| 1996 |
This
article appeared in the Fall, 1996 issue of UNISON, WA-ACDA's newsletter
to members.
W ashington's ACDA presented it's Outstanding Leadership and Service Award
to former University of Washington choral director, Joan Catoni Conlon
on Friday, August 2nd, at the First Annual ACDA Summer Reading Session
in Tacoma. State board members unanimously and enthusiastically agreed
that Joan's work and contribution to the choral art met the criteria
outlined for this award.
From 1976 until 1995, Joan directed choral music at the University of Washington.
She was an active member of ACDA and served often as an adjudicator, a festival
organizer and leader. In the Fall of 1995, Joan accepted a position as Professor
of Music at the University of Colorado in Boulder where she is now the Director
of Graduate Choral Research and Conductor of the Graduate Vocal Ensemble and
the University Singers. She also teaches graduate courses in choral literature
and conducting.
Recently, she released the CD "The Romantic Gypsy" in collaboration
with guitarist Steven Novacek and the Pacific Northwest Chamber Chorus, the Seattle
ensemble she conducted for 25 years while living in Seattle.
She is active as a conductor, and also is known for her research on the choral
works of the composer Georg Philipp Telemann. Following research travel to Frankfurt,
Brussels and London, she has researched, transcribed, and edited Telemann choral
cantatas and motets. Her editions are published by Augsburg Publishing House,
Lawson-Gould, and Southern Music.
She is national chair of the Research and Publications Committee for the ACDA.
Currently, she is preparing a conductor's guide to the vocal music of Claudio
Monteverdi, who live 1557 to 1643.
During two sabbatical leaves, she has studied Hindustani classical vocal music
in India, and she retains an active interest in choral music from around the
world. Update:
Joan Catoni Conlon is Director of Graduate Choral Research for the College
of Music at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She is active
as a conductor, presenter, editor, and arranger. Dr. Conlon has chaired
the Research and Publications Committee of the American Choral Directors
Association. She currently is compiling essays for a book on American
Women Choral Conductors. |
| 1997 |
This
article in UNISON, the state ACDA newsletter, announced Rebecca's award
in the Fall of 1997.
Th e WA-ACDA Board recently voted to award this year’s
Choral Leadership
Award for the state of Washington to Rebecca Rottsolk.
Rebecca’s work in
choral music meets the criteria for the award beautifully. She has produced
outstanding choirs which have sung in numerous prestigious venues. ACDA
for the state is proud to claim Rebecca Rottsolk as one of its members.
Rebecca is the Artistic Director of the Northwest Girlchoir in Seattle,
Washington. Under her leadership since 1982, the Choir’s creative and varied performances,
recordings and workshop demonstrations have served as an artistic and organizational
model and resource for other choirs and music educators.
An accomplished soprano,
Ms. Rottsolk has distinguished herself in both the fields of music education
and choral conducting. She received the degree of Bachelor of Music in
vocal performance from St. Olaf College, continued vocal study at the University
of Washington and received her MA from Pacific Lutheran University.
In demand as a lecturer and clinician, she regularly presents workshops
on treble voices and serves as guest conductor for festival choruses.
Rebecca
is Director of Choirs at Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church where she conducts
two children’s
choirs and the adult choir. She is the NW Regional Chairperson for the ACDA National
Committee on Children’s Choirs.
The Northwest Girlchoir has consistently distinguished itself as a model
of the highest standards of artistry and performance, and it is a valued
participant in national and international choir festivals. Among the Choir’s credits
are invitational performances at the Regional/National Conventions for the American
Choral Directors’ Association; 1992 triple-award winners at Hungary’s
Bela Bartok International Choral Festival, among many other awards.
Rebecca Rottsolk will be conducting the North Central ACDA Children’s Regional
Honor Choir in March, and will be adjudicator/clinician for the Anaheim Children’s
Heritage Festival as well as Choristers Guild festival in Seattle.
Update:
Rebecca serves as guest conductor and clinician for numerous festival
choruses throughout America, adjudicates for Heritage Festivals and Worlds
of Fun Choral Festivals, and is a series editor for Alliance Music Publications,
Inc. She served on the 2001 National Endowment of the Arts review panel
for ArtsLearning applications. Rebecca conducts several adult community
choral ensembles and sings in the Wild Rose Chorale in Port Townsend.
|
| 1998 |
This
article was in the Fall, 1998 issue of UNISON.
P aul Schultz, director of choral activities at the University
of Puget Sound in Tacoma, was named the recipient of this year’s
Service and
Leadership Award from the WA-ACDA at the Summer Institute, Friday, July
31, 1998.
President Twyla Brunson cited Schultz’s contributions to ACDA, as a past
president during whose tenure the organization grew and offered new services,
and for his continued leadership, including playing a major role in helping develop
and chair the on-site arrangements for the Summer Institute itself.
