2026 Nebraska All-State ChorusPAGE QUICK LINKS
2026 ALL-STATE CHORUS CONDUCTOR BIOA Virginia native, Dr. Marques L. A. Garrett (he/him) is An active conductor, Marques is the founding conductor of the Nebraska Festival Singers and previously served as artistic director of the Omaha Symphonic Chorus. He serves as a guest conductor or clinician with school, church, and community choirs throughout the country in addition to festival, honor, and all-state choirs in Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Florida, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Among his most recent engagements were with the Colorado, Michigan, and South Carolina All-State Mixed Choirs. In 2022, he and the UNL Chamber Singers won second place in the American Prize’s Choral Performance—College/University Division—Larger Program’s category. His formal conducting studies were with Dr. André J. Thomas, Dr. Carole J. Ott, Dr. Carl G. Harris, Jr., and Mr. Royzell Dillard. He is an avid composer of choral and solo-vocal music whose compositions have been performed to acclaim by high school all-state, collegiate, and professional choirs including the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Oakwood University Aeolians, and National Lutheran Choir. His music is available through more than ten publishers. He has been commissioned by the Cincinnati Youth Choir, The Concordia Choir, Harvard University, Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia, UNT A Cappella Choir, and Westminster Choir College. Among his latest commissions is his largest work to date, Dreamland: Tulsa 1921. This collaborative work with librettist Sandra Seaton for tenor-bass chorus, soloists, and chamber orchestra was commissioned by the Turtle Creek Chorale to tell the story of the Greenwood district of Tulsa, Oklahoma. As a researcher, his most advantageous topic is the non-idiomatic choral music of Black composers. His lectures at state and regional conferences of the American Choral Directors Association and at other local and national venues afford him the opportunity to showcase this underrepresented area of music resulting in the anthology The Oxford Book of Choral Music by Black Composers released in February 2023. His peer-reviewed presentations and headlining events for conferences and organizations have been in Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Kansas, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Canada. He serves as co-editor of the “Out from the Shadows” Series with Gentry Publications. Chorus America recognized Dr. Garrett’s contributions to the choral community with the 2023 Brazeal Wayne Dennard Award. He holds membership in the American Choral Directors Association; American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers; National Association of Negro Musicians; National Collegiate Choral Organization; and Pi Kappa Lambda. For more information, visit www.mlagmusic.com. 2026 ALL-STATE CHORUS REPERTOIRE
REHEARSAL TRACKSUse the direct link below to purchase and download the 2026 Nebraska All-State Chorus rehearsal track package:
Once your order is complete, a download link will be available immediately. You’ll also receive a ZIP file via email at the address you provided during checkout. Teachers and students are reminded that rehearsal tracks are intended for sale to single, individual students. NMEA asks teachers to be on the honor system and not purchase a set (a "set" is one of each voice part) and distribute them to multiple students. Anyone making an individual order is asked to NOT share their purchased MP3s with anyone else. Alternate Access: You can also find this package through the Kinnison Choral website. Go to SONG LIBRARY > All-State Choirs > Nebraska All-State Chorus 2026. Purchase All-State Chorus Rehearsal TracksREHEARSAL NOTESDr. Marques L. A. Garrett has provided rehearsal notes to help guide students' preparation for the 2026 All-State Chorus repertoire. Click the links below to view the notes. View Rehearsal NotesABOUT 3-PART VOICE SPLITS: In a 3 part voice split, the top note will go to the firsts of that section, and the seconds will split the bottom based on region: evens take the middle, and odds take the bottom. For example: Soprano 1 will take the top note, and Soprano 2 will split the bottom two notes based on audition regions. Even regions take the middle note, and odd regions take the bottom. This specifically happens in Ong-Hye-Ya. All-State Chorus Region Lookup Guide2026 ALL-STATE CHORUS AUDITION RESULTSThe 2026 All-State Chorus has been selected, and the list is available for the public to view All-State Chorus Selected ParticipantsThe final concert will be held Friday, November 20 at 4:30 pm at the Lied Center for Performing Arts. We’re looking forward to the 2026 All-State performances and to working with dedicated young musicians from across Nebraska. DIRECTOR INFORMATIONPARTICIPATION FEE REMINDER Participation fees ($25 per student) are due by November 2nd. All invoices are handled through Festival Scores. Access links and payment instructions can be found in the Auditions Manual. ALL-STATE STUDENT CONTRACT In order for your students to participate in All-State, they will need to sign and return the Participant Contract. Please note that these participant forms must be MAILED in by directors. Students will not be allowed to participate if this form is not postmarked by November 2nd. Directors will need to send in all signed contracts to: Papillion LaVista South High School Note: ALL STUDENT CONTRACTS MUST BE NOTARIZED! Download the 2026 Student ContractALL-STATE PRESS RELEASES NMEA will be handling a mass press release to all newspapers in Nebraska. A press release template will not be included in this year's materials. PARENT & LEGAL GUARDIAN INFORMATIONTICKETS CONCERTS AT THE LIED Ticket pre-sale must be completed online. Please read the following instruction documents carefully. Ticket pre-sale does not begin until October 26. You will not be able to order tickets until the pre-sale starts. Jazz Band & Chorus Concert Ticket Instructions (English)Jazz Band & Chorus Concert Ticket Instructions (Spanish)ALL-STATE MEMORABILIA Thank you to the following businesses for providing All-State memorabilia for participating students and their families! Official All-State merchandise provided by
Official All-State recordings provided by
[email protected] | 419-433-4918 Official All-State photography provided by
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Associate Professor of Choral Studies at the University of North Texas. His responsibilities include conducting the University Singers and teaching graduate and undergraduate choral conducting. His previous appointments were at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and Cheyney University. Additionally, he holds a PhD in Music Education (Choral Conducting) from Florida State University, an MM from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a BA from Hampton University.
