McMillan Boys Choir Selected for National ACDA Performance

McMillan Junior High choir students are headed to the national stage!

The McMillan Junior High Cambiata Tenor-Bass Choir has been selected as an invited performer at the 2027 American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) National Convention. The invitation marks the first time any Wylie ISD choir has been selected to perform at an ACDA national convention.

Directed by Daryl Jackson and Kassidy Curtright, the ensemble will take 36 seventh- and eighth-grade singers to Minneapolis in March.

“For the past several years, we have had amazing groups of boys come in and have SO much fun while working so hard and making some really incredible music,” Jackson said. “We have always known how special they are, but we are so proud to get to share their special brand of musical magic with the nation.”

The selection process is highly competitive. Choir directors from around the world submit recordings representing their ensembles’ work from the previous three years. Multiple panels of judges then blindly listen to the recordings and select the choirs invited to perform.

McMillan is one of just two middle school choirs and two tenor-bass choirs selected to perform at the national convention.

ACDA is an organization dedicated to “inspiring excellence in choral music through education, performance, advocacy, and professional development.” The organization praised the students’ “kindness, curiosity, energy, and enthusiasm,” noting that the choir demonstrates that “middle school boys are capable of meaningful, expressive artistry.”

Jackson is beyond excited and so proud to get to share this group’s special brand of musical magic with the nation.

“Getting to bring a Choir to perform on the national stage is a dream for any choral director,” Jackson said. “I am over the moon that we have been invited!”

The students will spend the school year preparing a 25-minute concert featuring six pieces of music. Before traveling to Minneapolis, they will perform a concert for the Wylie community. In Minneapolis, the choir will perform twice for an audience of choral directors from across the country.

“We have a crazy year ahead of us and are so excited for this once-in-a-lifetime experience!” Jackson said.

For these McMillan choir students, the journey to the national stage is about more than a performance. It is an opportunity to share their musical talents with the nation and celebrate the place where their love of music has grown: at Home, in Wylie ISD.