Presenters & Sessions
Learn more about the presenters and interest sessions at this year’s One Day Conferences.
Northwoods Choral Summit
Saturday, October 24, 2026
Bemidji State University
10:00am-6:00pm
Hosted by Northeast & Northwest Districts
Travel Tips for New Directors
Kaylee Ades | Saturday, October 24 1:00 pm
Traveling with your choir can provide a great opportunity to build excitement and positive culture within your program. However, for directors early in their careers, it can also feel like an overwhelming project to tackle. This session is designed to guide you through the steps of planning, communicating, and executing a trip with your choir that can be both successful and memorable.
Building a Solfège Routine That Works
Jacob Hanson | Saturday, October 24 2:30pm
This session will cover how to incrementally build a daily solfége routine for developing high school choirs with exercises that are designed to increase students’ aural skills and sight reading abilities using scale and interval patterns.This session will be interactive (get ready to sing along!)
Get On Your Feet! Non-Traditional Formations
Isaac Frauendienst | Saturday, October 24 2:30pm
Break free from the traditional choir setup and discover how changing your ensemble’s formation can transform both rehearsals and performances. Explore practical, engaging rehearsal strategies that get singers moving, listening more intently, and connecting more deeply with one another. Learn how circles, mixed formations, partner work, and other creative configurations can improve balance, independence, ensemble awareness, and musical expression. You’ll leave with fresh, ready-to-use ideas that energize your rehearsals and help your choir perform with greater confidence and artistry.
Convention Performance, Recording, and Program Building
Chris Fettig | Saturday, October 24 1:00pm
In this session, we will discuss the value of convention and festival performances as a means to build your program and challenge your students. Starting with the recording process we will look at what is involved in producing an excellent recording, from planing the recording session, to picking the venue. We will also look at how to prepare for these events and how to use it to benefit your program, choir, and students with ideas on selecting music and creating the program.
So They Asked You to Help with the Musical… Now What?
Iris Kolodji | Saturday, October 24 1:00pm
Many music educators, especially in smaller schools and rural districts, wear multiple hats and find themselves assisting with or directing school musicals. This session offers practical advice for choir directors and music teachers who are suddenly tasked with music directing, rehearsing, or supporting a production, including tips for organization, collaboration, and managing the many responsibilities that come with musical theater.
Cultivating and Empowering Student Leadership in 7 – 12 Program
Rhonda Card | Saturday, October 24 2:30pm
In my first few years as Choral Director at Cloquet Middle and High School, I have focused on balancing my personal goals for the program with student help and input. This session presents a student-centered template for leadership development which maintains high standards and motivates singers.
Mock Contest Collaboration with UMD
Lorelei Holland | Saturday, October 24 2:30pm
Esko 8th-9th grade Choral students collaborated with UMD Music Education students for a mutually beneficial “Mock Contest” experience. Choral students prepared contest pieces and performed them for the college students who then provided critiques. This session explores the preparation that went into equipping both high school and college students and how the experience was rewarding to everyone involved.
Middle School Methods for Engagement and Success
Rylee Newton | Saturday, October 24 1:00pm
Middle school students thrive when they are challenged, supported, and enjoy what they’re doing. This session explores practical strategies for building a classroom culture where high standards and fun reinforce one another, leading to stronger rehearsals, greater student ownership, and a strong enthusiasm for choir.
Tried-and-True Repertoire for K-12 Choirs
Isaac Lovdahl | Saturday, October 24 10:00am
Spend an hour singing and learning new repertoire that has proven successful across many choral ensemble scenarios: from beginning/developing ensembles to more established ones. These pieces were sourced from your fellow conference attendees! Discover new hidden gems that you can program to serve your students and community!
Conducting & Rehearsal Technique Master Class
Chris Mason | Saturday, October 24 11:00AM
Conducting & Rehearsal Technique Master Class
Laura Quaintance | Saturday, October 24 11:00 am
Golden Voices Conductor
Brian Stubbs| Saturday, October 24 11:00 am
Choral Potluck
Saturday, November 7, 2026
Gustavus Adolphus College
9:00am-5:00pm
Hosted by Southeast & Southwest Districts
Choirs, Connection and Chaos!
Bri Bergstrom | Saturday, November 7 9:00am
Choir, Connection, and Chaos: Activities and games for large ensembles
Fewer Parts, More Opportunities
Colleen Chester | Saturday, November 7 9:30am
Festivals, contests, and competitions can be beneficial for choral programs, but often impose an unspoken pressure to present “impressive” repertoire whose learning process leaves very little rehearsal time for skill development and artistry. This interactive session dives into repertoire that works well for assessment events but also provides meaningful opportunities to develop musicianship skills and artistry beyond learning notes and rhythms. Attendees are strongly encouraged to bring pieces that have been successful with choirs under their direction, too. Let’s come together to share pieces that may have less divisi, but offer no less magic!
Fewer Parts, More Opportunities
Elisabeth Cherland | Saturday, November 7 9:30am
Festivals, contests, and competitions can be beneficial for choral programs, but often impose an unspoken pressure to present “impressive” repertoire whose learning process leaves very little rehearsal time for skill development and artistry. This interactive session dives into repertoire that works well for assessment events but also provides meaningful opportunities to develop musicianship skills and artistry beyond learning notes and rhythms. Attendees are strongly encouraged to bring pieces that have been successful with choirs under their direction, too. Let’s come together to share pieces that may have less divisi, but offer no less magic!
