High School Mixed Honor Choir Festival

February 22 – 24, 2024

The Adams State University “Top of the Nation” Honor Choir Festival features some of the finest high school choral musicians in the Southwest and includes both an auditioned (symphonic choir) and director-recommended choir (concert choir).

The event is held over a three-day period, beginning on Thursday morning and culminating in a concert on Saturday afternoon.

Guest Conductors:

Dr. Tod FishDr. Tod Fish

Fish received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from Stephen F. Austin State University. He studied conducting with Dr. Terry Eder and Dr. Tim King while studying voice with Dr. David Jones. In 2009, Dr. Fish completed his Doctorate of Musical Arts degree from the University of Kansas under the tutelage of Dr. Paul Tucker and Dr. John Paul Johnson.
Prior to joining SFA’s School of Music faculty, he enjoyed a successful 13-year career as a high school and middle school choral director. While teaching in Seguin, Round Rock and Lubbock, his choirs earned numerous sweepstakes awards, significantly increased enrollment and saw several former students pursue careers in the music field.
Fish has conducted several Texas Music Educators Association All-Region Choirs and guest conducted in Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and Ohio. Fish made his international clinician debut through a series of lectures at the VocalTerra International Choral Festival in 2020. This festival served choral directors from upwards of twenty nations on four different continents.

Mr. Kevin BeaberKevin Beaber

Beaber is enjoying retirement from teaching while relishing the opportunities to continue to work with student and fellow teachers to build and enhance music programs with ideas and strategies learned in his 37 years of experience. His career began in Haxtun, Colorado and ended in Ordway, Colorado with the Crowley County School District, where he spent the last 34 years. His duties while teaching in these rural communities always involved a combination of vocal and instrumental ensembles at which he worked hard to be equally adept. “I am a teacher of music to students, music speaks to some through their voice, others through an instrument and a few in both. It is my job to help them find the joy, understanding and meaningfulness music can bring to them in whichever mode of music making they want to use.”
Kevin is completing his final year as Past President of the Colorado Music Educators Association and is profoundly thankful for everything that organization has done for music education in Colorado and opportunities for him to grow personally and professionally while advocating for the best and most rewarding profession in the world.

Please contact Dr. Beth Robison for access to the audition materials

  1. RANGE: Sing the descending range exercise, proceeding downward by half steps to the lowest key listed on the audition sheet. Sing the ascending range exercise, proceeding upward by half steps to the highest key listed on the audition sheet.
  2.  SIGHT READING: Sight read two (2) short sight reading exercises using solfege syllables, numbers or “la.”
  3. PREPARED CHORALE EXERCISE: Sing the appropriate voice part of the chorale
    exercise while other parts are being played. This exercise may be prepared ahead of time.
  4. AURAL RECALL: Three (3) short examples will be played twice each and the student must sing it back on a neutral syllable such as “la.”
  5. A CAPPELLA SINGING: Sing “My Country Tis of Thee” without piano or other accompaniment. Piano will give the starting note and/or chord to establish key.

*Students must complete all of the above in order for the audition to be accepted. PLEASE double check your recordings to make sure that all auditions are complete.

Recorded Audition Procedures and Information for Choir Directors

  1. All auditions should be submitted online
  2. Recordings must be in an mp3, mp4 or wav format, and the maximum file size is 10 MB (10,000 KB)
  3. State the student’s name and voice part very clearly on the recording before each audition.
  4.  Include the student’s name and voice part on the file name that you upload.
  5. Please record each student’s audition without other students in the room.  There should be one try only for all sight reading and aural recall—no practicing.
  6. Continue running the recording between sections since students should be given minimal time to study the sight reading – (no more than 30 sec).

Please record audition requirements in the following order:

  1. Range
  2. Sight Reading—Give I-IV-V-I in the key of the sight-reading example.
  3. Chorale Exercise
  4. Aural Recall—Piano plays each short idea (measure) twice and student sings back immediately without looking at the sheet.
  5. A Cappella Singing

While there is not a fee for registration and submitting auditions, there is a $30 fee for all students who are accepted to the festival.  Please check to make sure that all students are available during the dates of the honor choir festival.

If you have any questions, please contact

Dr. Beth Robison
Adams State University
brobison@adams.edu
719-587-7703