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
Temple University; Equity Sings
A conductor, composer, nonprofit strategist, and equity coach, Arreon A. Harley-Emerson (he/him) is the President and CEO of Equity Sings that assists organizations in remaining relevant in the 21st century. Additionally, Mr. Harley-Emerson teaches at the University of Delaware and is a University Fellow 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 in Higher Education. Mr. Harley-Emerson is published in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, The Choral Journal, and The Oxford Handbook for Choral Pedagogy.
