We are excited to announce more details about judges on our panel for the second edition of America’s Top Choirs™ High School Edition 2022 (ATC). This article spotlights Dr. Charlene Archibeque.
Dr. Charlene Archibeque, one of America’s foremost choral conductors and teachers, is the first woman to earn the DMA in Choral Conducting, in 1969 from the University of Colorado. Her distinguished career spanning six decades is replete with International and domestic recognitions and accolades.
She is the recipient of the Howard Swan Award presented by California ACDA in 2008 and in 2013 the “Excellence in Choral Music,” presented by the University of Colorado, and has recently been made an Honorary Life Member of the National Collegiate Choral Organization.
The recipient of both San Jose State’s highest honors: Outstanding Professor and President’s Scholar, she currently serves on the Board of the American Beethoven Society, is a Past-President of the Silicon Valley League of the San Francisco Symphony, and is Editor of the Charlene Archibeque Choral Series with Santa Barbara Music Publishers.
Dr. Archibeque has been named Distinguished Alumna in May 2020 from the College of Music at the University of Colorado. Her 35 years as Director of Choral Activities at San Jose State University, not only included training hundreds of graduate and undergraduate students, but also helped put SJSU on the world map by winning seven international choral competitions with the famous SJSU Choraliers, completing sixteen concert tours to Australia, Mexico and throughout Europe and conducting in many major music halls. She won prizes for Best Conductor at Spittal, Gorizia, and Tallinn International Festivals. Her DVD “How to Make a Good Choir Sound Great” is available from GIA.
Dr. Archibeque was also a judge on the esteemed panel of judges for the inaugural edition of America’s Top Choirs™ in 2021, and had this to say about the edition - “2020 was a year that tested the mettle of every student in America. And those students involved in the performing arts were challenged to unleash their ingenuity and creativity like never before. I’m thrilled to see this competition in the virtual medium and I’m incredibly excited to see the diversity of performances.”
To get a chance to get evaluated by Dr. Archibeque, register for the upcoming edition of ATC here - https://www.feelitlive.com/americas-top-choirs
What is America’s Top Choirs™ (ATC)?
America’s Top Choirs™ is a virtual forum created to showcase the vast choral talent in the United States, and hosted by FeelitLIVE, the world's first all-in-one choir tech platform. The Grand Finale will be broadcast live on the FeelitLIVE platform on October 23, 2022, at 5 pm PT / 8 pm ET.
ATC celebrates high school choirs that generate beautiful music every day and is the embodiment of teamwork, resilience, talent, diversity, hope, and positivity. Being one of the largest and most inclusive online high school choral competitions in the United States, ATC aims to bring your choir’s talent to audiences around the world through the power of digital.
How to participate?
High school choirs from across the country are invited to upload a song performance of up to 5 minutes, recorded during the 2021-2022 academic year (between September 1, 2021, and October 7, 2022). A $100 entry fee will be applied when completing the online submission form. When entering more than one choir from the same school, each subsequent choir entry (after the first one) will be $50 per choir.
The last date for submissions is Friday, October 7, 2022, till 11.59 pm PT.