Festival: April 5-6, 2024

This two-day event, located at Plymouth United Church of Christ in Des Moines, IA, brings together singers from throughout the state for an exciting time of learning and fun. Day one is devoted to high school (and older) choirs. Day two features treble choirs of singers in grades 4 - 8. An internationally known choral composer serves as the in-residence clinician and conductor for the event.

The composer's own music is the focus of the festival. Our guest composer works with students throughout each day of the festival, and at the end of the day, the singers deliver a public concert. The featured clinician for our 2024 Meet the Composer Festival is Victor Johnson. The concerts will include the world premiere of a newly composed work by Mr. Johnson which was commissioned by Heartland Youth Choir for this year’s Festival.

For the 2024 Festival, Friday’s concert will feature high school and college choirs. Saturday’s concert will feature treble choir singers in grades 4 - 8 including singers from three Heartland Youth Choir ensembles, amongst other visiting choirs.

To register your school, church, or community choir to participate in the 2024 Meet the Composer Festival, please click on the link below. The registration fee for this year’s Festival is $350 per choir.

Heartland Youth Choir
Phone: 515-221-3922
Email: office@joinhyc.org

Victor Johnson is a native of Dallas, Texas, and is currently in his 12th year of teaching at the Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts. He is also in his twelfth year as director of the Children’s Choir of Texas. Victor attended the University of Texas at Arlington where he majored in music education with a concentration in organ. While attending UTA, he served as student conductor of the university’s choral ensembles and opera workshop accompanist. He was also honored with the awards of “Outstanding Music Freshman” in 1997 and also “Outstanding Musician” in 2001.

As a composer, Victor has won numerous composition contests and has received ASCAP Awards for the past 12 years. His first piece was published in 1994, while he was a sophomore in high school. To date, he has over 200 octavos and choral products in the catalogs of Heritage Music Press, The Lorenz Corporation, Chorister’s Guild, SoundForth, and Hal Leonard Corporation.

Victor has led reading sessions and choral workshops in numerous states and has conducted All-State and Regional Honor choirs in Texas, California, Oklahoma, Kansas and Kentucky. His own choir was selected to perform at the Texas Music Educators Association Convention in 2011.

His professional affiliations include: American Choral Directors Association, Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Choral Directors Association, ASCAP, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Inc.