August 18 th
, 2012
Dear Choral Director,
On behalf of the Mansfield University Student Chapter of the American Choral Director’s
Association, we would like to cordially invite you and up to nine of your most interested young male singers in grades 7, 8, and 9 to our annual Young Men’s Choral Festival. The festival will be held all day on Friday November 2nd, 2012. The festival choir will be under the direction of guest clinician, Dr. Chris Kiver.
We all know what it is like to encourage male participation in chorus. This annual festival gives young men the chance to sing in a massed choir with peers who also enjoy singing, without feeling intimidated by outside influences.
The day will be filled with music designed for the young male vocal ensemble. This year’s festival will include performances by the MU Men’s Chorus, a directors’ workshop, a master class, and the concert presented by the participants at 4:00PM for their parents and community members. At 7:00PM, The Penn State Glee Club will present a concert open to YMCF participants, parents, MU students, and the general public.
Dr. Christopher Kiver is Director of Choral Activities at Pennsylvania State University and directs the Concert Choir and Penn State Glee Club. Kiver also teaches classes in choral conducting and choral literature. He is a graduate of the University of London, Florida State
University and the University of Michigan where he received the D.M.A. in choral conducting.
A native of the United Kingdom, he has received numerous prizes and scholarships including a Fulbright Award, and the 2002 Sydney World Symposium Foundation Scholarship.
In February 2006, he was a double Grammy Award winner ("Best Choral Performance" and
"Best Classical Album") as a chorus master for the critically acclaimed Naxos recording of
William Bolcom’s monumental Songs of Innocence and of Experience . Choirs under
Kiver’s direction have performed at state and regional conventions of the American Choral
Directors Association and the Music Educators National Conference.
He is President of the Pennsylvania American Choral Directors Association, serves as
Repertoire and Standards Chair for Men’s Choirs for the Eastern Division of ACDA, and is
Choral Content Area Representative for the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association. He has taught at the Westminster Choir College Summer and Saturday Seminar programs, and appeared as guest conductor, clinician and adjudicator in the United States, Australia and New Zealand.
The young men will be performing the following pieces this year:
“ On the Deep, Blue Sea” - Mary Donnelly, arr. George L.O. Strid, TTB Hal Leonard 08551278
“At the foot of yonder mountain” - arr. Earlene Rentz, TB, Alfred Archive Edition OCT9604
I will sing hallelujah” - Neill Johnson, TTB, Hal Leonard 42309021
“ Praise his holy name” - Keith Hampton, TTB earthsongs

If you are a member of ACDA, you can receive ACT 48 hours for your participation.
Registration materials must be mailed to: ACDA Young Men’s Choral Festival 105 Butler
Center Mansfield, PA 16933.
Please mail your payment and registration form to the above address no later than October
7 th
, 2012. Each school may bring up to nine students at the registration fee of $20 per student.
The cost for directors and chaperones is also $20. This fee will cover costs for lunch, directors’ workshop, and both the festival concert and the Penn State Glee Club’s evening concert.
We look forward to a successful festival at Mansfield for the twelfth consecutive year.
Again, we would like to stress that this festival is designed as a day of fun and learning. Please keep in mind, however, that the better prepared the students are, the more rewarding the day will be. Thank you for your time and cooperation!
Sincerely,
Cole Black
Young Men’s Choral Festival Chairperson
Blackcg11@mounties.mansfield.edu
Dr. Peggy Dettwiler
MU-ACDA Faculty Advisor, Director of Choral Activities, Mansfield University pdettwil@mansfield.edu