Come Sunday: Using Black Liberation Theology to Inform Performance Practice
Session Abstract: In the United States, the Black church’s mission has been two-pronged. It has been a place of comfort where community members celebrate, mourn, and commune in an affirming spiritual center. The Black church has also served as an incubator for change-agent thinking, addressing the issues that intellectually, physically, and socially impact the Black community. This session traces the development of the soundtrack of the Black Church and offers a grounded and practical approach to performance practice, gesture, programming, and choral pedagogy. Attendees will actively engage in singing and conducting, with examples expertly demonstrated by a lab choir of conference attendees.
Arreon A. Harley-Emerson
The Choir School of Delaware & ACDA Diversity Initiatives Committee
Arreon A. Harley-Emerson is Director of Music and Operations of the Choir School of Delaware. Committed to the principles of inclusion Mr. Harley-Emerson has established a thriving consultancy, Equity Sings, to assist organizations in remaining relevant in the 21st century. His work includes longitudinal studies, strategic planning, board governance, resource and asset development, and board diversification. Mr. Harley-Emerson is a University Fellow at the Boyer School of Music Dance at Temple University where he is pursuing a Ph.D. in music education with a cognate in choral conducting and has completed a graduate certificate in Diversity Leadership in Higher Education.
