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SOUTHERN

INVITATI ONA L

C H O R A L C O N FE R EN CE SEPTEMBER 21 - 22, 2026

THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI

We invite you to the 22nd year of the Southern Invitational Choral Conference at Southern Miss to be held September 21 and 22, 2026. This year’s conference will feature clinicians Dr. Ryan Beeken, Dr. Reed Criddle and Dr. Matthew Emery. Students will take part in intense rehearsals and highquality performances, meeting fellow musicians from all over the Southeast. Also, at SICC, students have an opportunity to audition for choral scholarships at Southern Miss. Teachers can earn continuing education units (CEUs) by attending the various sessions. We are enthusiastic about meeting and working with you and your students. Please contact us with any questions. Sincerely, Gregory Fuller, PhD, Director of Choral Activities The University of Southern Mississippi 601.266.4092 | Gregory.Fuller@usm.edu

SICC

• no audition required • performance t-shirt and music provided • opportunity to audition for scholarships from Southern Miss • new friends and interaction with colleagues • great choral music • continuing education units for teachers • reading sessions and master classes for teachers (music provided) • final concert on Tuesday afternoon by all singers

1-877-543-8700

SOUTHERN MISS STUDENT ACDA CHAPTER

CLINICIAN

HIGH SCHOOL CLINICIAN

RYAN BEEKEN

Ryan Beeken is Director of Choirs and Professor of Music at the University of Kentucky, where he provides artistic leadership for the university’s choral program, conducts the UK Chorale and UK Men’s Chorus, and teaches graduate courses in choral conducting and literature. He mentors master’s and doctoral conducting students while guiding the artistic vision and growth of the choral area. An active conductor, clinician, and adjudicator, Beeken has guest conducted more than 100 All-State and Honor Choirs across the United States and internationally. His ensembles have performed at state, regional, and national conferences of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) and the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). He is also a frequent presenter at professional conferences and symposia. A respected leader in the choral profession, Beeken recently completed service on the national executive committee of ACDA as National Chair for Student Membership and Student Chapter Development. He has also served in regional and state leadership roles within ACDA and the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association. Before joining the University of Kentucky, Beeken held faculty appointments at Wichita State University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Michigan State University, and Drake University. He earned bachelor’s degrees in Vocal Performance and Music Education from Drake University and master’s and doctoral degrees in Choral Conducting from Michigan State University.

TWO-YEAR COLLEGE CLINICIAN

REED CRIDDLE

Dr. Reed Criddle is Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Utah Valley University, where he conducts the Chamber Choir and Deep Green (tenor-bass choir) and teaches choral conducting, voice, lyric diction, and world music. Under his direction, the UVU Chamber Choir has performed at national conferences of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) and the National Collegiate Choral Organization (NCCO), as well as numerous state and regional conferences. A sought-after conductor, clinician, and adjudicator, Criddle regularly works with school and community ensembles and has presented workshops at more than 50 universities worldwide. He previously served as Visiting Professor of Choral Music and Interim Associate Director of Choirs at the University of Michigan, where he conducted the University Choir, Michigan Youth Chamber Singers, and the University of Michigan Men’s Glee Club. A former president of the Utah chapter of ACDA, Criddle is also recognized internationally for his scholarship in ethnomusicology and multicultural music. Named a U.S. Fulbright Senior Scholar to Taiwan, he is a leading authority on Chinese Buddhist chant and has published awardrecognized research and translations that have gained international academic recognition. Criddle’s choral compositions and arrangements are published by Earthsongs, Hal Leonard, NorthStar Music, and Santa Barbara Music Publishing. He holds degrees from the University of Michigan, the Eastman School of Music, and Stanford University.

