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Awards

Each year, Alabama ACDA awards two of it's members notable awards at our Summer Conference:

The Thomas R. Smith Award
The Robert Wright Award

Nominees are accepted from the general members, and are decided upon by the Executive Board
2025 Nominee Submissions - Closed

2025 Award Recipients

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William Powell

The Thomas R. Smith Award for Excellence
William C. Powell is a professor of music and the director of choral activities. He conducts the Chamber Choir, Men's Chorus, Concert Choir, and Gospel Choir, and he teaches choral-related courses.
Powell has guest conducted throughout the United States and abroad, including Australia, Italy, and Eastern Europe. He serves as a regular adjudicator for various choral festivals such as Festival Disney. He also gives presentations for the National Association for Music Education, American Choral Directors Association, Intercollegiate Men's Choruses, College Music Society, Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities, and the National Society of Music in Technology.
His choral arrangements are published by Hal Leonard Corporation, Gentry Publications, and Oxford University Press through which he and his wife, Rosephanye Powell, co-edited a collection titled "Spirituals for Upper Voices." He also has a choral series published by Gentry Publications.
An active member of the American Choral Directors Association, Powell has served as the repertoire and standards chair of the Committee on Ethnic and Multicultural Perspectives for the both the southwestern and southern divisions. He also holds memberships with the National Association for Music Education, and the American Society of Composers and Publishers. He and his wife have two daughters, Camille and Kaitlyn.
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Dan Cater

The Robert Wright Award for Exceptional Service
Dan Cater is in his nineteenth year as a middle school music educator at Simmons Middle School in Hoover, Alabama and in his twelfth year as the youth choir director at Saint Mark United Methodist Church in Vestavia Hills, Alabama. Dan graduated Summa Cum Laude from Auburn University in 2007. Happily married to his wife, Laura, Dan is the proud father of three boys: Thatch, Finn, and Cohen. Dan serves on the executive board of the Alabama chapter of the American Choral Directors Association and is a member of the Alabama Vocal Association. Choirs under his direction regularly receive superior ratings at festivals and performance assessments. Dan was clinician at Music and Arts Week at Camp Sumatanga in 2018. He has served as clinician at the Tuscaloosa All County Choral Festival and the UAB Middle School Honor choir in 2023. Clinician posts in 2024 included the University of Montevallo Festival of Voices and the Madison County Honor Choir Festival. 

Dan sings tenor in the Iron City Singers, who had the honor of performing at the Southern Division Convention of ACDA in Louisville, KY in the spring of 2024. Dan enjoys singing, playing the guitar, running, camping, and watching Formula One.

The Thomas R. Smith Award
For Excellence

Nominees for the Thomas R. Smith Award for Excellence must have been active in choral music for a minimum of 25 years, distinguishing themselves in the field of choral music and consistently demonstrating the highest musical standards. They must also have provided leadership in the choral arts and earned the respect of colleagues and students.


Prior Recipients:

Allen Gillespie
​Heather Cantwell
​John Kincaid
​Diana Mayhall
Milburn Price
Glinda Blackshear
Robert Wright
Ken Berg
Gayle Smith
Lester Seigel
Terre Johnson
John Baker
Kathy Hughes
Marvin Latimer
​Tim Banks

The Robert Wright Award
​For Exceptional Service

Nominees for the Robert E. Wright, Jr. Award for Exceptional Service must have been active in choral music in Alabama for a minimum of 15 years. They must have contributed exceptional service to Alabama ACDA, going above and beyond the call of duty. And the nominee must be nominated by a member in good standing of Alabama ACDA, though it is not a requirement that the nominee be a member of Alabama ACDA.

Prior Recipients:
​Ginny Hughes
​Meg Rudolph
​Brent Coleman
​Lisa Latham
Pat Blackwell
Carl Davis
​Shirley Ellison
Patricia Corbin
​Gene Davis

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​Copyright 2025 @ Alabama Chapter of the American Choral Director's Association.
​All Rights Reserved
  • Home
  • Events
    • Summer Conference >
      • Conference Program
    • Collegiate Choral Festival
    • Contempo Choral Festival
    • Young Voices Festival
    • Regional & National Conferences
  • Resources
    • Repertoire Database
    • Past-Conference Documents
    • Board Documents
  • Awards
  • Reprise
  • Join ACDA