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BELLA VOCE is the official newsletter of the Michigan chapter of the American Choral Directors Association. The mission and purpose of the newsletter is to provide a vehicle of communication from the board of directors to the membership. In addition, the newsletter seeks to provide articles on professional topics of interest to Michigan choral directors. Repertoire and Standards committee chairs are required to contribute one article per year, due in September, as part of their responsibilities. District chairs are required to report on interesting news in their districts. The newsletter strives to be self-supporting through advertisement in the publication. Members are invited to submit articles, calendar information, news releases, literature suggestions, book and recording reviews, and editorial comments to the editor. All submissions for publication are to be typed and should include the name, address, phone number, photograph, and short autobiography of the author. Materials may also be submitted electronically as WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, or plain text files. E-mail should have BELLA VOCE in the subject line heading. ACDA-Michigan reserves the right to refuse any article, to edit any application for appearance, and to edit all materials proposed for distribution. Bella Voce – 2010
I hope the title caught your attention! Not only are the Kings Singers soon to be performing in Michigan, but you may be interested in attending many other fine performances in your area! Please check the Area Reps tab on the ACDA Michigan site and find your area. Several of our reps have posted links…
Jared Anderson, Director of Choral Activities at Michigan Tech, presented a fascinating session at the Fall Conference. Here is a link to his extensive Handout: e pluribus unum
The choral world mourns the loss of Diane Loomer, co-founder of the internationally acclaimed women’s choir, Elektra, on December 10th at the age of 72. She is also credited with founding Chor Leoni, a highly regarded men’s choir that often toured with Elektra. Loomer emigrated from Minnesota to Vancouver in 1962, and quickly became a…
Confession, the spiritual masters tell us, is good for the soul. It’s not hard to see why. Confession lightens the conscience. It deflates the ego and allows us to offload the guilt we carry, sometimes without even being consciously aware of it. So I hope you’ll permit me the opportunity to confess a few secrets…
Our choral art form is unique: it is group story telling that unites music and words in a way that heightens the meaningful impact of each. The corporate aspect of choral music making—something done together by many different individuals at the same moment in time in the same place—powerfully magnifies and intensifies the impact of…
Hello from Zagreb! Where? Wasn’t there a war there? How do you get there? Do they speak English? I am on sabbatical for the fall semester from Oakland University. As I did on a previous sabbatical, I have chosen to come and live in Zagreb, Croatia for about three months. It will be a…
March 30, 1927 – October 7, 2012 Howard J. Rizner, 85, of Hillsdale, passed away Sunday, October 7, 2012 at his home. He was born March 30, 1927 in Dearborn to Joseph and Victoria (Plomer) Rizner. He was married December 27, 1951 to Barbara Knoblauch and she survives. Howard Rizner’s career of teaching vocal music in…
Some of the most popular articles in Bella Voce are those that contain repertoire suggestions. With that in mind, the board decided to ask our R & S chairs to submit one repertoire selection each month to share with our membership. Below you will find some of these suggestions. Please refer back here periodically as…
Earlier this year, Minnesota ACDA asked me to contribute to their year long focus on renewal. Here is a short article that was born out of that request. Celebrate a little EVERY day….. In a world where expectations seem to increase by the second, I am constantly looking for ways to recharge. I am often…
Resources for Children’s Choirs: There are many great resources out there for directors of children’s choirs. Included below are books specific to teaching children’s voices, tried and true repertoire suggestions and links to some of the children’s choir programs in the state of Michigan. I welcome more additions or suggestions! Please use the link to…
