The 2018 KY-ACDA All-State Choir was held in Lexington with the performance in the Singletary Center. Kayla Fluker and Campbell Nunez participated in the Jr. High SSAA All-State Chorus.

The guest conductor of the Jr. High SSAA All-State Chorus was Dr. Derrick Fox. He is the director of choral activities and assistant professor of music at the University of Nebaska Omaha. Dr. Fox has conducted all state choirs, honor choirs and led professional development workshops across the United States and internationally. Dr. Fox’s recent engagements included and teaching residencies at the Latvian Academy of Music and Syracuse University, performance tours through Lithuania and Estonia as well as conducting the 2018 Texas All State MS/JH Honor Choir and the SWACDA 7-10 Men’s Honor Choir.

Ethan Farley and Aiden Johnson participated in the SATB Chorus.

The guest conductor of the SATB Chorus was Dr. Bridget Sweet, who is Associate Professor of Music Education at University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois. Dr. Sweet has worked extensively with adolescent singers as a teacher, clinician and adjudicator.

She published the book Growing Musicians: Teaching Music in Middle School and Beyond. Her research interests include middle level choral music education, female and male adolescent voice change, educating and empowering adolescent music students and intersections of diversity and the music classroom.

Choral directors at Harlan Independent School are Ryland Pope and Marilyn Schraeder.