TEACHER CLINCIAN/GUEST COMPOSER

MATTHEW EMERY

Dr. Matthew Emery is a Canadian composer who “writes with an honesty which enchants” (Vancouver Sun), and whose music is “profoundly beautiful and moving” (CBC Music). His music has been performed in thirty-seven countries on six continents, and recent performance venues include the Great Wall of China, the White House and the Musikverein. Matthew has received over forty commissions and his music has been performed by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Chamber Choir, Elmer Iseler Singers, National Youth Orchestra of Canada, National Youth Choir of Canada, European Union Youth Orchestra, Orchestra London, the Art of Time Ensemble, Rolston String Quartet, Dennis Wick Canadian Wind Orchestra, musica intima, Erin Wall, Susan Platts, Rena Sharon, Simone Osborne, Leslie Fagan, Tracy Dahl, and the Bach Music Festival of Canada Orchestra. Dr. Emery studied at the University of British Columbia (B.Mus) and the University of Toronto (M.Mus, DMA). Matthew has received over thirty awards and prizes for his compositions and his work has been included on twenty-four albums, including a Juno nominated disc. His over seventy publications are published by G. Schirmer, Boosey & Hawkes, Hal Leonard and many others. Dr. Emery is an Assistant Professor at Wilfrid Laurier University. Prior to joining WLU, he taught at Carleton University, Western University, Concordia University of Edmonton, and at the University of Toronto.

CHEDULE

HIGH SCHOOL SCHEDULE

COMMUNITY COLLEGE SCHEDULE

Monday 10:00 am – Registration begins on the second and third floors of the Thad Cochran Center

Noon - 2:45 pm – Rehearsal/Sectionals (Cochran Ballroom) 3:00 pm - A Cappella Showcase – MPAC (Mannoni) 3:45 pm – Rehearsal/Sectionals 6:00 pm – Dinner on your own – Transit to Main Street Baptist Church 7:30 pm – SICC Showcase Concert – Main Street Baptist Church

Noon - 2:45 pm – Rehearsal/Sectionals – Union B 3:00 pm – A Cappella Showcase – MPAC (Monnoni) 3:45 pm – Rehearsal/Sectionals 6:00 pm – Dinner on your own – Transit to Main Street Baptist Church 7:30 pm – SICC Showcase Concert – Main Street Baptist Church

Lunch Before Rehearsals Start

Tuesday 9:00 am – Rehearsal 12:30 pm – Lunch on your own – Transit to Main Street Baptist Church 2:00 pm – Final Rehearsal at Main Street Baptist Church 3:30 pm – SICC Honor Choir Concert

Lunch Before Rehearsals Start

Tuesday 9:00 am – Rehearsal 11:30 am – Lunch on your own – Transit to Main Street Baptist Church 1:00 pm – Dress Rehearsal at Main Street Baptist Church 2:00 pm – Final Touch Up (if needed) – Main Street Choir Room 3:30 pm – SICC Honor Choir Concert

TEACHER SCHEDULE Monday

Lunch Before Sessions Start

12:15 pm – Welcome – Cochran 218 12:30 pm – Session 1 1:30 pm – Session 2 3:00 pm – A Cappella Showcase – MPAC – Session 3 (Concert Attendance) 4:00 pm – Session 4 5:00 pm – Session 5 6:00 pm – Dinner on your own – Transit to Main Street Baptist Church 7:30 pm – SICC Showcase Concert – Session 6 (Concert Attendance)

Tuesday 9:15 am – Session 7 10:15 pm – Session 8 (Vocal Master Class) 11:30 - 12:30 – Lunch on your own 1:00 - 2:00 pm – Session 9 (Rehearsal Observation) - Main Street Baptist Church 3:30 pm – SICC Honor Choir Concert – Session 10 (Concert Attendance)

Rehearsals and breaks are at the discretion of the clinicians

SCHOLARSHIP AUDITIONS

Choral scholarship auditions for The University of Southern Mississippi will be held during the conference

STUDENT SELECTION PROCESS

Each high school and community college is invited to bring three or four balanced SATB quartets. Students should be excellent sight-readers, have good vocal technique, and display exemplary rehearsal behavior. If possible, priority should be given to students who will continue to sing in college. Please limit selection to those students who read music well and work hard in rehearsal. If you have a need to bring a group that is not balanced with voice parts, permission must be sought from Dr. Gregory Fuller (gregory.fuller@usm.edu).

SCHOLARSHIP AUDITION

At SICC, students have the opportunity to earn choral scholarships to The University of Southern Mississippi for the 2027 - 28 academic year. Auditions are open to all high school seniors and community college students who attend SICC. Students planning to be music majors should prepare two songs—one of a ﬁne art (or classical) nature and one from any style. Those planning on being music minors, or who do not plan on majoring in music at all, should prepare one piece of a ﬁne art (or classical) nature. An accompanist will be provided. Sign up for scholarship auditions will be at check-in on September 21.

