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.
2024-2025 Events
Sing Around Nebraska
Honor Choir Year • 4-6th Graders
November 8-9, 2024
Kearney High School Auditorium
(NO Audition Fee, $70 Participation Fee for Accepted Students)
Registrations are non-refundable
LIMIT one audition per 25 students you teach.
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 purchased by the educator via a JWPepper Festival List which teachers will order from and have shipped directly to their schools. 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 Janette Kammerer with questions: jkammerer@nppsd.org
Honor Choir Repertoire
Fairest Lady – Nick Page – SA
Art Thou Troubled – Handel – Unison
Under the Calico Tree – Thompson – SA
Three Quotes by Mark Twain – Ramsey – SA
Ton The – Gilmore – SA
Stars Tonight – Herrington – SA
ORDER HERE
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 MEMORIZED 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)
CLICK HERE
SAN Honor Choir
Audition Procedure
- The singer or director should NOT say anything to introduce the singer, including song title, singer’s
name, school or grade, etc. - The recording should NOT include any type of filter or effect.
- The singer will sing “America” unaccompanied.
- Please make sure there is no accompaniment or additional singing with the student.
- The piano may give the starting pitch:
- Soprano: G above middle C
- Alto: D above middle C
Audition Deadline – September 13, 2024
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 – Closed 9-13-24
Sing Around NE Honor Choir 2024 schedule
2024 SAN Honor Choir
November 9, 2024
Gretchen Harrison, Clinician
Gretchen Harrison
Recently retired from a 34-year public school music educator career, Gretchen Harrison is enjoying time filled with singing, playing piano and banjo, working with choirs all over the nation and lots of cooking. Harrison is the choir director (emeritus) at Frontier Trail MS in Olathe USD 233. Harrison earned a Bachelor’s in Music Education from Wichita State University and a Master’s in Music Education from University of Missouri-Kansas City. She has completed her Level III endorsement in CME (Choral Music Experience) program, along with other post-grad education experiences. She has served the choral community as National Chairperson for JHMS Repertoire and Standards for ACDA (2009-2015), Youth Coordinator for ACDA (2016-2019), and currently holds the position of ACDA National Chairperson for Repertoire and Resources. Currently, Harrison is an Assistant Choir Director of Moto and Brio choirs with Allegro Choirs of Kansas City. She is also the Assistant Children’s Choir Director at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, KS. Harrison is married to a retired high school band director and is mom to Kellyn, a grad student in Choral Conducting at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Cole, a choir director in the Kansas City, KS, public schools. Wynton, a yellow lab pandemic puppy, rounds out the family.
Singing Youth of Nebraska
Festival Choirs • Grades 7-9
Singing Youth of Nebraska Festivals
January-February 2025
January 18, 2025
Fremont High School
Site Coordinator: Mark Harman
Mark.Harman@fpsmail.org
January 25, 2025
North Platte High School
Site Coordinator: Lenore Weatherly
lweatherly@nppsd.org
January 25, 2025
Fairbury Junior/Senior High
Site Coordinator: Ryan Dusso
rdusso@fairburyjeffs.org
February 8, 2025
Bellevue West High School
Site Coordinator: A.J. Reimer
adam.reimer@bpsne.net
February 8, 2025
Kearney High School
Site Coordinator: Tori Glandon
vicglandon@kearneycats.com
February 8, 2025
Bridgeport High School
Site Coordinator: Michaela Babic
mbabic@bpsbulldogs.org
Festival Description
The Singing Youth of Nebraska 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 $50 per student and is non-refundable. You will receive an invoice with payment-by-check instructions when we receive your completed registration. 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 6+ 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@hpstigers.org for more information! Sites are listed below. We thank you for singing with us!
REPERTOIRE
ORDER HERE
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 posted to Opus Event.
- Registration Opens August 19, 2024
- Registration Deadline is December 20, 2024
ENTRY FEE (per ensemble)
High School – $195
Middle School – $165
NOTE: Registrations are non-refundable
SITES
Contact Jason Frew for more information.
REGISTER HERE!
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!