OPUS HONOR CHOIR

2012-2013 CHAIR is NANCY EWING.
712-541-8192 (daytime) 712-548-4508 (evening) or opus@iowachoral.org

The Iowa Choral Directors Association will sponsor the twenty-seventh annual Opus Honor Choir on Thursday, November 15th, 2012 at Iowa State University in Ames.  Four choirs of 180 voices will be featured at this year’s event.  ICDA, Inc. will be offering a Fifth-Sixth Grade Select Honor Choir, a Seventh-Eighth Grade Select Bass Clef Honor Choir, a Seventh-Eighth Grade Select Treble Clef Honor Choir, and a Ninth Grade Select Mixed Honor Choir.

POSTMARK DEADLINE
All audition forms and recordings must be sent to the respective chairpersons.  All materials must have a postmark of Tuesday, September 18, 2012 or before.  Audition recordings received with a postmark later than this will be disqualified. Do not require signatures on packages as this may slow down the adjudication process.

GOALS

  1. To further the development of 5th–9th grade choral programs through the learning, auditioning and performing of quality choral literature.
  2. To achieve the excellence and pride that develop from singing in an Honors Choir that would ultimately be taken back to the home choir.
  3. To offer attending directors the opportunity to observe master conductors in the rehearsal process.

ELIGIBILITY

Any current ICDA, Inc. member may submit fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth grade singers that are active in their public and private school music programs or church choirs in the state of Iowa. The audition is by  cassette tape or CD. Each singer’s audition must be prepared by a sponsoring director, and this director must be an active or retired member of American Choral Directors Association. Singers may not be submitted by student teachers. The  director’s expiration date of ACDA membership must be included on each audition form. Each member director may nominate up to a total of twelve quality singers per Opus choir. Participating directors are encouraged to have their students audition on a voice part that is appropriate for their vocal range and consider vocal health as a primary concern. Please make sure to only send in recordings of students who are well prepared!!

In order to be eligible, all singers that audition for Opus:
-must be part of an established Choral Program (not private voice studio, temporary Church or Community Choirs, etc.)
-must have the submitting ICDA, Inc. member as a regular director of  the ensemble (not a temporary director, guest clinician, etc.)
Any singer that is submitted by more than one director will result in disqualification of all students from submitting directors.

GUEST CONDUCTORS

The 2012 Opus Conductors are:

5th & 6th Mixed Choir, directed by Roger Hatteberg, Burlington,
7th & 8th Treble Clef Choir, directed by Linda Ferjak, Bishop Garrigan High School
7th & 8th Bass Clef Choir, directed by Kelly Truax, Prairie Point Middle School, Cedar Rapids
9th Grade Mixed Choir, directed by Dr. Gerald Kreitzer, Mount Mercy University, Cedar Rapids

SPECIFIC INFORMATION ON PREPARING AND MAILING THE AUDITION RECORDING ARE LOCATED IN THE 2012 OPUS BROCHURE.  PLEASE SEE THE LINK BELOW.

Opus results will be posted online the week of October 15. 
ICDA members who have submitted recordings will receive an email notification prior to the posting of the results online. 
(Please note: Notification will ONLY be sent via the primary email address on the online directory of the ICDA, Inc. website.  Members are advised to update their address if necessary.)  For password assistance please contact: execsec@iowachoral.org   
Calling to inquire the status of students will only delay the notification process for everyone.

PURCHASING MUSIC
Music is available for purchase from J.W.PEPPER (1-800-345-6296), jwpepper.com.   Prices printed in the OPUS Brochure are subject  to publisher revision without notice. We cannot assure music availability from any music supplier other than J.W.PEPPER.  ORDERING MUSIC FROM J.W. PEPPER WILL GUARANTEE THAT EVERY STUDENT OBTAINS THE CORRECT ARRANGEMENTS.  Music will also be available for purchase from J.W. Pepper at the ICDA Summer Symposium in Mason City.

The following are links to the Pepper Music site.
5th 6th grade Chorus 
http://www.jwpepper.com/sheet-music/search?option=festival&list=10304387&state=IA 

7th 8th grade Treble Clef Chorus
http://www.jwpepper.com/sheet-music/search?option=festival&list=10304414&state=IA 

7th/8th grade Bass Clef Chorus 
http://www.jwpepper.com/sheet-music/search?option=festival&list=10304401&state=IA 

9th grade Mixed Chorus 
http://www.jwpepper.com/sheet-music/search?option=festival&list=10304420&state=IA

DOWNLOADS
 (All downloads are in the Adobe PDF format)

ICDA form 2012 Director/Literature Information pdf
ICDA form 2012 Opus Brochure & Pronunciation Guide pdf
ICDA form 2012 Audition Forms pdf

ICDA form 2012 Opus Choir Selection Results TBA
ICDA form 5/6 Grade Choir Director's Rehearsal Notes TBA
ICDA form 7/8 Bass Clef Choir Director's Rehearsal Notes TBA
ICDA form 7/8 Treble Clef Choir Director's Rehearsal Notes TBA
ICDA form 9th Grade Mixed Director's Rehearsal Notes TBA
ICDA form 2012 Opus t-shirt design TBA
ICDA form 2012 Opus Festival Schedule TBA

OPUS HISTORY