The American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a non-profit organization with the stated purpose of promoting excellence in the field of choral music. Its membership comprises approximately 22,000 choral directors representing over a million singers.[1]
ACDA is organized in six regions: Midwestern, Eastern, Northwestern, Southern, Southwestern, and Western. Every year, conferences with topics pertaining to choral conductors are held. In even numbered years, a region conference is held in each region, and in odd numbered years, a national conference takes place in a major U.S. city. In 2021, ACDA organized its first virtual national conference in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, the organization returned to an in person conference, with Cincinnati serving as the host city. Each year, a different university hosts the yearly ACDA chapter.
Their official publications are the Choral Journal, as well as the scientific research journal International Journal of Research in Choral Singing (online only).
Robyn Hilger is the current executive director.[2]
Since 1991, the ACDA awards the "Raymond W. Brock Memorial Commission" to "a recognized composer to write a choral composition in an effort to perpetuate quality choral repertoire."[3]
| Year | Composer | Title | Orchestration | Duration | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Theron Kirk | O For A Thousand Tongues | ||||
| 1993 | A Time to Dance | |||||
| 1994 | Sing a Mighty Song | |||||
| 1995 | Alleluia for the Waters | |||||
| 1996 | James Mulholland | That I Shall Never Look Upon Thee More | ||||
| 1997 | God Be With Us | |||||
| 1997 | Jacob’s Prayer | |||||
| 1998 | A Psalm Trilogy | |||||
| 1999 | I Thank You God | |||||
| 1999 | The God of Glory Thunders | |||||
| 2000 | David Brunner | The Circles of Our Lives | ||||
| 2001 | Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine | 10 min | ||||
| 2002 | Psalm 36 | |||||
| 2003 | Memorial | |||||
| 2004 | We Behold Once Again the Stars | |||||
| 2005 | Nocturnes | |||||
| 2006 | Dances to Life | |||||
| 2007 | The Nine Muses | |||||
| 2008 | Life's Mirror | |||||
| 2009 | Cenotaph | |||||
| 2010 | All Works of Love | |||||
| 2011 | Three Mystical Choruses | |||||
| 2012 | Distance can’t keep us two apart | A capella mixed choir | 5 min | Text by Wang Bo[4] | ||
| 2013 | Take Him, Earth | SATB choir and 9 instruments | 13 min | |||
| 2014 | The Definition of Beauty | SSAA, unaccompanied | 4:45 min | |||
| 2015 | Stop this Day and Night with Me | SATBBB, unaccompanied | ||||
| 2016 | The River | choir, piano and string quartet | [5] | |||
| 2017 | J.A.C. Redford | Homing | Mixed chorus and orchestra | 28 min | ||
| 2018 | Tarik O'Regan | All Things Common | Acapella SATB | 5 min | ||
| 2019 | Jake Runestad | A Silence Haunts Me | SATB choir and piano | 11:30 min | Text by Todd Boss | |
| 2020 | Ivo Antognini | There is that in me | ||||
| 2021 | Bob Chilcott | Songs My Heart Has Taught Me | ||||
| 2022 | Ēriks Ešenvalds | Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening | ||||
| 2023 | Jennifer Higdon | The Absence | ||||
| 2024 | Andre J Thomas | In Time of Silver Rain |