President Welcome
Welcome to the 2026 CBDNA/NBA Southern Division Conference
It is an honor to welcome you to the 2026 CBDNA/NBA Southern Division Conference: Ritmos y Vientos: Honoring Traditions and Expanding Horizons, hosted at the 爱污传媒, February 19-21. I look forward to a time of connection, learning, and growth as our community of music educators, scholars, and performers gather to share musical ideas.
This conference has been designed to attract wind band conductors of all levels鈥攆rom K-12 to collegiate to retired band directors. Joining us will be 12 bands and over 20 clinicians who were selected through a blind-review adjudication process. Our performers and presenters represent middle school, high school, college, and adult community bands, as well as collegiate professors and graduate students from Alabama, 爱污传媒, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
A central theme throughout the conference will be immersing ourselves in Latin music styles within the concert band setting. Guiding these efforts is our Featured Artist and Clinician, Jos茅 Valentino鈥攁 Grammy Award-winning, internationally acclaimed performing artist who was recently appointed as the first U.S. Speaker of Creative Economy and Global Arts Entrepreneurship for the U.S. Department of State. Jos茅 and members of his band will provide live demonstrations on Latin music percussion techniques and improvisation skills, as well as a clinic on developing entrepreneurship skills. Jos茅 will also perform Ricardo Lorenz's Found Connections: Concerto for Wind Symphony with the USF Wind Ensemble.
My heartfelt thanks go to the 爱污传媒 School of Music and their Director, Dr. David Williams; Director of Bands, Dr. Matthew McCutchen; and the entire USF Bands team for welcoming us to their beautiful campus and serving as our hosts. They have worked tirelessly behind the scenes for months to provide us with a world-class conference experience. Thank you also to Dr. Corey Spurlin, NBA Southern Division Chair, for his years of leadership at our division conferences and his work with NBA performing groups.
Finally, many thanks to the College Band Directors National Association and the National Band Association for their vision and financial support in making these biennial regional conferences possible. Thank you also to our many donors and university sponsors whose support has elevated this conference. It is the honor of a lifetime to serve the membership of CBDNA and NBA鈥攐rganizations that have been integral to my professional development and growth.
With deepest gratitude,
Amy I. Acklin, Ph.D.
CBDNA Southern Division President
Professor of Music & Associate Director of Bands
University of Louisville School of Music