The UALR Concert Choir has been selected as the featured choir for the 2011 Arkansas Music Educators Association Conference (ArkMEA) on Friday, Nov. 4, in Hot Springs, the first ensemble to be invited to represent UALR at the state music conference in more than 10 years.

Each year the ArkMEA conference features a different type of musical experience, and this year’s focus is university choirs.

Dr. Bevan Keating, director of conducting and choral studies at UALR, sent in a proposal to ArkMEA for the Concert Choir to perform at the conference.

The selection process takes place each spring, when music directors from around the state are invited to submit audio or video files for consideration. The ArkMEA board then meets over the summer to choose the featured groups. All universities in the state were eligible to submit auditions, and UALR was selected for this year’s event.

More than 200 elementary orchestra and choir students, along with their teachers, will be present to hear the UALR group perform.

“Getting to hear one of the featured groups is a big treat for them and gives them an idea of what they can accomplish if they pursue music throughout college,” said President-elect Paige Rose, Ph.D. of ArkMEA.

The organization is the state affiliate of the National Association for Music Education. NAfME is among the world’s largest arts education organizations working to ensure that every student has access to a well-balanced, comprehensive, and high-quality program of music instruction taught by qualified teachers.

The state conference has been expanding over the last few years, growing from one to two days, featuring multiple strands of band, choir, elementary, technology, and research sessions.

The NafMe annual convention brings together music educators at every level, from kindergarten to college from around the state, and provides a showcase for exceptionally talented young musicians.

The UALR Concert Choir is open by competitive audition to all UALR students. The choir performs a wide variety of distinctive choral literature chosen from all periods of music history, both a cappella and accompanied.

For more information about the UALR Concert Choir, contact Bevan Keating at 501- 569-3499 or Karen Kuralt at 501-569-8334.