Collinsville Choir Students Selected for SWACDA 2026!
Five Collinsville Choir students have been selected to perform in the 2026 Southwestern American Choral Directors Association (SWACDA) Honor and Jazz Choirs. These students earned this honor through a competitive audition process and will represent Collinsville on a regional stage.
Your support helps cover travel, hotel, and participation fees so that all five students can attend.
Please make all donations by March, 1st 2026.
Ready to support our students?
Donate to SWACDA ’26Secure • Tax-Deductible • Supports All Five Students
Need help navigating the donation page? Scroll down to see the step-by-step instructions.
What Is SWACDA?
The Southwestern American Choral Directors Association (SWACDA) is the regional division of ACDA serving choirs, directors, and student musicians across seven states: Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Every two years, SWACDA hosts a major conference featuring:
- Concerts by outstanding school, community, collegiate, and professional choirs
- Honor choirs made up of top-auditioned students from the seven-state region
- Workshops, reading sessions, and clinics for choral directors
- Opportunities for singers to work with nationally recognized conductors
The 2026 SWACDA Conference — “New Horizons” will be held March 4–7, 2026 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, bringing together musicians from across the entire Southwestern region.
Our Cardinals at SWACDA ’26
Collinsville Choir will be represented by five outstanding students:
- 3 students selected for the first-ever SWACDA Jazz Honor Choir: Ingrid Benedict, Lola Benedict, and Jeremy McGrew
- 2 students selected for the SWACDA Treble Honor Choir: Ivy Davis and Holly Wood
This year marks the first time SWACDA has offered a Jazz Honor Choir, making these selections especially meaningful and historic for our students.
All five students have earned their place through a highly competitive audition process. They will rehearse with distinguished clinicians and perform at the 2026 SWACDA Conference for an audience of choral directors, educators, and musicians from across the seven-state region.
Costs & Why We Are Fundraising
Participation in SWACDA comes with several expenses. Our goal is to ensure that no student misses this opportunity due to financial constraints.
| Item | Cost / Details |
|---|---|
| Audition (application) fee | $25 per student / per choir |
| Honor Choir participation fee | $225 per student (Graded Honor Choirs) |
| Jazz Choir participation fee | $245 per student (High School Jazz Honor Choir) |
| Included in participation fees | Sheet music, event materials, Thursday & Friday lunches, and an official SWACDA choir shirt |
| Additional expenses | Hotel accommodations ($237/Night + 22% tax per student w/ included conference discount), transportation to Albuquerque, other meals (outside of the included lunch provided on Thursday & Friday), and incidental student costs |
Families of the participating students, working together with the Collinsville choir directors, are raising funds to help cover these costs so that each student can attend.
Support Our Students
Your generosity directly helps cover:
- Treble and Jazz Honor Choir participation fees
- Travel and hotel costs
- Meals and necessary trip expenses
You can make a secure, tax-deductible donation through the Collinsville Public Schools Online School Payment (OSP) system.
Step-by-step instructions — including screenshots of the OSP page — are provided below.
Are Donations Tax-Deductible?
Yes — donations made through the Collinsville Public Schools Online School Payment (OSP) system are tax-deductible, because Collinsville Public Schools is a tax-exempt public school district.
Once your donation is complete, you will receive an email receipt from OSP. Please save this receipt for your records and consult your tax preparer if needed.
How to Donate on the OSP Website
Follow these steps to make a secure online donation supporting our five Collinsville students attending SWACDA ’26.
Step 1 — Select the Choir Category
Click the donation link to land on the Collinsville Public Schools OSP page.
Find the Choir item and click the + symbol or the item name to open it.
Step 2 — Enter “SWACDA” and Your Donation Amount
In the Description box, type SWACDA so the school knows this payment is for the SWACDA trip.
Enter the dollar amount you want to donate in the Price field, then click Add to Cart.
Step 3 — Review Your Cart
Your donation will appear in the shopping cart.
Confirm the amount is correct, then click Checkout to continue.
Step 4 — Log In or Create an Account
If you already have an OSP account, enter your username and password to log in.
If you are new to OSP, complete the fields on the right to create a new account, then continue.
Step 5 — Continue to Final Payment
After you log in, you will return to the cart screen.
Click Next to go to the secure payment page, enter your payment information, and complete your donation.
Once your donation is complete, you will receive an email receipt from OSP.
Please save this receipt for your records and for tax purposes.
Thank You for Supporting Our Cardinals
Your generosity ensures that these talented students can represent Collinsville with pride at SWACDA ’26.
This fundraising effort is organized by parents of the participating students in collaboration with the Collinsville Choir Directors.