Summer Conference Registration Now Open

Our annual summer conference will be held at Capital University June 24-26, 2024. The conference will offer professional development sessions from renowned clinicians such as Dr. Derrick Fox, Dr. Kelly Miller, Dr. Julie Yu, and Matthew Bester. The conference will also feature a High School Honor Choir directed by Jordan Saul and a Treble Honor Choir directed by Dr. Libby Hainrihar. Additional reading sessions, a brand new middle school track, exhibit hall, social activities, and concert performances from fantastic Ohio choirs make this an event that cannot be missed. 

More details on ALL of our offerings can be found on the Summer Conference webpage.

Do you have a performing ensemble that could perform at this year's Summer Conference?  Consider submitting an application to have them featured.  For more information see our Summer Conference Page.

Winter 2024 Edition of the OCDA News Now Available

The winter issue of the OCDA News is now available for viewing.


Winter 2024; Volume 43, Issue 2


In this issue:


Plus, a call for nominations for two Region Chairs and the Distinguished Service Award, and a full roster of our board.


Click the link and benefit from the expertise and experience of our choral colleagues!

Previous editions of the newsletter are available here.

Peter Jarjisian is the 2023 Distinguished Service Award Winner

Excerpted from OCDA President-Elect, Dara Gillis' nomination letter.

Dr. Jarjisian has been a lifelong mentor and friend to so many in the choral field. His significant contributions to OCDA include service as President from 1995-97 and later as church and community R&R. His work as Director of Choral Activities at Ohio University from 1984-2015 left an indelible mark on the music programs and more importantly the students of Ohio University. Having recently moved to the Chicago area, Peter continues to share his love of singing with his new congregation at Grace United Methodist Church in Naperville, Ill. Although no longer a resident of Ohio, Peter's role as mentor and guide to his former students continues. Peter participates in as many OCDA and ACDA activities as possible, returning to Ohio each summer for the summer conference and most recently to Cincinnati for the National Conference. He views his participation in these events as an important part of his ongoing growth as a musician and as the embodiment of his commitment to mentoring, guiding and modeling for others.

Upon his retirement from OU, Peter programmed for his final concert J.S. Bach's Mass in B Minor. He invited alumni of the choral ensembles to participate in the performance. Students traveled from all over the United States to sing the work with their beloved teacher and friend. Before the conclusion of the final dress rehearsal, Peter invited the campus's male pop a cappella group, Section 8, to sing an arrangement of Ray Lamontagne's "You Are the Best Thing" for the choruses assembled on stage. Peter introduced the piece by saying that this is the message he wished to leave with his students; they are the best thing that ever happened to him. As Section 8 sang, Peter made eye contact with almost every one of the 100+ singers standing before him. While a challenging thing to convey in words, it was one of the most moving performances many of us had ever witnessed and is the perfect example of Peter's connection to people through music. Peter will frequently share a book, an article, a recording, a television program, or a movie with those he loves, usually beginning his communications with "I saw this and thought of you..." He is the personification of service as he views the work of a teacher and mentor is never finished. There is always more to learn, more to share and more to give.

DEI Resources Now Available

OCDA is proud to offer a new space on it's website dedicated to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion resources. Click here to see what's available.

OCDA News Archive Available

OCDA is proud to announce the introduction of the OCDA News Archive. Thanks to the efforts of OCDA Historian, Amy Gelsone and IT Coordinator, Eric West, OCDA News issues dating all the way back to the late 1960's are now available for viewing and downloading in PDF format.

Click here to access this new OCDA resource and peak back into what OCDA was and what it become over the past six decades.

Links to Other Resources

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The professional networking site for the global online choral community.

Home of the Choral Public Domain Library. Here you will find free choral/vocal scores, texts, translations, and other useful information.