One Director, Many Hats
Seana Graber, Jenna Steinkamp, Bailey Cords, and Sarah Holten |
Saturday, November 7 1:00pm
Join us for a panel discussion with four successful rural school choral directors with a wide range of experience and expertise: Seana Graber (Luverne), Jenna Steinkamp (Southland), Bailey Cords (Springfield), and Sarah Holten (Fillmore Central). Learn how these teachers build community and inspire excellence in their thriving small-town choral programs, and how they manage to juggle it all!
Moderator: Jim Cox
Golden Voices Conductor
Diane Heaney | Saturday, November 7
You are the Experts, You are Enough!
Saturday, November 14, 2026
St. Michael-Albertville
9:00am-4:30pm
Hosted byCentral, Metro East, & Metro West Districts
Old Gems Reading Session
Shaun Halland | Saturday, November 14 9:15am
Music from… GASP! … the Late 1900s! Remember when the 1970s, 80s, and 90s felt like yesterday? Or are you a Gen Z conductor who sees this era as “ancient history”? Join Shaun Halland for a reading session exploring the choral music of the “late 1900s” — music that once felt brand new but has now found its place among the classics. Featuring accessible and engaging repertoire for middle school, high school, church, and community choirs, this session will revisit beloved favorites, uncover overlooked gems, and celebrate the composers and musical styles that helped shape the choral landscape of today. Come sing through the music that proves the late 20th century still has plenty of life, creativity, beauty, and inspiration to offer.
Craftsmanship and Connection Over Comparison
Shaun Halland | Saturday, November 14 10:15am
In this interactive session, we’ll challenge traditional definitions of excellence and explore a different paradigm—one rooted in craftsmanship rather than comparison. Together, we’ll consider how cultivating craftsmanship, building meaningful relationships, and empowering singers to take ownership of their music can create ensembles that thrive musically and personally. Whether you teach in a school, lead a church choir, or direct a community ensemble, you’ll leave with a renewed perspective on what success and excellence can truly look like in your own context.
Craftsmanship and Connection Over Comparison
Garret Lathe | Saturday, November 14 10:15am
In this interactive session, we’ll challenge traditional definitions of excellence and explore a different paradigm—one rooted in craftsmanship rather than comparison. Together, we’ll consider how cultivating craftsmanship, building meaningful relationships, and empowering singers to take ownership of their music can create ensembles that thrive musically and personally. Whether you teach in a school, lead a church choir, or direct a community ensemble, you’ll leave with a renewed perspective on what success and excellence can truly look like in your own context.
Be You: Modeling “Ordinary Courage” and Vulnerability in Choir
Randi Erlandson | Saturday, November 14 11:15am
As choir leaders we often show “ordinary courage” and model vulnerability for our singers. This may be as simple as singing a high note for them or more involved like leading a discussion on the meaning of a song. But sometimes, choir directors may hide behind the piano, focused on concert preparation, and a desire to stay in control. What would it look like and feel like to create an environment where we were intent on building community, revealing our shared humanity, and acknowledge that singers and conductors are learning and growing? In this session John Habermann and Randi Erlandson will lead us in conversation about practicing “ordinary courage” and modeling vulnerability in our choral settings.
Be You: Modeling “Ordinary Courage” and Vulnerability in Choir
John Habermann | Saturday, November 14 11:15am
As choir leaders we often show “ordinary courage” and model vulnerability for our singers. This may be as simple as singing a high note for them or more involved like leading a discussion on the meaning of a song. But sometimes, choir directors may hide behind the piano, focused on concert preparation, and a desire to stay in control. What would it look like and feel like to create an environment where we were intent on building community, revealing our shared humanity, and acknowledge that singers and conductors are learning and growing? In this session John Habermann and Randi Erlandson will lead us in conversation about practicing “ordinary courage” and modeling vulnerability in our choral settings.
Building Responsive Spaces
Amy Johnson | Saturday, November 14 12:45pm
You are who you are. You work where you work. How can you authentically respond to the needs of your work environment?
Through reflection, discussion, and interaction, we will examine three main ideas: 1) Who is your community, and how do you learn about it (Students/Singers, families, wider community)? 2) How can you create a space that responds to the community’s needs and works for you? 3) Who can you engage to help knit your program into the fabric of the larger community?
Many Voices, One Program: Collaborative Repertoire Selection
Tyler Vidal | Saturday, November 14 1:30pm
Programming is one of the most significant artistic and pedagogical decisions a choral director makes — and it is often done alone. What might shift if repertoire selection became a shared act of leadership? This session explores two practical, field-tested alternatives to the traditional director-driven programming model: Selection by Committee (developed in a community choir context) and the Student Programming Project (refined over six years with high school singers). Both models invite singers into meaningful artistic ownership while preserving the director’s essential role as musical guide and decision-maker. Rather than simply asking for song suggestions, these frameworks provide structures that help singers think like programmers — considering ensemble strengths, vocal writing, thematic cohesion, and audience impact. While collaborative programming requires time and intention, it cultivates deep buy-in, collective investment, and sustained engagement. As one ensemble member described it, this approach helped build “the people’s chorus.” Participants will leave inspired to consider how collaborative repertoire selection might function in their own settings, with concrete insight into how these models have worked in secondary and community contexts and how they might be adapted for middle school, collegiate, or church ensembles. All singers can share in artistic leadership through programming — if given the structures to do so.
