Vermont ACDA continues to provide new initiatives for choral music in the state. It is exciting to watch ! Listed below are areas that Vermont should be proud of.

1. 1. Vermont's R&S Chairs are capable, enthusiastic people with vision and the desire to serve our state well. We have R&S Chairs in all areas, with the exception being in the areas of Boy's Choirs, Men's Choirs, Ethnic & Multi-Cultural Music and Youth and Student Activities. I am proud to have had these people serve on my board and thank them for their hard work and commitment.

2. Vermont is a small state with a small but growing membership. Several years ago, we decided that our communication would be best served through an e-mail list rather than a newsletter. This list provides a way to communicate with other VT ACDA members. Questions, concerns and communication about ACDA events keep the e-mail list quite active. We also have an VT-ACDA Board e-mail list which helps us to plan our events efficiently.

3. VT - ACDA Secretary, Aimee Bushey, is building a VT ACDA website which will be up and running soon. It will contain important information about activities as well as links to other pertinent sites.

4. VT ACDA continues to purchase videos from our National Convention as part of a video lending library to serve our members. President-Elect, Anne Hamilton is the librarian.

5. One of our most successful yearly events is the Vermont ACDA Children's Honor Choir Festival. Patricia Joyce was at the podium in 2004. Jon Noyes directed the Festival in April of 2005. Many thanks to Constance Wilcox and her committee for their hard work to make this event a musical success.

6. Another yearly event is the High School Mid-Winter Madrigal Festival. Eleven High School groups performed several pieces by themselves and then sang three numbers en masse. Carl Recchia was this year's conductor. It is an event that always packs the house! We will be celebrating the Festival's 25th anniversary this December. For this occasion, we have commissioned Vermonter, Robert DeCormier to write a piece in celebration.

7. Each year, VT ACDA offers a $500 Scholarship to a high school senior who plans to be a voice major in college. This award was presented at the Vermont Allstate Music Festival in May.

8. The 2004 VT ACDA Convention took place in October in alliance with the Vermont Music Educators Association (VMEA). Although the event was a musical success, it was not a financial one. We have decided to return to a separate ACDA conference in the future. Russell Robinson was our keynote speaker and offered workshops on vocal improve and reading sessions for high school and community/church choirs. Dawn Willis offered a workshop on conducting techniques, Karen Sutherland, on vocal health and Joe Antonielli told us how to go about putting together an a capella group. Connie Price held a reading session for children's choirs. It was a great day overall, netting us at least 8 new VT - ACDA members.

9. Vermont was delighted to have seven students participate in the various National Honors Choirs in Los Angeles and were proud to have 19 VT - ACDA members in attendance.

10. Our R&S Chairs for Music and Worship and Community Choirs, Steve Finner and Lori Routhier along with Arthur Zorn with me, are planned our first Church/Community Choir Festival, for April 2005. Dawn Willis conducted the combined groups which numbered eighty-seven. In addition individual choirs performed 2-3 numbers alone. It was a great day and we are already planning our next event

New initiatives for next year include:

• We will be returning to our format of a VT - ACDA Conference which will be held this summer at Bethany Church on Saturday, August 13, 2005. Robert Russell will be offering a workshop on vocal pedagogy as well as several reading sessions. Other clinicians are being hired as I prepare this report. We are interested to see how a summer conference works.

• Anne Hamilton, President-elect, has asked Ron Sherwin to serve as the R&S Chair for College and University Choirs, Megan LaRose to serve as Jazz Chair and Rufus Patrick to serve as R&S Chair for Community Choirs. We are excited by their enthusiasm for their positions and look forward to where their energy will bring us.

I am excited about the direction that Vermont ACDA is heading. Membership is growing, new initiatives are being organized and worthwhile traditions continue to thrive.

Respectfully submitted,