Message From the President (Aug. 2026)
Dear Friends and Members of ACDA-MI,
Summer in Michigan…is there any better place? Well, maybe? I had the opportunity to take my entire family of six to Europe. More specifically, to Prague, Czech Republic and several cities in Italy. It was on this trip that I had the privilege of observing two performances where my mind immediately went to the word…”community.”
This word “community” has come up several times in recent conversations with colleagues and friends. I am not sure why and perhaps it is the result of us coming out of the COVID event where so many of us were ‘siloed” in our own separate time and space. The first performance that I encountered was in the little town of Straznice, CZ (Moravian region). We were visiting friends of our family just as the Straznice Folklore Festival was underway. I watched in amazement to see “community in action.” I listened and saw families, friends and strangers in formal performance groups and in informal gatherings singing, playing and dancing to the music of their Moravia. It was quite the sight as I had expected to see the older generations participating but to my delightful surprise and joy, there were groups of singers, dancers and players of all ages gathering and sharing in something very special. Professionals interacting with amateurs, older generations interacting with the younger and each with a sense of “musical abandon.” It was all about friends, family and newly acquainted friends making and sharing music.
The second “performance” was actually an Italian mass that I happened to take part in an old Romanesque church in Rome located on the top of a cobble-stone side road. I had turned a corner and saw that the church door was open and to my pleasant surprise, I heard beautiful singing from the group of nuns associated with the church. It was a special moment for me because I got to become a small part of their community by part-taking in their religious service. Their music, three-part a cappella, transported me to a different time, place, and space. My ears were in heaven and my soul was touched. Even though I was not an official member of that specific community, I suddenly felt a part of what was happening. I was drawn into something special and felt as if I had been invited into their presence by their singing and their participation in the mass.
Merriam-Webster defines community as a “unified body of individuals; body of persons of common and especially professional interests scattered through a larger society.” Since returning home, this word “community” has been on my mind and in conversation. ACDA-MI is a community and regardless of where we conduct, teach, sing, or our voice part, we are about gathering together whether formally for a concert, informally in a “beer choir” or singing in the congregation of our worship space to sing and make music. Professionals interacting with amateurs, older generations interacting with the younger and each with a sense of “musical abandon.” It is all about friends, family and newly acquainted friends making and sharing music in community.
It is for you, Michigan’s choral conductor that ACDA-MI exists. So be encouraged and take the time to attend “Where Great Lakes Meet, Voices Rise” ACDA-MI Fall Conference 2026! Dr. Jerry Blackstone and Dr. Derrick Fox will be our headliner clinicians for this conference. We also have several different interest sessions – nine in total! The conference will be a great time for you to re-connect with colleagues, re-acquaint with friends, and introduce yourself to several of Michigan’s future choral conductors AND be in community! We want to see YOU at our ACDA-MI Fall Conference.
“Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.” (Amy Poehler)
Take advantage of the ACDA website, the ACDA-MI website, and our monthly ACDA-MI newsletter, Bella Voce. We, the board, continue to work on finding ways to reach out to our membership and to meet your needs as a conductor, educator and performer. Be in touch with us and your R&R Representatives. Let us know of any events that you are involved in, attend another member’s concert this fall, write a short article for Bella Voce, send us a repertoire list and come to the conference to be encouraged.
The Mission of ACDA is – to inspire excellence and nurture lifelong involvement in choral music for everyone through education, performance, composition, and advocacy.
It is a privilege to serve and be a part of ACDA-MI.
Thomas Blue
President, ACDA-MI