Keven Washburn, of Millington, invited to statewide choral convention

2014 Nov 6

Keven Washburn, of Millington, performed as a choir member in Saginaw Valley State University's Cardinal Singers at the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) state convention Oct. 24.

This was the first time an SVSU choir had been invited to sing at an ACDA convention. The choir was selected by an esteemed group of choral directors through a blind audition.

Washburn, a music major, and the rest of the Cardinal Singers attended the conference at the First Presbyterian Church in Flint.

Kevin Simons, assistant professor of music at SVSU, conducted the Cardinal Singers.

"This was a major milestone for the choral program and music department at SVSU," Simons said. "It's a huge feather in our cap. In vocal performance, it's the equivalent of the Detroit Lions making the playoffs in football."

The ACDA was founded in 1959 and is a nonprofit music-education organization with the purpose of advancing choral music. Divided into seven geographic divisions and 50 state chapters, the ACDA consists of choral directors who represent more than 1 million singers across the United States.

Nine outstanding Michigan choirs in four concert performances were highlighted at the 2014 conference.

The Cardinal Singers are the chamber vocal ensemble at SVSU. The group sings a wide array of literature, from Josquin to contemporary jazz. Founded in 2008, Cardinal Singers is directed by Simons and accompanied by Cheryl Cheger-Timm. The group has been invited to sing at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. and have sung with the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra.

Simons is the director of music and organist at St. John's Episcopal Church in Saginaw. Simons also serves as a board member for the Michigan chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and as a director for the Sewanee Church Music Conference.