Congratulations to the 2026 Connecticut ACDA Award Winners!
We are thrilled to recognize three extraordinary artists who embody excellence, artistry, and dedication in our choral community.
Kaitlyn Neumann (she/her/hers) is the Choir Director and Fall Musical Director at Wheeler Middle/High School in North Stonington, CT, teaching grades 6-12. Kaitlyn is also the Alto Section Leader at Immanuel Congregational Church in Hartford, CT under the direction of Amanda Hanzlik.
Kaitlyn graduated from the University of Connecticut in May 2024 with her Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts and her Bachelor of Science in Music Education. She then graduated from the University of Connecticut in May 2025 with her Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction.
In her time at UConn, Kaitlyn was the President of their ACDA Student Chapter. Under her leadership, 16 undergraduates attended their first ever National ACDA Conference in 2023! Kaitlyn also had the great privilege of singing in the UConn Chamber Singers under the direction of Dr. Jamie Spillane. In that time, she sang with the ensemble throughout Europe and at Carnegie Hall.
Kaitlyn served as the Student Volunteer Coordinator for the 2026 ACDA Envision Conference, and is excited to serve in that position again for the 2028 Conference. She also served as the 2025-2026 Mixed Choir Chair for the Connecticut Music Educators Association.
Rebecca Saltzman is Choral Director at Simsbury High School, where she directs five curricular ensembles, three a cappella groups, and the Gertrude Banks Gospel Choir. She also serves on the adjunct faculty at The Hartt School, teaching courses in secondary choral music education. Saltzman holds degrees in Music Education from Florida State University and Ithaca College and is a frequent festival adjudicator, conductor, and conference presenter. She currently serves as the ACDA Eastern Division Vocal Jazz and A Cappella Repertoire and Resources Chair and was named a 2026 Grammy Music Educator Award Quarterfinalist.
Kathleen Bartkowski brings decades of artistry and experience to the piano and organ, collaborating with community, collegiate, and professional ensembles throughout New England and beyond. A sought-after accompanist for choral festivals, musicals, and school choirs, she has served as collaborative pianist for the Vernon Chorale, an auditioned community choir based in Vernon, Connecticut, since 2006, and as Associate Music Director for Con Brio, an auditioned community choir in Old Saybrook. Her career in church music spans more than forty years, and she currently serves as Organist at St. Luke Lutheran Church in Gales Ferry, Connecticut, where she has made music for 20 years.
Kathleen earned a Master of Music in Piano Accompanying from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she accompanied the University Chamber Choir, Chorale, and numerous vocalists and instrumentalists. Her artistry was recognized with the Eugenie M. May Award for Piano Performance. She also holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the University of Connecticut, where she accompanied the choral department and received both a University String Scholarship and the Victor Borge Scholarship.
Highlights of Kathleen’s career include accompanying two National Association for Music Education (NAfME) Eastern Division Honor Choirs in Philadelphia and Hartford, New England Music Festivals from 2008 to the present, the 2012 NY Area All-State in Suffern, New York, and the 2011 American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) National Men’s Honor Choir in Chicago. Her many collaborations include the Hartford Chorale Chamber Singers, Mystic River Chorale, Mak’hela (Jewish Chorus of Western Massachusetts), Ledyard High School Choral Department, and NAfME and ACDA honor choirs and conference sessions at the local, state, and national levels. She has also accompanied numerous Connecticut Eastern Region and All-State Honors choirs. Music has taken her across Europe on tour with the UMass choirs and Mystic River Chorale and into collaboration with distinguished conductors including Peter Bagley, Charlene Archibeque, Andre Thomas, Z. Randall Stroope, and Janet Galvan. Kathleen is the proud recipient of the 2026 CT ACDA Lifetime Achievement Award.
Beyond the concert stage, Kathleen has shared her expertise as a Member-at-Large on the Connecticut ACDA Executive Board and as a board member of the New London County Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. She lives in Colchester, Connecticut, with her husband, Douglas, and their two cats, Milo and Marmalade.