GUEST CONDUCTORS
ACDA-MN STATE HONOR CHOIRS
DATE: Saturday, May 7, 2022
CONCERT TIME: 5:30 PM
REHEARSAL & CONCERT LOCATION: St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, Mahtomedi, MN
Deadlines:
7-8 CTB & SSA
Tuesday, March 1 — Directors Notified
Friday, March 11 — Scholarship Applications Due
Wednesday, March 30 — Student Registration and Fees Due
Registration Fee —
The state honor choir registration fee is $124 per student which includes fees for the guest conductor, accompanist, instrumentalists, on-site medical staff, facilities, food, T-shirt, downloadable audio recording of the concert, liability insurance and administrative support services.
Payment Process —
Parents: Include check payment made out to your child’s institution/school.
Teachers: Group all registration payments together and pay by institutional or personal credit card directly to ACDA-MN using the registration form at: mnhonorchoirs.org (Do not pay to Opus Events).
Special Note: A separate fee of 3.65% + $0.50 will be added to each credit card transaction.
NOTE: If credit card payment is not an option, please submit all individual student registration fees with one institutional or personal check payable to ACDA-MN and send the check to:
Bruce W. Becker
Executive Director
13288 Downey Trail
Apple Valley, MN 55124
Refund Policy —
The ACDA-MN State Honor Choir program bases its projected budget on the number of selected participants and plans for accordingly. Student registration fees cover the following contracted costs: meals/snacks, t-shirt, printed music, design and printing of programs, two concert tickets, artistic fees for conductor, accompanist and instrumentalists, postage and shipping costs, travel expenses, administrative services, web services, recording services, facility rental, and liability insurance.
Students withdrawing from the honor choir program up to five weeks prior to honor choir day will be issued a full refund if a suitable alternate can be located and placed into the choir. After five weeks, students withdrawing from the honor choir program will not be eligible for a refund.
Partial refunds will be considered on a case-by case basis if the student absence is the result of a sudden medical or family emergency, provided that sufficient notification was directed to the designated ACDA-MN honor choir co-chair, in advance of the honor choir day.
Students who are absent will receive their t-shirt and the CD recording of the performance through their home director.
Student Behavior Contract:
The ACDA-MN Honor Choir leadership team wishes to clarify basic expectations for appropriate student behavior during honor choir day. Student Behavior Contracts should be distributed to selected students and their parents for signatures and returned to the ACDA-MN office with Director’s Return Form and Student Registration Forms.
SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE FOR REGISTRATION FEES
Several need-based scholarships to support the honor choir registration fee will be available on a limited basis, sponsored by ACDA-MN’s F. Melius Christiansen Endowment Fund Committee. Parents should indicate their interest on the Student Information Form returned to the school’s director. Should the student be selected for placement in the Honor Choir, an official Scholarship Application Form (Use Online Application Form or use a Paper Copy Form) should be submitted by parents to the ACDA-MN office by due date listed below.
Scholarship Applications Due Date:
7-8 Honor Choirs: Friday, March 11, 2022
NEW SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION FORM:
The need-based scholarship application form has been revised to remove tax documentation required for families to report income. Instead, two supportive statements will now be provided by the
- Parents/guardians to explain financial need
- Student statement of expected personal growth in the honor choir experience
Scholarship application forms will be available in these printed translations:
- English, also available in on-line version
- Spanish
- Somali
- Hmong
LETTERS & FORMS
Directors will distribute all letters and forms directly to the students. Please refer to “FORMS” page on the menu of this website to download the following forms:
- Director’s Return Form
- Student Registration Form / Medical Release Form
- Student Behavior Contract
- Letter to Director
- Student Congratulations Letter
- Student Regrets Letter
REPERTOIRE
Repertoire packets for each selected student will be sent to each director shortly after select notification.
REHEARSAL NOTES BY CONDUCTOR (as provided)
TBD
COMPLIMENTARY CONCERT TICKETS
As a member of ACDA-MN, you will receive a complimentary concert ticket to any of the honor choir concerts during any of the three weekend offerings. While at the February concert during the MMEA Mid-Winter Clinic, your clinic badge or ACDA membership card can be presented for free admission.
