2026 Honor Choir Conductors
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Kimberly Ruse Davidson | 5th-6th Grade ChoirMs. Davidson’s goal as a director is to not only bring out the beauty in the music, but also the beauty in the child, and their capacity to find beauty and joy even during the most difficult of times. She is known for her warm smile, her serious work ethic and mostly for her sincere love for the choristers. Her combination of enthusiasm and love, for the children and music, make this not only her life’s work, but also her passion.
A graduate of Valparaiso University, Indiana, Kimberly briefly taught school choir classes and directed church choirs before founding the Roanoke Valley Children’s Choir in 1987. In her role as both artistic director and administrative director of the Children’s Choir she directs four choirs with singers ages 6-18, from 50 different schools throughout the Roanoke Valley and surrounding communities. Along with many local performances, Ms. Davidson has also led her HS Choir to many honor performances including 4 solo performances at Carnegie Hall, the lead choir (twice) for Liturgical Evensong at Canterbury Cathedral, the National Cathedral for Evensong and as a featured choir at three ACDA Southern Conventions and also at the National level. Ms. Davidson serves as adjudicator, guest director, and festival choral director on numerous occasions, recently directing the Georgia ACDA Honor Treble Honor Choir and the Alabama ACDA Young Voices Festival. Ms. Davidson is honored to direct your Kentucky ACDA All-State Children’s Choir this year! |
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Vic Oakes | 7th-9th Grade Mixed ChoirSince 2003, Vincent Oakes has served as Artistic Director of the Chattanooga Boys Choir, a music education and performance organization founded in 1954 which now includes over 120 choristers ages 8-18 in four ensembles. Since 2006, Mr. Oakes has also been the Director of Choral Music and Chair of the Fine Arts Department at The Baylor School, a grade 6-12 independent day and boarding college preparatory school in Chattanooga. His professional involvement and leadership in the American Choral Directors Association includes service as President of ACDA Southern Region (2019-2021) and to the Tennessee chapter as newsletter and web editor, state conference chair, and State President (2013-2015).
As a conductor/clinician, he has conducted over one hundred honor choirs, clinics, and choral festivals, including recent ACDA and NAfME honor choirs throughout the United States and regional honor choirs in ACDA’s Western and North Central regions. Additional recent conducting engagements include the Bangkok International Choral Festival, the VOCALIZZE Choral Festival in Lisbon, Portugal and a residency with Cámara Exaudi in Havana, Cuba as a participant in the ACDA International Conductors Exchange Program. His research interests have led to professional presentations on working with the adolescent singing voice, effective rehearsal pedagogy, and teaching musicianship and music literacy in the choral setting. He has authored articles in ACDA’s Choral Journal and ChorTeach and chapters in the textbooks Choral Pedagogy (3rd edition) by Robert Sataloff and Brenda Smith, Class Voice: Fundamental Skills for Lifelong Singing by Ron Burrichter and Brenda Smith, and Start Singing! published by Choristers Guild. Mr. Oakes is also the editor of the Shaping Young Voices choral series from Hinshaw Music, featuring musically enriching repertoire for young and developing voices. He has been named the recipient of the Baylor School Glenn Ireland Chair for Distinguished Teaching, the Belz‐Lipman Award for Excellence in Holocaust Education from the Tennessee Holocaust Commission, and the Ruth Holmberg Arts Leadership Award from ArtsBuild of Greater Chattanooga. |
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Michelle Folta | 7th-9th Grade Treble ChoirDr. Michelle Folta is an associate professor of choral/general music education at Columbus State University and the artistic director for the Voices of the Valley Children's Chorus. Dr. Folta earned her Ph.D. in Music Education at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. Previous degrees include a bachelor's degree in Music Studies from the University of Texas at Austin and a master's degree in Music Education from the University of North Texas.
Prior to graduate work, Dr. Folta taught middle school choir for eight years in Austin, Texas, where she was recognized as “Teacher of the Year.” While teaching in the public schools, Dr. Folta was instrumental in transforming her campus into a Fine Arts Academy, preventing the school from possible closure. Her choirs received consistent superior ratings in festivals and contests during her tenure as well as many opportunities to perform with community choruses and religious organizations. The Voices of the Valley Children's Chorus at Columbus State University has achieved excellence under Dr. Folta's direction. Dr. Folta has presented research in a variety of state, national, and international venues, including Texas Music Educators Association conference, the Florida Music Educators Association conference, the Georgia Music Educators Association conference, the National Association for Music Education conference, the Society for Music Teacher Education conference, the Race, Ethnicity, and Place conference, and the Narrative Inquiry in Music Education conference. Additionally, she has published research articles in state, national, and international music journals. Dr. Folta was recently named a quarterfinalist for the GRAMMY Music Educator of the Year Award and Columbus and the Valley's "Rising Star" award. Dr. Folta and her husband, Zach, reside in Columbus, Georgia with their daughter, Lena. |
2026 Repertoire
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5-6 Children's Choir
Jubilate! Joy We Bring! Antonio Vivaldi; arr. Patrick Liebergen Ose Shalom (The One Who Makes Peace) John Leavitt Tutira Mai (We Stand As One) Traditional Maori Song arr. Martin Ellis and Henry Leck Magical Kingdom John Rutter Best Day of My Life arr. Roger Emerson |
7-9 Mixed Choir
We are the Music Makers Reginal Wright O Magnum Mysterium Evan Ramos Sing to the Lord a New Song Franz Joseph Haydn, arr. Hal Hopson Resilience Abbie Betinis El Cielo Canta Alegria Pablo Sosa, arr. Roger Bergs This Litte Light of Mine African American Spiritual arr. Robert Gibson |
7-9 Treble Choir
TBA |
Fall Honor Choir Coordinators
DARRELL PARKS
Children's Choir R&R Chair
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JODY GRAVATTE
Junior High Choirs R&R Chair |
DANIEL WESLEY
President |