She also
noted Paul’s outstanding work in the year after year excellence displayed
by the Adelphians and other choral ensembles from UPS and in the Tacoma area.
Paul wrote an eloquent response to the award which UNISON wants to share with
readers:
"I was greatly surprised and deeply honored as the recent
recipient of the Service and Leadership Award at our July Workshop. As
Twyla was presenting the award she presented a long list of ACDA activities
in which I had been involved over the years and it struck me that this
sounded like a quote from a history book. I suddenly realized that in music,
in its study and performance, one is a part of history. Then I thought
perhaps this award signified that I was history!"
"To be a part of history, or to be history. In my mind, there is really
little difference, for history is a process. Nothing is for sure for very
long. “It
was a time of great change” is an apt beginning for the discussion of any
segment of our past. So, for me to “be history” is to acknowledge
that I am a part of a process."
"Permit me to share what I think that process is all about and why it is so important.
First, it is to know who we are. We are each a product of our past. To understand
who we are, we must understand how we arrived at this moment. Historical dates
and facts have little meaning unless they contribute to that understanding."
"Secondly, as we understand this process...what has brought us to this moment,
we, as performers are better equipped to present who “they” are...what
a Bach fugue or a Beethover sonata or an Ives song is really all about. No one
is allowed to recarve Michelangelo’s David, or to repaint Monet’s
Water Lilies or to rebuild the Cologne cathedral. But, we are the fortunate ones
who are allowed to breathe new life into Bach’s Italian Concerto or Beethoven’s
Ninth Symphony or Schubert’s Winterreise...whatever we perform, whenever
we perform it!"
"Thirdly, the more we learn, the more we discover what we don’t know! The
more that this simple truth comes upon us, the more our sense of humility should
grow...our humility before the vastness of our art and our humility before our
colleagues. The rashness of youth knows it all. To “be history” is
to discover that one’s knowledge is so fleeting in time that one should
hardly dare to speak!"
"Fourth, the more we don’t know, the more we should respect what we do know.
To know is to be blessed, to be the recipient of a great gift. Thankful for what
we can do, for what we do know, we can live in the balance of the known and the
unknown. We can be grateful for the gifts of knowing and humble (and excited)
for the gifts of the unknown."
"Caught in the tension of the past and the present, we can realize that the past
is not dead. The past is us. The future is us. The process is us. The real trick
now is to remain and keep it all in perspective, challenged by what we were,
what we are, and what we can be!"
Most sincerely,
Paul W. Schultz Update:
Dr. Schultz founded the Northwest Repertory Singers in August 2001. They
are a very select group of distinguished Puget Sound musicians dedicated
to performing a wide variety of quality choral music at a high artistic
level. Performances during their first five seasons have received hearty
acclaim and played to capacity audiences.
Dr. Schultz is very active as a
guest conductor, clinician and adjudicator throughout the United States.
He resides in Gig Harbor with his wife, Dr. Donna Gartman Schultz. Their
son, David, is a graduate student at Michigan State University pursuing
a master's degree in orchestral conducting. |
| 1999 |
The following article appeared in the WA ACDA newsletter, UNISON, in
the Fall edition of 1999.
Howard Meharg, Editor of UNISON, and a past-president
of the WA- ACDA, was awarded the 1999 Leadership and Service Award in
a brief ceremony at the Summer Institute on July 30, at the University
of Puget Sound. President Twyla Brunson presented the award.
Howard has been involved in ACDA since 1965. He served as state president
two times, the first in 1969, filling the remainder of
a term of office left at the resignation of Jerry Semrau. Howard’s
recent presidency was 1995-1997.
With Howard’s leadership and that of the 1996 state board, the state convention,
held in the fall of every other year, was dropped in favor of the annual summer
reading session. He was involved in establishing the format for
the summer event, now the called the Summer Institute.
After graduating from WWSC in 1959, Howard taught for two years in Castle Rock,
thirteen years at Kelso and 15 at Mark Morris High School in Longview. He consistently
developed outstanding choirs. His 1968 high school choir sang for a national
ACDA convention in Seattle and on several occasions his groups were invited to
perform for MENC and ACDA conventions. He retired from full time choral work
in the public schools in 1995.
In 1996, Howard took on the job as the newsletter editor for Washington’s
ACDA. He suggested the name UNISON based both on the concept as a goal for choirs
and on the hope that choral directors could be unified in their efforts to promote
the art form. UNISON was awarded the national ACDA award for “Superior
Newsletter Achievement” at the national convention in Chicago in 1999.
He also edits NW-Notes, the six state newsletter for the Northwest Division of
ACDA.
In other professional accomplishments, Howard toured twice with the Norman Luboff
Choir and is the founder of Male Ensemble Northwest. He received the WEA’s
prestigious “Teacher Advocate of the Year” award and is a regular
contributor to his local paper’s reader commentaries and guest columns,
most often on the subject of education. Currently he works part time at Mark
Morris High School as Coordinator of the Freshstart program, a “school-within-a-school” program
for at-risk ninth graders.
