NOMINATION FORM FOR 2026 FESTIVAL

Nominations are due by Friday, January 16 at 5:00 p.m.

Festival Schedule

8:30am – Arrival & REGISTRATION

9:00am-3:30 pm – Rehearsals

4:00pm – Performance

Guest Conductor: A.J. Coppola

Conductor Bio

AJ Coppola is a K-8 music teacher at Campton Elementary School where he teaches band, chorus and general music. He is also the music director at Gilford Community church. He sings with the Pemi Choral Society and the New Hampshire Master Chorale, where he serves as a board member. Through NHMC he created the Children’s Chorus Festival, a one-day festival for singers in grades 4-6 in central New Hampshire, which ran for ten years. He also plays bassoon with the Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra and is the auditions chair for the Middle Level Honors Band festival. He graduated from Ithaca College in 2009 and earned his masters degree and Level III Kodály certification in 2015 from Colorado State University. Last year he scored two points in the faculty vs student basketball game.

Program

1. Be Like The Bird — Abby Betinis
2. Why the Caged Bird Sings — Rollo Dilworth
3. Birdsong — Paul Read
4. Vuela — Carlos Cordero
5. The Fox — Blake Richter & Taylor Shaeffer

Details

Teachers nominate gr. 4-6 students with an online form (similar to MS festival format).
Nominations due by January 16, 2025.
There is a $30 participation fee per student.
Target chorus membership will be 80-100 singers representing music programs throughout New Hampshire.
Rehearsals will take place in the Grappone Center and teachers are invited to attend rehearsals. Rehearsals are closed to parents/families/guests. If you are planning on attending the NHMEA workshops, you must register for the conference.
Students will bring a bag lunch, water bottle, music & pencil.
Students should arrive in black bottom/white top concert attire and wear it throughout the day.