Kennesaw State University’s Chamber Singers are experiencing a busy semester, marked by high-profile performances and an international tour. The ensemble performed at the annual Georgia Music Educators’ Association (GMEA) conference in Athens this week and is preparing for a seven-concert tour of Spain during Spring Break in March.
The Chamber Singers, an audition-only group open to students from across the university, last appeared at the GMEA conference in 2017. The selection process for performing groups is competitive, with dozens of academic and community ensembles applying each year. Groups are chosen through a blind adjudication process based on musical skill and genre advancement. The GMEA conference is considered a premier event for professional development among music educators in Georgia and attracts participants from across the state. The Georgia Music Educators Association is one of the largest such organizations in the United States.
Director Ryan Fellman described how these opportunities align with KSU’s goal to enhance its national reputation as a destination for vocal music studies. “We try to vary what we give the students because the majority of our students major in music and so they’ll eventually go off into the world to share what they’ve learned here, which we hope is a broad menu of things,” he said. “For those who don’t go into music, we hope they’ll continue to be lifelong singers in other parts of the community. So, we’re trying to set them up for success and for them to be as marketable and flexible as possible for when they go out into that world, whether or not they plan to be professionals.”
Students Trey Stannard and Nadia Wilson both expressed excitement about traveling to Spain—not only for musical reasons but also for cultural experiences like local cuisine. Stannard noted his newfound interest in food: “I was a picky eater for 18 years of my life, and I recently just tried a bunch of cool things. So, all the world is open to me when it comes to my taste buds and all that. So, trying the food in Spain looks very interesting to me, but I’m also looking forward to performing this great music for those audiences.”
Wilson highlighted her appreciation for the diversity of their repertoire: “My favorite thing about our pieces is that they’re all so different, and they complement each other so well,” she said. “We’ve got a really great set, especially for GMEA of amazing pieces that are so different. But we have a piece in Old Church Slavonic that I really love. I have some Slavonic roots, so I really enjoy doing that. And we’re doing this French piece that I think is such a good combination of a beautiful piece that you just want to melt into, but also just like this really fun dance to groove along to. I don’t feel like we’re stagnating in one style.”
Stannard credited Fellman with broadening their musical understanding while maintaining focus on artistic expression: preparations have expanded both individual vocal repertoires and collective appreciation within the choir.
The upcoming performances will include works by Spanish composers as well as gospel, folk, and classical pieces from around the world.
– Story by Dave Shelles
Photos by Katherine Seghers
