In our session, we will discuss issues of aging that can negatively impact choral participation for singers fifty years old and older. The session will explore research-based recommendations and accommodations to support positive and rewarding choral experiences for older adults.
Deltrina Darcell Grimes has served on the faculty of Arizona Western College since 2011, where she conducts choral ensembles, teaches music classes and instructs private voice lessons. Deltrina is an active member of the American Choral Directors Association. Attending state and regional conferences and the AzACDA Student Symposiums. As the AzACDA President-Elect, she served as chairperson of the Summer Collegiate Chorus. From 2021-2023, Deltrina was in residence at the University of Arizona, working on a DMA in choral conducting. She was elected president of the UA Student Chapter of ACDA (graduate division) during this time. In 2022, she was selected to conduct at the ACDA Western Regional Conference, where she participated in a conducting masterclass with Dr. Jo-Michael Scheibe. Her research poster presentation, “Emerging from the Shadows: Lena McLin,” was selected for the 2023 National ACDA Conference program. She also served as a panelist for the International Choral Conductors Federation's session, “Emerging Composers in American Choral Music.”
Deltrina has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the Teacher
of the Year Award at Arizona Western College, the prestigious Founders Scholarship for Women Educators from the Delta Kappa Gamma Society, the Bruce Chamberlain Endowed Scholarship, and a graduate teaching assistantship at the University of Arizona.
Deltrina held choral/vocal positions at Prince George’s Community College, Elizabeth Seton Catholic High School in (Maryland) Archbishop Hoban High School, and Goodyear Heights United Methodist Church (Ohio). She completed her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees in vocal performance at the University of Akron.