Midwest Children’s Choir Festival
The Ames Children’s Choirs (ACC) program created the Midwest Children’s Choir Festival (MCCF) in 1996 to provide the opportunity for young singers in Iowa to hear and perform with nationally and internationally acclaimed choirs and performers. The first two festivals featured international choirs and included children’s choirs from Central Iowa in addition to the ACC Concert Choir performing separately and as singers in a mass choir. Since 2000, the festival has been held at Stephens Auditorium on the ISU campus and has included select Iowa singers in addition to featured Midwest choirs and the ACC Concert Choir to form a mass choir of 400 singers (primarily in 5th-7th Grades). MCCF 2000-2005 featured baritones Simon Estes and Timothy Kuhn as soloists. Since 2007 MCCF has featured living composers and the premiere of new works.
Featured choirs and performers for MCCF include:
2009 René Clausen, composer and conductor
(premiered “For the Beauty of the Earth”)
Allegro Con Moto ~ Allegro Community Children’s Choir
Cantus ~ Bentonville Children’s Choir
2007 Bob Chilcott, composer and conductor (premiered “All things pass”)
Carl Sandburg Children’s Choir
Treble Choir ~ Honors Choirs of Southeast Minnesota
2005 Simon Estes, soloist
Concert Choir ~ Northern Illinois Children’s Chorus
Cantorei ~ Milwaukee Children’s Choir
2003 Timothy Kuhn, soloist
Concert Chorus ~ Glen Ellyn Children’s Chorus
Northern Iowa Children’s Choir
2001 Simon Estes, soloist
The Chorale ~ Des Moines Children’s Choruses
Concert Choir ~ Saint Louis Children’s Choir
2000 Simon Estes, soloist
Laudate ~ Nebraska Children’s Chorus
Angelica Cantati (Minneapolis)
1999 Bel Canto ~ Nebraska Children’s Chorus
1998 Boni Pueri (Hradace-Kralove, Czech Republic)
1997 Jubilate (Budapest, Hungary)
1996 Schaumburg Jugendchor (Germany)
