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.
Registration for the 2026 Choral Festival is now closed. Thank you to all of the directors that submitted students for this year’s festival.
Quick Links
Before clicking on these links, please read the sections below for context. Thank you!
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 Shelley Zietz (Retired Choir Director, Fargo North High School).
The NDSU Choral Fest 9th and 10th Grade TBB Choir will be conducted by Steve Hoemberg (Former Artistic Director, Staples Area Men’s Chorus).
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.
Registration for the 2026 NDSU High School Choral Festival is now closed.
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 |
| All Things New – Elaine Hagenberg – Beckenhorst Press |
| 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 – Shelley Zietz, conductor
Please review the rehearsal notes from Shelley Zietz here.
| 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 |
Choral Festival Schedule
Schedules for the whole event and individual choirs can be found here.
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