Howard says, “While I can claim no credit for their hard work and dedication
to choral music and teaching, I am particularly grateful for having been a small
part in the lives of some high school “kids” who have gone on to
make an enormous impact in this business. I think especially of Paul Dennis,
Karen Fulmer, Neal Lieurance, and Jeff Mitchell (whose son, Brian, now has my
old job at Mark Morris).” He adds, “I’m so proud of them and
others who continue to direct and sing in choirs. There’s great satisfaction
in feeling you’ve been a part of enriching lives through this wonderful
medium.”
Howard’s still directs a church choir, a community women’s ensemble,
and a Compline men’s choir. He and his wife, Karen, now live in Vancouver,
Washington.
Update:
Howard is now the webmaster for several ACDA websites including the NW Division,
and the states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. He remains active in ACDA
and still conducts a church choir in Longview. He and his wife, Karen,
now live in Vancouver, Washington. |
| 2000 |
The
following article appeared in the Fall, 2000, UNISON.
Robert
K. Northrop was awarded the Leadership and Service Award
from the Washington ACDA on Friday, July 28, 2000 during the Summer Institute
sponsored by WA-ACDA and held on the campus of the University of Puget
Sound in Tacoma. Family members accepted the award on his behalf.
Bob was a long-standing member of ACDA, serving as state treasurer for five years.
He had been suffering from brain cancer for some time and died August 14,
2000, two weeks after family members accepted the award on his behalf.
Sarah Graham, a former student of Bob’s
at Curtis High School in Tacoma, said he knew of the award and appreciated
it very much.
Bob Northrop was a career member of the MENC. His choirs consistently received
the highest honors. He was also an accomplished tenor soloist, singing in Tacoma
and Seattle opera productions.
Bob was commited to excellence in his church music work also. He was the Director
of Music at University Place Presbyterian Church for 36 years. Nothing pleased
him more than developing a concert program for choir, orchestra, handbells, and
brass.
His ability to develop superior choral ensembles was legendary in the northwest.
In fact, Bob Northrop epitomized all seven of the qualifications necessary to
be the recipient of the Leadership and Service Award for WA-ACDA.
He is survived by his wife, Thama, his parents, the Rev. Chester and Grace Northrop,
a daughter, Cindy, a son, Seven Keith, and three grandchildren.
A celebration of his life was held on Thursday, August 17, 2000 at the University
Place Presbyterian Church. ACDA members may make memorial donations to
the church music fund at UPPC.
|
| 2001 |
This
article appeared in Fall, 2001 issue of UNISON.
Richard Sparks was awarded Washington state’s ACDA
Leadership and Service Award on Friday, July 27, at the annual Summer Choral
Institute sponsored by WA-ACDA. His friend and colleage at PLU, Richard
Nance, made the presentation.
Richard Sparks grew up in Seattle and attended Shorecrest High School,
where Neil Lieurance was his choral director. Richard then went on to the University
of Washington and did his undergraduate study with Rod Eichenberger.
After his
time at UW, he founded and was the Artistic Director of Seattle Pro Musica for
seven years. This highly successful community-based program recently celebrated
its 25th anniversary. While with that organization, Richard conducted 71 different
programs with three ensembles: the Pro Musica Singers, Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra,
and the Bach Ensemble.
He began teaching at the collegiate level in 1980 at Mt. Holyoke College in
Massachusetts, where he stayed for three years before coming back to the Northwest
to succeed Maurice Skones as Director of Choral Activities at Pacific Lutheran
University.
He has served in that position for the past 18 years, and
he has had a profound influence on the lives and careers of untold numbers
of choral musicians. During his time at PLU, Richard also conducted the Seattle
Symphony Chorale for four years, and guest conducted the Northwest Chamber
Orchestra, Portland Baroque Orhcestra, Portland Symphonic Choir and other
organizations. In 1993 he substituted for an ailing Robert Shaw, conducting
the Brahms “Requiem” at
the Anchorage Music Festival, subsequently appearing twice more at that festival.
Richard was also conductor at the International Singing Week in Veszprem, Hungary,
in 1996.
At the 1999 ACDA National Convention in Chicago, Richard received the prestigious
Julius Herford Award for his outstanding doctoral dissertation, which
has now been published as a book, “The Swedish Choral Miracle.”
He has
recently left his position at PLU to pursue the further artistic development
of his two professional choirs, Choral Arts Northwest (which many ACDA members
will remember for their outstanding performance at the 2000 NWACDA convention)
and Edmonton Pro Coro.
Update:
Richard Sparks continues to conduct professional
choirs. He still directs the Edmonton Pro Coro and recently spent several
weeks in Sweden where he conducted the Swedish Radio Choir and other ensembles.
