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2024 ACDA Eastern Region Conference February 28 - March 2, 2024 Providence, Rhode Island

Interest Sessions
In t er est S essions

Evan Montemayor, MME, is a pianist The Filipino Choral Tradition:
and conductor-educator from Sacramen- Your Starter Pack
to, CA. He is co-chair of the NY-ACDA
R&R Committee and a doctoral student
in choral conducting at Arizona State The Philippines enjoys a robust culture of fantastic
University. Research and teaching interests include ab- choral music. However, our music is rarely performed
solute pitch, musicians with speech and language im- beyond the boundaries of our archipelago. Join me as
pairments, and gender diverse voices. we unpack and overcome the barriers restraining this
music. Learn about new repertoire and how to authen-
tically approach this music as you share it with your
singers.
Entering Uncharted Territory:
Re-Mapping Our Understanding Reagan G. Paras serves as a full-time as-
of the Female Voice sociate professor for Berklee College of
Music in Boston, Massachusetts. A pas-
sionate conductor, singer, and educator,
During this session, we will delve into the transfor- he has directed performance tours across
mations that occur throughout the lifespan of the fe- the United States and abroad. He is the artistic direc-
male voice. We will explore the influence of hormones tor for Many Voices: Mechanics Hall’s Youth Singers,
and the pelvic floor and examine strategies to address performing repertoire that authentically honors the
these changes in a healthy manner with students of all mosaic of cultures represented in the ensemble. He
ages. Our discussion will focus on gaining a compre- serves as music director for The Nashua Choral Soci-
hensive understanding of the intricate modifications ety and conducts the summer Kodály Music Institute
that take place in the female voice. As a result of this Choir, which comprises music educators from across
session, participants will gain practical knowledge on the globe. He is a guest conductor, clinician, and adju-
how to incorporate these insights about hormones, the dicator across the country
pelvic floor, and the female voice into their rehearsals .
and classrooms.

Victoria Sigafoes was born and raised Flexible Fach:
in Mansfield, Pennsylvania. She pursued Gender-Affirming Vocal Pedagogy
her BME from Mansfield University be-
fore moving to Philadelphia to complete through Science-Informed Practices
her MM in choral conducting at Temple
University. Sigafoes has been teaching choir at Middle In this interactive session, attendees will be invited
School North in Center Grove CSC for the last five to sing and discuss vocal exercises from a new proto-
years. She has enjoyed directing the MSN Drama col developed by the presenter that focuses on help-
Club, conducting CGHS Fall Musicals, and building a ing transgender and gender-expansive (TGE) singers
successful private voice studio. She has been a featured produce an aural aesthetic that better aligns with their
speaker at the ICDA summer conference in Indianapo- gender identity. Created through an understanding of
lis, served as a guest conductor for CSWS Festivals, and the gendered associations and vocal characteristics of
continues to lecture in the area. common fach categories and voice classifications, this
protocol synthesizes practices from gender-affirming

154 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2024 Volume 64 Number 5