It is my pleasure to welcome you to the College Orchestra Directors Association (CODA), an organization dedicated to the support of college and university orchestra conductors from all over the United States and beyond. As the National President of CODA, I have the honor of working with one of the best leadership teams around as we lead the organization forward through the end (we hope) of Covid. With almost four hundred members, CODA offers so much to its membership, from the resources on the website such as the bowings library to the friendships and comradery we enjoy at our national conferences. CODA leads the way in music curriculum and building an orchestral repertoire that speaks to a diverse pool of composers, both contemporary and those underrepresented from the past. CODA also provides a sounding board for critical discussions of the challenges we all face in our orchestral programs, no matter how large a program we serve or how small. Our national CODA conferences are something that I look forward to all year as an opportunity to spend quality time with my colleagues, discuss important issues facing music faculty, learn new repertoire and discover new pedagogical techniques and resources, as well as sharing some quality down time with my friends from the organization. I have to say that one thing that CODA members have learned during Covid is that we can interact and share our experiences year-round, whether through Zoom meetings or our email communications, and I am committed to continuing those interactions in the future, both on the national level and especially at the regional level. New members, I encourage you to see which region you fall into and suggest you reach out to the regional leadership. We are a vibrant organization, but there is always more we can do to support one another in these challenging times. The national leadership has as its charge the task of tightening up some of our resources and information on the website in the coming months, so stay tuned! Our 2023 National Conference will take place the weekend of January 26-28, 2023, in sunny, warm Jacksonville, Florida (unless, of course, we have a freak cold snap….fingers crossed!). Get those dates on your calendars! In addition to thrilling concerts by our guest orchestras led by our CODA members, we’ll enjoy sessions with and a concert by the Jacksonville Symphony (an ICSOM orchestra and cultural gem of northeast Florida), as well as inspiring sessions given by our members. Spread the word as we hope for record attendance in 2023!!!
So welcome to CODA—check out our website, settle in, and enjoy your membership in one of the best organizations out there for the college orchestra conductor!
With sincerity,
Marguerite Richardson, President
Professor of Music; Director of Orchestra Studies
Jacksonville University