2026 NDSU High School Choral Festival
Sunday, October 4th | 2 p.m.
Monday, October 5th, 2025 | 4:30 p.m.
NDSU Challey Hall
We are pleased to invite you to sing with the Herd at the 37th Annual NDSU High School Choral Festival. The event will begin on Sunday, October 4, with registration at 1:15 pm and a 2:00 pm Choral Concert featuring the NDSU Concert Choir, NDSU Madrigal Singers, and the Grand Forks Central High School Madrigal Singers. The NDSU Choral Festival Concert, at 4:30 pm on Monday, October 5, 2026, will conclude the event. Admission to both concerts is free.
Conductors
The NDSU Choral Fest Honor Chamber Choir will be conducted by Dwight Jilek (Director of Choral Activities and Associate Professor of Music, North Dakota State University).
The NDSU Choral Fest 11th and 12th Grade Mixed Choir will be conducted by Nicki Toliver (Associate Director of Choral Activities and Associate Professor of Music, North Dakota State University).
The NDSU Choral Fest SSA 9th and 10th Grade Choir will be conducted by Shelly Zietz (Retired Choir Director, Fargo North High School).
The NDSU Choral Fest 9th and 10th Grade TBB Choir will be conducted by Steve Hoemberg (Artistic Director, Staples Area Men’s Chorus).
Honor Chamber Choir Auditions
Auditions for the NDSU High School Honor Chamber Choir, conducted by Dr. Dwight Jilek, will be submitted online with a due date of Friday, September 11, 2026. Each student will submit an electronic file of the student singing a selection that represents their highest level of musicianship. Students should identify their name, high school, and which part they are auditioning for (i.e., soprano or alto). The NDSU High School Honor Chamber Choir will have up to 36 voices.
For the other festival choirs, each school may send one or two SATB quartets to the Mixed Choir, a balanced trio to the Soprano/Alto Choir, and a balanced trio to the Tenor/Bass Choir. Registrations are due by Wednesday, September 16, 2026.
Registration for Other Festival Choirs
The Mixed Choir is limited to a maximum of 250 singers. If registrations exceed 250, registration does not guarantee participation. Final selection will be based on registration date and the ensemble's overall balance. The S/A and T/B choirs do not have a limit on registrants.
Registration Fee and Links
The registration fee for each student is $50, which includes a t-shirt, dinner on Sunday night, and lunch on Monday. Choral directors will be the guests of the NDSU Challey School of Music.
Online Registration – Mixed, SSA, and TBB Choirs
Deadline: September 16
Online Submissions – Honor Chamber Choir
Deadline: September 11
Repertoire
The music to be performed in the festival choirs is as follows and is available through Popplers Music. Please note that one piece for the Honor Chamber Choir is available through a public domain link below.
Honor Chamber Choir – Auditioned Grades 11 & 12 – Dwight Jilek, conductor
| Piece, Composer, and Publisher |
|---|
| Time – Jennifer Lucy Cook – Hal Leonard |
| Until I Reach My Home – arr. Brandon Boyd – Hinshaw |
| Through the Dark – Andrea Ramsey – Pavane |
| Jesu Dulci Memoria – Tomas Luis da Victoria – Public Domain |
Mixed Choir – Grades 11 & 12 – Nicki Toliver, conductor
| Piece, Composer, and Publisher |
|---|
| Hard Times Come Again No More – Stephen Foster (arr. Kirchner) – Boosey & Hawkes |
| What a Wonderful World – Weiss/Theile (arr. Clausen) – Hal Leonard |
| Bridge Over Troubled Waters – Paul Simon (arr. Kirby Shaw) – Shawnee Press |
| Hope Lingers On – Lisa Schneckenburger (arr. Ramsey) – MusicSpoke.com |
Soprano/Alto Choir – Grades 9 & 10 – Shelly Zietz, conductor
| Piece, Composer, and Publisher |
|---|
| Weep No More – David N. Childs – Santa Barbara |
| Allegro – ed. Z. Randall Stroope – Walton |
| Dance on My Heart – Allen Koepke – Santa Barbara |
| It Had to Be You and You Made Me Love You – arr. Adam and Matt Podd – Podd Brothers |
Tenor/Bass Choir – Grades 9 & 10 – Steve Hoemberg, conductor
| Piece, Composer, and Publisher |
|---|
| Finnan Haddie – Vijay Singh – Alfred |
| I Am With You – Derrick Fox – Hal Leonard |
| We Shall Not Sleep – Laura Farnell – Alliance Music |
| Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words) – Bart Howard (arr. Emerson) – Hal Leonard |
Please contact ndsu.music@ndsu.edu with any questions. We look forward to working with your students at the 37th Annual NDSU Choral Festival!
Dwight Jilek, Director of Choral Activities, dwight.jilek@ndsu.edu
Nicki Bakko Toliver, Associate Director of Choral Activities, nicki.toliver@ndsu.edu