Dr. Shannon Gravelle is assistant professor of music in the Conservatory of Music at Lawrence University, serving as the Co-director of Choral Studies and as music education faculty. She is also The Phyllis and Richard Duesenberg Concert Choir Chair at Lutheran Summer Music Academy & Festival, a 4-week-long immersive music experience for high school students across the country. Her current research focuses on conducting pedagogy and how the identity points of young conductors affect the way they learn conducting. She is committed to equity work within her field and higher education, and advocacy is a centerpiece of her community building. Other areas of research also include silenced voices in music, the choral works of Russian composer Sergei Taneyev, the early choral works of Johannes Brahms, the life and works of…
Recognized by the Yale Institute of Sacred Music as a conductor “of exceptional promise and achievement,” Amanda Weber is passionate about uniting music, art and community through her work as a conductor, teacher, performer, artist and social activist. Weber currently serves as Director of Worship and the Arts at Westminster Presbyterian Church in downtown Minneapolis, where she oversees a wealth of arts programming. Weber’s role in this position is as eclectic as her skills – conducting a wide array of repertoire, curating the Westminster Performing Arts Series, serving as lead vocalist in Westminster’s Bluegrass Band, developing an Artist-in-Residence program, and collaborating in worship planning. Her work explores the intersections of art, spirituality, and justice and their impact on community. Her publications related to these topics include a recent article in…
Award-winning teacher, scholar, and conductor Dr. Brandon Johnson is the Founder & Artistic Director of BEYOND, a choral ensemble for professional musicians, and the Director of Choral Activities at Eastern Michigan University. He is broadly recognized for his work with high school & collegiate singers and has conducted ensembles and taught masterclasses across Europe, Asia, and the United States. Choirs under his direction have been invited to perform for multiple state and regional American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) and National Association for Music Education (NAFME) conferences. He has performed in the most prestigious concert halls across the country, including Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the renowned Carnegie Hall. He has conducted choral ensembles in every facet of the profession and takes pride in pursuing excellence in…
I have been involved in ACDA since I was a college student when I served as a student assistant for our state's summer conference. Since then, I have held several different positions and served in a variety of roles, and it is always a pleasure for me to give back to the organization that has afforded me so many opportunities, resources, and friends. Amid the sometimes mundane tasks of our daily professional lives, ACDA helps remind me of what is most important in the work we do and shapes my ever-evolving approach to directing choirs. I look forward to serving the Midwestern Region in this role to assist with our collective search for the best repertoire and other resources for the large number of those in our organization who direct…
