She said, "I think I'm going to Boston."

Next week, the UMD Women’s Chorus will perform at the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Eastern Division Conference in Boston, and we could not be more excited!

ACDA is the largest professional group for choir directors nationwide.  The biennial regional conferences feature headline choirs as well as choirs from around the region selected by blind audition.  When attendees aren’t at concerts, they are attending lectures, demo rehearsals and programs to share new repertoire and learn new skills to advance the choral art.  

Dr. Kenneth Elpus leads the UMD Women's Chorus in rehearsal February 5, 2016.

While other Maryland choirs have performed at the conference in years past, this is the first time the UMD Women’s Chorus will perform.  We are one of the most diverse ensembles on campus, made up of music majors and non-majors alike, and being selected is a huge honor.

“I think it says a lot about the strength of choral music at Maryland,” said Dr. Kenneth Elpus, Assistant Professor of Music Education and Director of the UMD Women’s Chorus.

He’s also excited for the group to travel together.

“Group travel, particularly, has a chance to get people who make music together three times a week but might not know each other to bond, and that will help the music-making,” Dr. Elpus said.

We’ll be taking the bus up on Tuesday afternoon (and hopefully not encountering too much snow!)  On Wednesday, we will perform at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum and spend the day exploring Boston.  On Thursday, we will perform two concerts at St. Cecilia Parish for ACDA conference attendees before returning home to Maryland.  It will be a whirlwind of a trip, but I’m looking forward to it!

Check back soon for an update on our rehearsal process!

Dr. Elpus leads the UMD Women's Chorus in rehearsal February 5, 2016.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Emily Schweich is a senior broadcast journalism major, women’s studies certificate candidate and voice performance minor.  While this is only her second semester as a member of the UMD Women’s Chorus, she has been involved with UMD Choirs since her freshman year as a member of the University Chorale, the UMD Summer Chorus and Femmes de Chanson, a student-run classical a cappella group for women.