REFRESH!
Refresh! is WCDA’s summer conference, usually held on the campus of a university over a two-day period in July cooperatively with NextDirection. The purpose of this conference is for choral teachers from every corner of the state and every stage of their careers in a casual environment to learn from one another and from other teacher-conductors.
All-State
All-State Choir celebrates some of our best young singers in the state. The event is open to students from fourth grade through college and is part of the WCDA Conference in January. Students are chosen based on director nominations and should be trustworthy, skilled musicians who demonstrate academic prowess, intrinsic motivation and focus in rehearsal. In All-State, students get the opportunity to work with some of the nation’s best teacher-conductors, culminating in a final performance to the public. The All-State Choirs challenge students to push their musicianship to a new level while giving them the joy and satisfaction of getting to sing alongside other distinguished musicians.
State Conference
Members of the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association gather every January for our Conference. We learn from outstanding interest session presenters, we celebrate our colleagues’ work with auditioned choir performances, and we are inspired by a headlining ensemble performance. The conference runs simultaneously with the all-state choirs, so we also hear beautiful performances from our students, as well as celebrate the accomplishments of college students in our conducting and composition contests. Finally, we gather for an awards banquet on Saturday to honor colleagues for their distinguished service to the profession, and to hold our annual meeting to discuss the work of WCDA.
NextDirection
NextDirection is a summer conference for high school and college students who are excited to learn more about choral education as a career.
Singing in Wisconsin
Singing in Wisconsin is a one-day choral event for students in grades 4 through 12. Students meet at one of four sites in Wisconsin on a Saturday in November and work with a guest conductor to learn and perform several pieces of music.
Composition Competition
One of the Purposes of the American Choral Directors Association is “to foster and encourage choral composition of superior quality.” The Wisconsin Choral Directors Association supports this important work with our annual composition contest. Students who either study or live in Wisconsin are eligible to submit their newly written compositions for review. The winning composition is often performed at the January conference by one of the all-state honor choirs.
Conducting Competition
One of the Purposes of the American Choral Directors Association is “to foster and encourage rehearsal procedures conducive to attaining the highest possible level of musicianship and artistic performance.” The Wisconsin Choral Directors Association supports this important work with our annual conducting competition. Undergraduate students currently enrolled in a Wisconsin college or university are eligible to participate in this event, held on the Thursday evening of the January conference. Eight students each rehearse a high school choir for 15 minutes; then, a panel of three university conductors provide feedback for each student. The winning conductor has the opportunity to rehearse with one of the all-state choirs on Friday or Saturday.
Refresh! is WCDA’s summer conference, usually held on the campus of a university over a two-day period in July cooperatively with NextDirection. The purpose of this conference is for choral teachers from every corner of the state and every stage of their careers in a casual environment to learn from one another and from other teacher-conductors.
All-State
All-State Choir celebrates some of our best young singers in the state. The event is open to students from fourth grade through college and is part of the WCDA Conference in January. Students are chosen based on director nominations and should be trustworthy, skilled musicians who demonstrate academic prowess, intrinsic motivation and focus in rehearsal. In All-State, students get the opportunity to work with some of the nation’s best teacher-conductors, culminating in a final performance to the public. The All-State Choirs challenge students to push their musicianship to a new level while giving them the joy and satisfaction of getting to sing alongside other distinguished musicians.
State Conference
Members of the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association gather every January for our Conference. We learn from outstanding interest session presenters, we celebrate our colleagues’ work with auditioned choir performances, and we are inspired by a headlining ensemble performance. The conference runs simultaneously with the all-state choirs, so we also hear beautiful performances from our students, as well as celebrate the accomplishments of college students in our conducting and composition contests. Finally, we gather for an awards banquet on Saturday to honor colleagues for their distinguished service to the profession, and to hold our annual meeting to discuss the work of WCDA.
NextDirection
NextDirection is a summer conference for high school and college students who are excited to learn more about choral education as a career.
Singing in Wisconsin
Singing in Wisconsin is a one-day choral event for students in grades 4 through 12. Students meet at one of four sites in Wisconsin on a Saturday in November and work with a guest conductor to learn and perform several pieces of music.
Composition Competition
One of the Purposes of the American Choral Directors Association is “to foster and encourage choral composition of superior quality.” The Wisconsin Choral Directors Association supports this important work with our annual composition contest. Students who either study or live in Wisconsin are eligible to submit their newly written compositions for review. The winning composition is often performed at the January conference by one of the all-state honor choirs.
Conducting Competition
One of the Purposes of the American Choral Directors Association is “to foster and encourage rehearsal procedures conducive to attaining the highest possible level of musicianship and artistic performance.” The Wisconsin Choral Directors Association supports this important work with our annual conducting competition. Undergraduate students currently enrolled in a Wisconsin college or university are eligible to participate in this event, held on the Thursday evening of the January conference. Eight students each rehearse a high school choir for 15 minutes; then, a panel of three university conductors provide feedback for each student. The winning conductor has the opportunity to rehearse with one of the all-state choirs on Friday or Saturday.
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