FAQ

STUDENT ATTIRE School-appropriate clothing should be worn for all rehearsals, and the SICC T-shirt and jeans, or khakis, should be worn for the concert (no shorts for performance). REHEARSALS To help us make SICC a successful conference, we ask that any deviation from the schedule be cleared with Dr. Fuller. It is important that all conference attendees help our productivity by being present and keeping distractions at a minimum. Please consult with us before allowing any student to arrive late or depart early from any rehearsal or event. PARKING PASSES Parking passes will be available prior to SICC on the web at usm.edu/sicc. CEUs CEUs are not included in the teacher registration fee but are available at an additional cost. Teachers must attend all CEU sessions in order to receive their credits. STUDENTS BEST SUITED FOR THE SICC EXPERIENCE WILL POSSESS THE FOLLOWING QUALITIES IN THIS ORDER: strong work ethic, musicianship skills (sight-reading) and choral singing experience.

LIABILITY

Southern Miss does not take responsibility for students when they are not attending an SICC event. The remainder of the conference, including travel, downtime, dining breaks and overnight lodging, is monitored by teacher, chaperone or other responsible adult named on the SICC registration form.

COST DEADLINE

AVID HOTEL 601.475.2294

200 N. 40TH ST.

$119*

SEPT 7

BEST WESTERN 601.909.6658

$115*

SEPT 1

COMFORT SUITES 601.601.8780

$147*

AUG 25

119 GRAND DR.

COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT 601.268.3050

$144*

AUG 25

FAIRFIELD INN 601.296.7777

$121*

AUG 11

HAMPTON INN 601.268.0606

$159*

AUG 31

HILTON GARDEN INN 601.261.3770

$119*

AUG 31

HOLIDAY INN NORTH 601.990.9340

$158*

AUG 25

235 THORNHILL DR.

$209*

AUG 25

HOTEL INDIGO 601.264.7709

$229*

AUG 25

HOME2 SUITES 601.261.3800

$159*

AUG 31

O T E L

CONFERENCE CODE SICC

132 PLAZA DR.

122 PLAZA DR..

173 THORNHILL DR.

120 PLAZA DR.

133 PLAZA DR., H’BURG 39402 6533 US 49, H’BURG 39402

TOWNE PLACE SUITES 601.582.2030 103 S. 30TH AVE., H’BURG 39401 116 PLAZA DR., H’BURG 39402

*All rates and info subject to change

BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR 501-C TAX-EXEMPT STATUS FORM WHEN RESERVING ROOMS.

When making your reservations, please use the conference code SICC to receive special rates. Remember that most of the rooms have two double beds and can accommodate four students. Make sure to specify if you want double/double rooms or kings. Monday night is the only required night; however, some schools may want to arrive Sunday evening.

RL STREET Privately Owned Apartments

32nd AVENUE

33rd AVENUE

Liberal Arts Lot

Privately Owned Apartments

Bank

Union

Centennial Green

Lucas Reserve Lot

SOUTHERN MISS DR. 1

Store

Mannoni North Lot Mannoni South Lot

51 4

Bolton Lot

Information Booth

CHAMPIONSHIP LANE

Wilber Lot

72 Eagle Walk Lot

86 50

Sculpture

HARDY STREET

Main Entrance

46 55

Lofty Return

FELDER PLACE KennardWashington Lot

SOU T

HER NM ISS DR .

ALUM DRIVE NI

Electronic Message Board

Rose Garden Centennial Gateway

COLLEGE DRIVE

100

Lott Center Lot

Hub

Hurst Lot

M.M. Roberts Stadium 39

COLLEGE DRIVE

Kelley Lot

McDonalds

28 18

Scianna Lot

Cochran Center

Weathersby Lawn

Greene Lot

BUILDINGS

CHAMPIONSHIP LANE

Polymer Reserve Lot

Pedestrian Plaza

atre and nce Lot

Bank

71 Athletic Center

CHARLES LANE

. DR

International Center Lot

Privately Owned Apartments

M-Club

LIN

RESEA RC H

R. ES D JAM

Southern Station 40

Spirit Park

Cochran Center Reserve Lot

BOULEVARD

ONTAGUE

McCarty Lot RAY GUY WAY

EAST MEMORIAL DR.

