Our 2026 Clinicians!
Discover the talented leaders guiding this year’s Middle School All-VA! Learn more about their backgrounds, accomplishments, and the unique expertise they will share with our participating choirs.
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Houston native Robert T. Gibson is a conductor, composer, and clinician who desires to develop future music educators for the next generation of music education. His passion for music continues to leave lasting impressions on the students he encounters. After seven years of leading middle school choral programs, Gibson is director of choral studies at Lancaster Bible College where his responsibilities include conducting all choral ensembles as well as instructing undergraduate courses in choral conducting, aural skills, and choral methods. He serves as a guest clinician with school, church, and community choirs throughout the country in addition to festival, honor choirs in Texas, Pennsylvania, Nebraska, Tennessee, Kansas, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, and New York.
Robert T. Gibson is a renowned composer of choral music whose compositions have been performed by high school all-state, collegiate, and professional choirs including the Texas All-State Tenor-Bass Choir, Oakwood University Aeolians, and the Elevate Vocal Artists. Robert’s choral arrangements can be found through Walton Music, Alfred Publications and Oxford Press. In 2020, his arrangement of “We Shall Overcome” was awarded the Missouri Choral Director Association Opus Award at the Missouri Choral Directors Association (MCDA). He has been commissioned by Kansas State University, the Singing Girls of Texas, and Florida Elementary All-State Chorus.
Gibson holds degrees from Missouri State University (MM) where he studied with Cameron LaBarr and Christopher Kelts, and the University of North Texas (BM) with Alan McClung, Jerry McCoy, Lyle Nordstrom, and Richard Sparks. While at UNT, Robert was a part of various ensembles including the A Cappella Choir, Concert Choir, Collegium Singers, and UNT Jazz Singers. Gibson also served as director of the North Texas Voices of Praise Gospel Choir. In Missouri, Gibson created the MSU Multicultural Ensemble and revived the MSU Gospel Choir. The Multicultural Ensemble, comprised of students as well as community singers and musicians, performed at the 2019 Missouri Music Education Association (MMEA) Conference. Additionally, Gibson led the Reed Academy Singers to MMEA in 2022 with all original compositions.
Gibson has received various awards for his leadership and dedication to choral music as well as his leadership in the communities he has served. While in Springfield, he was awarded the 2022 Trailblazer Award from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the 2022 Springfield Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 (an award given to still-rising professionals in southwest Missouri). In addition, the city of Springfield granted June 9 as Robert T. Gibson Day in Springfield, MO.
He is a member of the Texas Music Education Association (TMEA), the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), the Texas Choral Directors Association (TCDA), and has held positions with the Southwest Division of ACDA. Additionally, he is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc., Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and Phi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society. He is the proud husband to Amber Renae and father to Truly and Lovie.
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Morgan Luttig, Ph.D. is a dynamic choral conductor, music educator, and clinician who serves as Director of Choral Activities at the University of Alabama. There, she conducts University Singers, Treble Chorus, and Druid City Chorus while overseeing both undergraduate and graduate conducting programs. Her innovative approach to teaching earned her a Tide Teaching Grant and SEC Faculty Travel Grant for 2024-25 and has nearly tripled the enrollment in the University of Alabama choral program. Under her leadership, the UA University Singers were accepted to perform for the 2025 Alabama Music Educators Association (AMEA) Professional Development Conference, performed by invitation for the 2024 Alabama Vocal Association All-State Choral Convocation, and were named a finalist for the American Prize in Choral Performance. Additionally, the Druid City Chorus in its inaugural 2024-25 season was invited to perform alongside the Alabama Symphony Orchestra.
Prior to her current role, Luttig served as the Visiting Choral Director at Washington and Lee University, leading an international tour of Scotland. She also previously taught K-12 choral and general music in Savannah, GA, and Princeton, NJ. Her commitment to the choral arts extends beyond the classroom, as she actively serves in executive leadership and conference planning positions with the American Choral Directors Association. She also serves as Associate Editor of Recording Reviews for the National Collegiate Choral Organization’s (NCCO) publication, The Choral Scholar and American Choral Review.
As a conductor/clinician, Luttig has led honor choirs, clinics, and choral festivals at the state, regional, and district levels throughout the United States. Additional invited conducting roles include working with the Princeton Girlchoir and Princeton Boychoir, Westminster Neighborhood Children’s Choir, RISE Chorales, Savannah Children’s Choir. Inspired by her work with varying ages of choirs throughout her career, her research in topics such as conducting pedagogy, inclusive programming, student engagement, and representation in the choral arts have led to presentations and research posters at ACDA and NAfME professional development conferences.
Luttig’s choral singing experience includes performances with the Festival Singers of Florida, Florida State University Chamber Choir and University Singers, and Westminster Choir College Kantorei among others.
Holding a Ph.D. in Music Education (Choral Conducting) from Florida State University, where she received the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, Luttig also earned a Master of Music Education (Choral Emphasis) degree from Westminster Choir College and a Bachelor’s Degree in Music from Washington and Lee University..
Important Dates
January 12, 2026 | Registration window opens.
February 4, 2026 |Two important events must be completed by 11:59pm on Wednesday
All applicants must be registered by the teacher (students should not register themselves) and paid for in OpusEvent. We are only accepting credit card payments.
All scholarship applicants must have submitted the google form.
February 10th, 2026 | If snow February 2-4, this is the new deadline for submission of recordings.
February 23th, 2026 | Notification emails of acceptance into the 2025 Virginia ACDA Middle School Honor Choir will be sent to directors and guardians.
March 6th, 2026 | Participant registration deadline, $90 per singer.
April 16, 2026 | Participants travel to the Greater Richmond Convention Center (403 N 3rd St., Richmond, VA 23219) for registration and the first rehearsal under the guest conductors at approximately 10:00am.
April 17, 2026 | Full day of rehearsals and concert at 6:00pm at the GRCC. Parking at the convention center is $8 per entry.
Registering your auditions in OpusEvent
Registering your auditions in OpusEvent
Go to OpusEvent.com
Click Opus Audition at the bottom
Select All Virginia Middle School Honor Choir
Create an account; you will need your ACDA membership ID number and e-mail address or If you are not a current member or your membership has expired, it may take several days after renewing for the membership database to be fully updated
You may need to add a location (this would be your school or other organization)
Login and click New Application
Select the singer’s choir and then the voice part
Type in the singer’s name and parent information
*PLEASE* type the parent e-mail address carefully
Click Save and Close
You cannot upload their recordings until the registration fee is paid
Scholarship Application
Virginia ACDA is offering a limited number of need-based scholarships to cover the $90 registration cost. This application form is due by 11:59 pm on Wednesday, February 4th. Scholarship recipients will be notified upon acceptance into the group.