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2024 ACDA Southern Region Conference February 21-24, 2024 Louisville, Kentucky

Interest Sessions
er
t
est S
essions
In
sionate about celebrating diversity, work in accessibil- earned her BM from Miami (OH) University. At USC,
ity, diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and restora- Stahr was associate conductor of Oriana, served on the
tion, cross-curricular connections, and using music as USC Thornton Student Council, and was director of
a means for humanity and bringing people together. the South Bay Children’s Choir. She has participated
She regularly advocates for people and music and is an in the ACDA Eastern Conducting Masterclass and pre-
active presenter, adjudicator, clinician, and conductor. sented at the World Symposium on Choral Music.

Sierra R. Manson is the director of cho- McKenna Stenson has built a career in-
ral activities at Hillgrove High School spiring students to sing with confidence
in Cobb County, GA. Previously, she and motivating communities to create
served as a choral director in both Fulton lasting change through song. Stenson is
County and Henry County. She received an assistant professor on faculty at the
her MME from the Florida State University and her University of Kansas (KU), where she serves as associ-
BME from Kennesaw State University. She is passion- ate director of choral activities and conducts the KU
ate about advocacy in the classroom, as well as mental Glee Club and Oread Singers. In addition to leading
health in both students and educators, and the power ensembles, Stenson teaches classes in choral methods
of music in bringing people together. and undergraduate and graduate conducting, She en-
joys serving as a guest conductor, clinician, presenter,
and adjudicator for choirs throughout the United
Reverse the Decline: States and abroad.

Amplifying and Sustaining
Women’s Voices in Conducting The Song of the Church

Our choral community has work to do to create and Congregational Identity
more equitable musical spaces that celebrate, sup-
port, and cultivate women’s leadership on the podi- Church musicians and pastors who are responsible
um. Join us as we share our findings from our podcast for selecting the hymns and songs sung by a congrega-
conduct(her), lift the successes of women conductors tion in worship settings are not simply enabling shared
across the globe, and provide resources. Together we liturgical expressions, they are shaping the congrega-
will develop a musical ecosystem that is more inclusive tion’s sense of identity through those sung expressions.
of women scholars, composers, conductors, and teach- This interest session will explore some of the theologi-
ers who are contributing to the field. Participants will cal, philosophical, and practical foundations of the rela-
walk away from this session with ideas to build more in- tionships between congregational singing and identity.
clusive space within our choral landscape and celebrate Using video/audio excerpts of worshiping congrega-
the impact of women choral directors. tions from differing traditions, the ways in which core
congregational identity is expressed through singing
Kyra Stahr is a DMA candidate in cho- will be seen and heard. We will highlight challenges re-
ral conducting at University of Miami lated to selecting the sung expressions of the congrega-
Frost School of Music and the associate tion.
director of the Master Chorale of South
Florida. She completed her MM in cho- Andrew Roby serves as a leader in the areas of music
ral music from University of Southern California and and worship arts with The Memorial Baptist Church

82 CHORAL JOURNAL January 2024 Volume 64 Number 5