Glenbard East educator earns Outstanding Young Choral Director Award

Congratulations to Glenbard East High School fine arts department chair Brandon Catt on earning the Outstanding Young Choral Director Award.

This is the first year this award is being presented by the Illinois chapter of the American Choral Directors Association.

The award recipient must have taught for 10 or fewer years and is nominated and selected by American Choral Directors Association members.

Catt is also director of choirs at Glenbard East. As Fine Arts Chair, he oversees the music, visual arts, and speech arts areas. His teaching responsibilities include East's numerous curricular and co-curricular choral ensembles and serving as vocal director for the musical. Since his arrival at Glenbard East, Catt has reinstated the Ramparts, an elite group of singers which performs the national anthem at various events throughout the community including the high school's athletic contests. He is also the founder of the Voices of East choir, which is an initiative to involve students, teachers and community members outside of the music program in a positive and successful singing environment. In its inaugural season, the Voices of East had over 100 participants.

For over 50 years, the American Choral Directors Association has been the preeminent association for choral conductors throughout the United States. Its members teach choral music in public and private schools - kindergarten through senior high school - and at the college and university levels. They conduct a variety of choral groups, including boy choirs, children's choirs, men's and women's choruses, junior and senior high school choirs, college and university choruses, ethnic choirs, vocal jazz ensembles, and symphony choruses. They also conduct choirs in their communities and in their places of worship. To learn more, visit www.il-acda.org.