Composer/Conductor Interest Session at ACDA Dallas

 Next Thursday morning at 10:30 AM at the San Antonio Ballroom of the Dallas Sheraton Hotel, I will be moderating a panel discussion titled "Paradigm Shift: The New Conductor/Composer Dynamic". The panel I have assembled for this is truly great- I have some of the leading edge composers in the field, especially versed in publishing their own works using the internet and technology as well as two conductors who are championing the dissemination of quality new choral music. Here is the description of the session as it appears in ACDA publications:

In this panel discussion we will explore the new ways that conductors and living composers are collaborating and advancing the performance of exciting new choral music which goes beyond the scope of the usual three-minute octavo. More than ever, forward thinking conductors and composers are working together much more directly, often via commission and consortium commission projects which address musical as well as social issues, projects which involve students more in the process, and utilizing new technology such as Skype in order to achieve common goals. The energetic conductors and composers assembled for this panel are all highly experienced advocates in all of these areas. Ms. Simpkin King's “Project Encore" is not yet well-known; we hope to give it more visibility via her participation. There will be ample time allowed for Q and A with the audience.

I hope you will attend this session- I think it is going to be lively, informative, and very interesting!

MODERATOR

PAUL CAREY is a choral composer, conductor, and highly-read blogger noting developments in the US choral field. He has recently presented interest sessions at North Central ACDA (2012), Nebraska ACDA (2012), Hong Kong Choir Festival (2010) and South Korea (2009). Recent commissions have been awarded by the ACDA women's composition consortium, Incheon City Chorale, Ithaca College, and others.

PANELISTS

ABBIE BETINIS has been commissioned by 50+ ensembles, including Cantus, Dale Warland Singers, St. Olaf Choir, and Santa Fe Desert Chorale. A McKnight Artist Fellow, and listed in NPR’s Top 100 Composers Under 40, she is composer-in-residence for The Singers—Minnesota Choral Artists, and President of the Independent Music Publishers Cooperative.

BUDDY JAMES is the Director of Choral and Vocal Activities and teaches Graduate Studies in Choral Music at California State University, East Bay. James has conducted performances for The Lancaster Opera Company, The San Francisco Bay Area Chamber Choir, and has performed as a member of the Robert Page Cleveland Singers, The San Francisco Choral Artists, and The Los Angeles Master Chorale.  James is a founding member and past president of the National Collegiate Choral Organization, and recently served on the board for Intercollegiate Men's Choruses.

DR. DEBORAH SIMPKIN KING is a choral and vocal performer and educator, working in the northern New Jersey/Manhattan area. As Artistic Director and Founder of the performing and educational organization, Schola Cantorum on Hudson, and Founder of the international initiative in support of new choral music, Project: Encore™, she is known for creative programming and the premiering of new choral compositions.

JOAN SZYMKO's music is sung by distinguished ensembles across North America and abroad, with performances at five consecutive National Conferences of ACDA. Especially significant is her contribution to the body of literature for women's voices. ACDA recognized Szymko's lasting contribution to the choral arts by selecting her as the recipient of the 2010 Raymond W. Brock Memorial Commission.

REGINAL UNTERSEHER, composer, is published by Oxford University Press, Walton Music, and at www.reginaldunterseher.com. He presented the first ACDA ePublishing Reading Session in 2012. He serves as NWACDA Men's Choirs R and S Chair and is a member of Male Ensemble Northwest.