Nebraska Wesleyan University Honors Choir

February 4-5, 2027

The Nebraska Wesleyan University Honors Choir gathers 100 of the region's most promising high school singers for an inspiring and immersive choral experience with NWU's choir director, Tom Trenney, and guest composer/conductor, Moira Smiley.

Nominations

We encourage high school teachers to recommend as many singers as they desire through this choir students nomination form. Nebraska Wesleyan accepts nominations until December 4, 2026 and informs teachers and students of selections by December 18. Selected students are responsible for completing a registration form, including a $50 participation fee. Students are expected to prepare the music in advance of the festival. Opportunities to participate in vocal masterclasses (musical theater and classical), conducting classes, and scholarship auditions will be available as well.

Our Conductors

Moira Smiley is a folk singer, songwriter and choral composer based in Vermont. As a performer, Moira has toured the world and recorded with Indie-pop favorites, Tuneyards, performing with them on late-night TV shows and recently to re-open David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center in NYC with Chris Thile, Hilary Hahn and Brad Mehldau. She began her singing career in Baroque and Medieval music, collaborating with Paul Hillier, Fretless Consort of Viols, Dufay Collective and Sinfonye, BBC Singers and New World Symphony. As a folksinger, she’s fronted the legendary Irish-American supergroup, Solas as well as the Lomax and Folklife Projects produced by Jayme Stone, and continues to lead her own vocal collaborations as VOCO and The Voice Is A Traveler. Standing at the intersection between folk and academic music, Moira is insistent on heart-centered, embodied music-making in her performance, composition and teaching.

Tom Trenney is director of choirs at Nebraska Wesleyan University. NWU’s choirs had the honor of performing at state, regional and national conventions of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), and are award winners in the American Prize for choral ensembles. His 50 published choral compositions are sung at churches and schools across the country, and he was a feature performer at places like Kansas City's Kauffman Center, Washington, D.C.'s Kennedy Center and NYC's Carnegie Hall.

Schedule

Thursday, February 4

3 p.m. Registration
4 p.m. Rehearsal
5 p.m. Pizza party (included)
6 p.m. Rehearsal
8:30 p.m. Adjourn

Friday, February 5

9 a.m. Rehearsal
10 a.m. Breakout sessions/ sectional rehearsal
11:15 a.m. Lunch (included)
12:15 p.m. Concert by NWU Choirs
1 p.m. Rehearsal
2:30 p.m. Snack break
2:45 p.m. Breakout sessions/sectional rehearsal
4 p.m. Rehearsal on stage
5 p.m. Dinner
6:15 p.m. Warm-up
7 p.m. Concert
7:50 p.m. Farewell

Repertoire

To be announced