NCDA Festival & Honor Choirs
NCDA is proud to host multiple events each year to provide our members with the opportunity to engage their singers in educational and meaningful experiences with like-minded musicians and expert leadership.
2026-2027 Events
Sing Around Nebraska
Honor Choir Year • 4th-6th Graders
November 6-7 (sorry), 2026
Kearney, NE
(NO Audition Fee, $70 Participation Fee for Accepted Students)
Registrations are non-refundable
AUDITION LIMIT of 20 students per teacher.
FEE INCLUDES:
National Clinician, Rehearsal Tracks, Pianist, T-shirt, Snacks, Great Facilities
NOTE: Lunch is not provided on Saturday. Click HERE for a list of restaurants close by.
SHEET MUSIC:
In an effort to expedite sheet music delivery, sheet music will be picked up by the educator at NMEA.. This will save nearly two weeks in transit time.
NOTE – We have REMOVED the audition fee and LOWERED the tuition this year to account for this change.
Contact Kayla Nilson with questions: knilson@ainsworthschools.org
Honor Choir Repertoire
MUSIC
Music packets will be available for pick-up at NMEA. Anyone not attending NMEA will receive their packet by mail the following week.
Students are expected to have their music, a pencil, and a folder on the day of the festival.
NOTE: Students are expected to have their music well prepared when they arrive. Please rehearse with your students to ensure that notes, rhythms, form, and lyrics are well in-hand prior to arrival.
NOTE: Students should bring sheet music and a folder for use in rehearsal.
Concert Tickets ($5)
LINK COMING SOON
Audition Procedure
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The singer should NOT say their name, grade, school or voice part.
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The singer will sing, acappella, “My Country ‘tis of Thee”. Please make sure there is no accompaniment or additional singing with the student.
- The piano may give the starting pitch:Soprano: F above middle C
Alto: D above middle C
Tenor: A below middle C
Baritone/Bass: D below middle C -
The singer will sing a major scale on any syllable. Please make sure there is no accompaniment or additional singing with the student.
The piano may give the starting pitch:
-
Soprano: F above middle C
Alto: D above middle C
Tenor: A below middle C
Baritone/Bass: D below middle C
5. The singer will sing up to two minutes of a song of their choosing with accompaniment only (no vocal part sung or played along).
AUDITION DEADLINE
Monday, October 20
NOTE: Recordings should be in mp3 format. Please title the mp3 with ‘America’ and student name (last, first). For example: AmericaLastFirst.mp3
AUDITION SUBMISSION LINK
NOTE: Notification target is Monday, November 3.
REGISTRATION PAYMENT LINK
Schedule
COMING SOON!
2026 SYN Honor Choir
January 31, 2026
Janie Brokenicky, Clinician
Janie Brokenicky is in her 19th year as a music educator. In addition to being the Director of Choirs and Musical Theater at Rock Creek High School, she serves as the executive director and co-founder of the Flint Hills Youth Choirs, a community organization for voices grades 3-12 based in Manhattan. FHYC has been selected to perform at KMEA three times and has traveled both nationally and internationally to St. Louis, New York, Omaha, Scotland, and Canada. This spring break they will be collaborating with a local children’s choir in Costa Rica.
She began her music teaching career in 2007 at Riley County High School before moving to Tabor College in 2012. She returned to her alma mater, K-State, in 2015 as a voice and music theory instructor. Amidst the COVID pandemic, Brokenicky returned to public education, spending a year directing the choirs at USD 320 Wamego before moving to Rock Creek in 2021. She is a frequent guest clinician and adjudicator in Missouri and Kansas and served 15 years on the Kansas Choral Directors Association board as treasurer and treble honor choir chair. Brokenicky holds degrees in music education, mathematics, choral conducting and vocal performance, and is an accomplished oboist.
Ms. Brokenicky is also an active soprano soloist. She has been featured at the Meyerson Symphony Hall (Dallas), Kauffman Center, and Folly Theater (Kansas City), and has been a guest artist with the Wichita Grand Opera, Wichita Chamber Chorale, Hays Symphony Orchestra, Flint Hills Masterworks Chorale, Kansas State University Orchestra, and served eight summers as artist-in-residence for the Ad Astra Summer Music Festival. Most recently she performed as soprano soloist for the Brahms’ German Requiem with the Topeka and Lawrence Civic Choirs and Kurt Weill’s The Seven Deadly Sins with the Salina Symphony and conductor Yaniv Segal. None of this would be possible without the unwavering support of her husband Cole and two children, Ava and Ethan.
Singing Youth of Nebraska
Festival Choirs • Grades 7-9
Singing Youth of Nebraska Festivals
January-February 2027
January 16, 2027
Fremont High School
Site Coordinator: Mark Harman
Mark.Harman@fpsmail.org
January 30, 2027
Bridgeport
Site Coordinator: TBD
January 30, 2027
Kearney
Site Coordinator: TBD
January 30, 2027
North Platte
Site Coordinator: TBD
REGISTER HERE
REHEARSAL TRACKS
Festival Description
The SYN festival choirs are for students currently in grades 7-9. This is a non-audition year, so no audition audio files need to be submitted.
At each site, students will work with a clinician all day and have a concert at 4:00 p.m. Each site around the state will have a different clinician, but will be singing the same repertoire. (See the list below for details).
Registration is $XX per student and is non-refundable. Payment should be made via Eventbrite at THIS LINK.
NOTE: This price includes a t-shirt and snacks. Music needs to be purchased by the school/attendee for festival years.
Lunch is not included.
Tickets to the concert are $5.00 each (not including online processing) for attendees ages 7+ and are available via www.Eventbrite.com.
Please fill out the google form for each student individually. If you have any questions contact Lacey Franzen at Lacey Franzen for more information! Sites are listed below. We thank you for singing with us!
REPERTOIRE
The Hurricane – Paul David Thomas – (3-part mixed)
O Say Can You See – Ruth Morris Gray – (SAB)
Ridin’ the Rails – arr. Gallina – (3-part mixed)
Be a Light – Tim Hayden – (SAB)
ORDER LINK (coming soon)
Show Choir Festivals
Show Choir Festivals Requirements
Registration is open to schools of all sizes, and directors do not have to be ACDA members to have their ensembles participate. Middle school and high school choirs are encouraged to participate.
Registration is on a first come, first served basis, and registrations are only complete when both your form and entry fee are received. Look for an emailed invoice.
- Registration Opens July 5, 2026
- Registration Deadline is December 18, 2026
ENTRY FEE (per ensemble)
High School – $195
Middle School – $165
REGISTER HERE!
PAY HERE
NOTE: Registrations are non-refundable
SITES
Skutt Catholic – Monday, February 15, 2027
Contact Jason Frew for more information.
Show Choir Festivals Description
NCDA-sponsored Show Choir Festivals are a great way for your ensemble to gain competition and performance experience in a festival setting. We offer three locations around the state to engage with as many ensembles as possible.
Register your middle school or high school show choir to have a performance opportunity that is focused on educational and artistic growth instead of on awards placement. Each show choir will perform and then have a live critique immediately following their set. This immediate feedback provides real-time opportunities for affirmation and improvement. We hope you will join us!