Four seventh-graders at Timothy Christian Middle School have been selected for the American Choral Directors Association's (ACDA) National 5th–7th Grade Treble Honor Choir.
Ana Nogueira, Emily VanDerLaan, Jude VanDerLaan and Ian Yu earned spots after auditioning in September alongside what the school described as thousands of students from across the country. The ACDA's audition window closed Sept. 24, and participant notifications went out Oct. 29, according to the association's honor choir page.
Nogueira and Yu were chosen as sopranos. Emily VanDerLaan and Jude VanDerLaan were chosen as altos.
The four students will begin preparing their music in November and travel to Minneapolis for the ACDA National Conference, scheduled for March 7–10, 2027. Honor choir performances are set for March 10, according to the ACDA timeline.
The ACDA hosts its national conference every two years. Five honor choirs, each led by a prominent choral conductor, perform as part of the event. The school's announcement identified Rollo Dilworth, a professor of choral music education at Temple University, as the conductor for the 5th–7th grade treble choir. The ACDA's own conductors page lists Dilworth as conductor of the Grades 7–9 SATB Honor Choir and names Elise Bradley as conductor of the 5th–7th grade treble group. The reason for the discrepancy is unclear.
Selected students are expected to complete registration by Nov. 19 and will receive their music by mail in December, according to the ACDA schedule.
