts Network (ICAN), a radio station dedicated to celebrating the joy of childhood, exploring diverse cultures, and enhancing children’s learning by providing access to the arts and fostering a love for music and literature. She serves as a Chorus Master and Artistic Collaborator with Portland Center Stage, the Oregon Symphony Orchestra, and Choirs of America. A newly published author and composer, her poetry and compositions have been performed at a multitude of honor choirs and festivals across the country.
Coty Raven Morris is the Founder of Being Human Together, a budding community rooted in music education striving to normalize difficult topics in our field through conversation and connection. BHT seeks to discuss traditionally taboo topics like mental health, systemic oppression, diversity, and inclusivity. And… she is also an avid boxer!
2027 Repertoire:
Horizon by Emily Crocker
Tipitin by Maria Grever arr. Raul Dominguez
Tarekita by Reena Esmail
Sound the Trumpet by Handel arr. Dilworth
Who I Want To Be by Coty Raven Morris arr. Saleel Menon
*Subject to Change