STUDENT SELECTION CAP
As a policy, the Honor Choir Co-Chairs select and place:
- 7-8: Up to five students per school, per group
- 9-10: Up to fifteen students per school assigned to three groups
- 4-5-6: Up to five students per school, per group
Occasionally, in order to ensure overall high quality of the choir, or in the case of a student withdrawal, more students per school could be selected. In other words, selected students with qualifying audition scores will be entitled to receive additional consideration, if needed.
STUDENT ATTIRE
please wear your concert attire (black pants) for the day if possible. Students will receive honor choir t-shirt upon arrival at the morning registration site.
Rehearsals – black pants, comfortable top
Concert – black pants, honor choir t-shirt, black shoes (no high heels recommended)
CONCERT TICKETS
CONCERT TICKETS may be purchased at a cost of $12 for adults; $5 for students (CHECK or CASH ONLY) at morning registration check-in or ½ hour at the door prior to the performance.
Please note that due to a large percentage of tickets being lost or misplaced by students, ACDA-MN will not be distributing complimentary concert tickets to parents this year. Families unable to afford two parent tickets should contact the ACDA-MN Executive Director at: execdirector@acda-mn.org.
PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE — To avoid long lines, parents may conveniently purchase tickets in advance by going to Brown Paper Tickets.
Please click here for links to purchase tickets online.
CONCERT RECORDING
Professional (audio and video) recordings will be made during the performance. One audio download is included in the cost of the student registration fee.
Please note that ACDA-MN will discontinue offering CD recordings as of the 2019-20 school year.
Additional recordings may be ordered and purchased at the concert site. No audio or video recording by concert patrons is allowed.
GROUP PHOTO ORDERS
ACDA-MN has engaged a private professional photographer to capture a formal group photo. For further information contact Bruce Maeda Photography at:
https://brucemaedaphoto.smugmug.com/ACDA-MN-Honor-Choirs
Order forms will be available in the lobby.
CONCERT DOORS OPENING TIME
Due to needed rehearsal time just prior to the performance, concert patrons will not be permitted into the seating area until ½ hour prior to the concert.
WATER BOTTLES
IMPORTANT NOTICE — In order to avoid dumping over 1,000 one-time use plastic water bottles into the environment during our honor choir season, ACDA-MN will not be providing bottled water to honor choir students at lunch time. Students are requested to bring refillable water bottles (labeled with students’ name) to honor choir day.
MEALS
Students are encouraged to eat a good breakfast prior to your early arrival at the rehearsal site. A mid-morning snack along with a noon lunch will be served. If singers have food allergies, or desire a vegetarian meal, please indicate that information on the Student Registration Form.
Please note that students with gluten-free or vegan diet preferences should BRING THEIR OWN FOOD to honor choir day.
Congratulations on your child being selected for one of the most prestigious honors in choral music, that of becoming a member of the ACDA-MN State Honor Choir program!
There are few important items for you to accomplish within the next several weeks.
1 — Sign the Student Registration Form (located on the “FORMS” page)
2 — Along with your student, sign the Student Behavior Contract (located on the ‘FORMS” page)
3 — Submit payment of $124 by check payable to ACDA-MN or credit card authorization listed on the Student Registration Form. Return payment prior to the posted deadlines to your child’s choral director:
7-8 Honor Choirs Wednesday, March 30
The student registration fee will cover the following expenses: Guest conductor artistic fees and travel expenses, accompanist, instrumentalists, professional rehearsal tracks, on-site medical staff, rental of performance and rehearsal facilities, liability insurance, food, T-shirt, downloadable audio recording of the concert and administrative support services.
Parents please assist our state honor choir program by monitoring your student’s regular progress in rehearsing and thoroughly preparing the music.
Please see the Rehearsal Track section for the required music.
For More Information
Contact your child’s choral director or seek additional information directly from the ACDA-MN office at: execdirector@acda-mn.org
Comfort Inn and Suites
3505 Vadnais Center Drive
Vadnais Heights MN 55110
Room Check-In:
Room rates available for May 6 & 7, 2022
$109.00 plus tax
Mention: “ACDA-MN” Room Block
Contact Information:
Phone: 651 483 1625
gm.mn240@choicehotels.com
Cut off date to order rooms: April 15, 2022
