Navigating through Mexican Choral Music and Recognizing Biased Performance Practices
Session Abstract: This presentation aims to shed light on cliches related to the programming of Mexican choral music while providing ideas for the inclusion of repertoire beyond the stereotypical folk song. The session will include successful tactics and resources for the participants in the form of a handout with further enrichment on composers, websites, and sample concert programs. By the end of the session, participants will have gained familiarity with and a newfound appreciation of vocal music by Mexican composers. This will enhance the learning experiences of our students, erase harmful tokenization, and aid in building bridges through meaningful connections in music.
Ryan Fellman
Michigan State University
Ryan Fellman is currently a Doctoral student at Michigan State University where he studies with Dr. David Rayl, Dr. Sandra Snow and Dr. Jonathan Reed. In 2021, he served as the Chorus Master/Assistant Conductor for the MSU Opera Theater and Assistant Conductor of the University Chorale. Ryan earned a MM in choral conducting from Ithaca College where he studied with Dr. Janet Galván. From 2013-2019, Ryan taught high school choir in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Ryan is a proud graduate of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota where he sang in The Concordia Choir under the direction of Dr. René Clausen.