Read about Richard's Swedish trip at: www.acdaonline.org/Northwestern
|
| 2002 |
T his article, written by Judy Herrington, past-president
of Washington ACDA, appeared in the Fall, 2002, edition of NW Notes, the
newsletter of the NW Division, ACDA.
ACDA members in Washington are proud to
share another wonderful leader with Northwestern
constituents. Twyla Brunson is taking over the position
of President for our Northwestern region and was
honored (in July) for her leadership in ACDA and years
of commitment to music education as the recipient of
the Washington ACDA Leadership Award.
Behind
every leader is a unique history of experiences and
significant individuals that shaped their direction. The
following is a summary of an interview/lunch conversation
with Twyla last summer:
To talk with Twyla is to recognize an individual
who is a life-long learner, passionate about music and young people. As
with any
successful person, there is a teacher or mentor who motivated and shaped
that
person's direction.
Twyla grew up in Weiser, Idaho, a town of 5,000 that
is
famous for it's summer fiddle festival. The school in Weiser had a strong
band
program but not a strong choral program. However, Weiser had Esther Binning.
This powerhouse of a teacher gave Twyla lessons in trio ensemble, sextet
ensemble and solo lessons.
Twyla continued her education at the University
of
Idaho, receiving a Bachelor of Music Education degree. Her thoughts upon
graduation were, "I will never teach choir and certainly not junior
high." (This is
from a woman whose career includes 30 years of junior high choral teaching).
Three years of teaching elementary music classes led to a desire for
performance opportunities available in working with junior high students.
Reflecting on her career spanning 33 years of teaching in Walla Walla,
Tacoma
and Sumner, Twyla shared “I can't imagine doing anything else.”
Meeting
former
students who are now adults is an affirmation of what she has accomplished
in
her work.
Twyla's professional performance
work has included singing with
the Seattle Symphony Chorale, Opus 7
and in many opera and musical theater
productions.
ACDA has been the fortunate
recipient of Twyla's work “in the
trenches” – running registration for
regional convention, hospitality chair
for the national convention in San Antonio, serving on the WA-ACDA
board as President-elect, President and Past President.
As NW-ACDA
President-elect, her primary responsibility
will be to plan the next NWACDA
convention to be held in Boise,
Idaho, in Feb. 2004.
Thank you Twyla for the joy,
enthusiasm and expertise that you
bring to this new level of leadership.
Washington is proud to call you one of
our own!
Update:
Twyla Brunson continues to sing in Opus 7, a Seattle
professional ensemble. She serves ACDA in many behind-the-scenes projects
and, while retired from full-time work in the public schools, still accepts
long-term teaching roles as a substitute.
|
| 2003 |
W ritten by Linda Hamilton, WA-ACDA
President-elect and Junior High Director Choral Director at Kenmore
Junior High in the Northshore School District.
"Leadership is not so much about technique and methods
as it is about opening the heart. Leadership is about inspiration
of oneself and others. Great leadership is about human experiences,
not processes. It is not a formula or a program, it is a human
activity that comes from the heart and considers the hearts of others. It
is an attitude, not a routine."
This statement from Lance Secretan is a wonderful introduction
to this year’s recipient of the 2003 Washington American Choral
Directors Association Leadership award.
Peggy Burroughs impact on literally
thousands of lives over the last 38 years of public school teaching is
awe-inspiring. When you think about all the students that chose
to take an elective choral class because of her, not to mention those
students’ parents who saw and heard their kids grow and be challenged,
because of her, the schools who listened to her choirs with pride and
wonder on a consistent basis, the community who was extremely proud of
the director and the choirs reputation, other schools from other districts
who looked forward every year to hear that choir perform (or be glad
that they did not have to perform after them!).
All or these wonderful
influences and more are a product of Peggy’s dedication to excellence,
high expectations and insatiable love for music. Over the years,
Peggy was able to get ordinary young people to do extraordinary things.
As
a former student of hers it is hard to explain the passion and fervor
that this incredible woman has in the classroom. She will be missed
tremendously as a teacher but she is still available to be our mentor
and friend.
I often think that one of the best quotes to
describe Peggy’s teaching is “the woods would
be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best” Henry Van
Dyke.
Her belief that she could make a difference to any kid
that walked in her door has been one of the greatest impressions on me
in my own teaching.
Truly a diamond among us in our profession
would you please help me congratulate and honor Peggy Burroughs as this
years 2003 Washington American Choral Directors Award recipient.
Update:
Peggy Burrough is now retired from full time school work. She is still
active in ACDA, currently serving as chairperson for the Men's Honor
Choir for the NW ACDA Convention in Vancouver, B. C., February 20-23,
2008.
CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE TO 2004-2011 WINNERS OF THIS AWARD |
