Each year the East Central Iowa Choral Directors Association sponsors an Honor Choir Festival.

This year the Vinton-Shellsburg CSD is pleased to serve as host for this special event on Tuesday, February 21.  Fifth through eighth grade singers of high musical ability, character and work ethic have been chosen for two choirs and will perform in concert at 7:00 p.m. that evening.  The public is welcome and encouraged to attend.

Three hundred and eighty students from more than thirty elementary and middle schools have been preparing their music for this event.  School districts participating include Anamosa, Solon, Cedar Rapids, Linn-Mar, Vinton-Shellsburg, Oelwein, Marion, Calamus-Wheatland, Belle Plaine, Holy Family Schools, Iowa Valley, Center-Point Urbana, Delwood, Central City, Waukon and Tipton.  The students will rehearse throughout the day for their evening performance.  

Conducting the fifth and sixth grade choirs is Mrs. Jennifer Walker.  Mrs. Walker currently teaches at Novak Elementary School in Marion and serves as the ECICDA representative.  Guest director for the seventh and eighth grade choir is Mr. Neal Schwarting, a veteran music educator at Iowa Valley Community Schools in Marengo.  Accompanists for the event are Mrs. Diane Beach and Ms. Darcy Hendriks.

Highlighting the event will be a Grand Festival Concert at 7:00 p.m. in the middle school gymnasium. Featured will be the Fifth and Sixth Grade Honor Choir and the Seventh and Eighth Grade Honor Choir along with the Vinton-Shellsburg High School Chamber Choir under the direction of Mr. Eric Mohlis. Members of the chamber group will also be accompanying the festival choir on brass and percussion instruments.   Other instrumentalists will include flutist, Mrs. Judy Trygstaad. 

The public is invited and encouraged to attend the Festival Concert.  An admission fee of $3 for adults and $2 for children grades K-12 will be charged.  These fees help support current and future programming to continue these fine educational festivals for our students.