Nā Leo Pili Mai
Middle School Choral Festival
Nā Leo Pili Mai, Middle School Choral Festival, is cosponsored by Hawai‘i ACDA and the Hawai‘i Youth Opera Chorus. This festival aims to provide advanced treble middle school singers with an enriching choral experience. Each participating school and community choir engages in activities focused on basic musical concepts, vocal techniques, and hula.
This collaborative event creates a comprehensive and memorable musical experience for young singers.
2026 Nā Leo Pili Mai: Middle School Choral Festival
Saturday, February 21st, 2026 | Festival Concert 11:30AM Kawaiahaʻo Church
The Hawaiʻi Youth Opera Chorus, in partnership with the Hawaiʻi Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association, present the 2026 Nā Leo Pili Mai: All-State Middle School Choral Festival on Saturday, February 21st, 2026, at Kawaiahaʻo Church. This year’s festival will feature guest clinician Dr. Alec Schumacker, who will lead participating students through a morning of collaborative music-making and learning.
Cost per student is $25.00 and includes festival participation and t-shirt. Registration closes on Friday, January 23rd, 2026. Payments due February 21, 2026 payable to: Hawaii Youth Opera Chorus. Please contact the festival chair, Joanna Habermann, for important information regarding the festival by using the contact form below.
Festival Repertoire Information
E Aloha E, Mailelauliʻi Naki
Music will be provided upon registration and contact with the festival chair.
Hoʻokahi Nō Wai, Kenneth Makuakāne. arr. Alec Schumacker
Please note that your choir is asked to pay an additional $1.00 per music copy of Hoʻokahi Nō Wai.
Climbin’ Up the Mountain, Spiritual, arr. Patsy Ford Simms (2-pt Version)
Each Each choir is responsible for ordering their own copies of this piece. E-print is highly recommended as hard copies are not currently available to ship on JW Pepper.
Thank you for your response. ✨
Dr. Alec Schumacker
Nā Leo Pili Mai 2026 Festival Clinician
Dr. Alec Schumacker is the Director of Choral Activities and Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. He presently serves as the Vice President of the Hawai‘i Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association. He completed his DMA in Choral Conducting at the University of Miami, where he studied with Joshua Habermann and Karen Kennedy.
An active educator and sought-after presenter, Alec delivered lectures at the 2023 and 2019 International Kodály Symposia in Los Angeles and Malaysia, the 2020 Western Division ACDA conference in Salt Lake City, the 2018 and 2016 Asia Kodály Symposia in Taiwan, the 2017 National ACDA conference in Minneapolis, and various others. His written work on incorporating popular music in the choral curriculum was recently published by GIA in the textbook Becoming Musical.
An award-winning composer and arranger, Alec’s choral music is published by Alliance Music Publications, earthsongs, Hinshaw Music, Santa Barbara Music Publishing, and World Projects.
Lauren Kanoelani Chang Williams
E Mele Kākou 2026 Festival Kumu Hula
A lifelong seeker of knowledge, Kumu Kanoe studied with her first Kumu Hula, Leimomi I Maldonado, of Ka Hale I o Kāhala for over 20 years before completing an ʻūniki (graduation requirements) which allowed her to open her own hālau in 2010. She currently teaches hula out of her family home in Nuʻuanu and also teaches choir, general music and ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language) at Punahou School in Mānoa.
The Hawaiʻi Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association 