KAY 27

Polymer Science 22

Natatorium Lot

31st AVENUE

Exercise Trail

Vann

RAY GUY WAY

Luckyday Citizenship

U.S. HIGHWAY 49

Pride Field

GOLDEN EAGLE AVE.

Football Practice Fields

M .K

Scott 116

U.S. HIGHWAY 49

Parking Garage Open and Reserved

Beach 62 Volleyball Complex

EAGLE WALK

Payne Center Lot

WEST 4TH STREET Moffitt Health

EAGLE WALK

61 Wellness Center

34 K

WEST 4TH STREET

Reed Green Coliseum 42

r Hill t

North Lot

CPN 4

WEST MEMORIAL PLAZA

CL E

115

CPN 3

FORREST AVENUE

CI R

Volleyball West Lot

3-D Arts Lot

Lot

Lake Byron

Building Name Number Location 3-D Arts Building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 . . . . . .6C Alpha Chi Omega . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 . . . . . .3D Alpha Delta Pi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 . . . . . . 2D Alpha Kappa Alpha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 . . . . . .3D Alpha Tau Omega . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 . . . . . . 2C Anthropology Lab and Collections . . . . . . . . . . 26 . . . . . . 1D Asbury Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 . . . . . . 4E Baptist Student Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 . . . . . . 5E Beach Volleyball Complex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 . . . . . . 5C Bell Track and Soccer Complex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 . . . . . 11A Bennett Auditorium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 . . . . . . 7E Bolton Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 . . . . . . 8E Bond Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 . . . . . .6C - University Police Department Cedarbrook II Apartments A-F . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 . . . . . . 1D Center for Child Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 . . . . . . 3C Century Park North . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 . . . . . . 7C - CPN 1, CPN 2, CPN 3, CPN 4 Century Park South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 . . . . . . 7C - Scott Hall, Vann Hall, Luckyday Citizenship Hall, Moffitt Health Center Chain Technology Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 . . . . . .6D Chi Omega . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 . . . . . . 3E College Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 . . . . . . 6F Cook Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 . . . . . . 6E Danforth Chapel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 . . . . . . 7E Delta Delta Delta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 . . . . . . 3E Delta Gamma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 . . . . . .3D Delta Sigma Theta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 . . . . . . 3E Delta Tau Delta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 . . . . . .3D DuBard School for Language Disorders . . . . . . 27 . . . . . . 4E Duff Athletic Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 . . . . . .7D - M-Club Duplex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 . . . . . . 2E Forrest County Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 . . . . . . 6F Fritzsche-Gibbs Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 . . . . . . 6F George Building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 . . . . . 4D Greene Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 . . . . . . 5F Harkins Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 . . . . . . 4F Hattiesburg Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 . . . . . . 7F Hickman Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 . . . . . . 7E

REGISTRATION

ONLINE REGISTRATION usm.edu/sicc Early Payment Option $65 per student/teacher/chaperone Paid in full by September 4, 2026

Payment Option $75 per student/teacher/chaperone Paid in full after September 4, 2026

High Schools and Community Colleges may bring up to 16 students

Students without a school affiliation must be at least 14 years of age, exhibit strong musicianship skills, have some choral singing experience, and possess a strong work ethic.

Imprinted items such as T-shirts cannot be guaranteed for registration occurring after September 4, 2026. Please make check or money order payable to Southern Miss Choral Activities and mail to Dr. Gregory Fuller The University of Southern Mississippi 118 College Drive #5081 Hattiesburg, MS 39406

Designed to make SICC accessible for homeschool students and students whose schools are not participating in the conference

CHORAL ACTIVITIES 118 College Drive #5081 Hattiesburg, MS 39406

THE NO WORRIES CONFERENCE No audition No pre-purchase of music No pre-conference preparation

EOE/VETS/DISABILITY

SICC

Nonprofit Organization US Postage Paid Hattiesburg, MS 39402 Permit No. 148

SICC 2026 proof 3