Georgia Sings! with the Gerald S. Mayo Fund Visiting Conductor

Join the Hugh Hodgson School of Music as they host the Gerald S. Mayo Visiting Conductor Sandra Snow of Michigan State University in an evening of choral music and collaboration. The concert will take place on Friday, September 28th in Hodgson Hall at 7:30.

The concert will feature five of UGA’s premiere choral groups. The UGA Men’s and Women’s Glee Clubs and The University Chorus, under the direction of conductor and Associate Director of Choral Activities J.D. Burnett; The UGA Hodgson Singers, led by the Director of Choral Activities and John D. Boyd UGA Foundation Professor of Choral Music Daniel Bara; and The African American Choral Ensemble, conducted and directed by Associate Professor of Music Gregory Broughton.

Joining UGA’s choral ensembles, will be groups from several high schools. The Riverwood Singers are led by Michael Dauterman, The North Oconee High School Chorus is led by Renee Costigan, and The Milton High School Choir is led by Andrew Bowers.

The program is full of variety, with songs ranging from age-old hymns, traditional African songs, Baroque pieces, a cappella selections, songs that build into a vocal fanfare with stomping and clapping, one of Lord Byron’s favorite poems arranged in song. The last piece of the evening will paint the picture of a beautiful, vast prairie through the guest pianist’s playing, until all combined choirs join in with a bold vocal entrance under the baton of the Gerald S. Mayo Visiting Conductor Sandra Snow.

Dr. Sandra Snow, Professor of choral conducting and music education at Michigan State University, travels extensively conducting all-state and honor choirs and holding residencies with singers of all ages. She interacts with undergraduate and graduate students in the areas of conducting, choral pedagogy, and choral singing, and conducts the Michigan State University Women’s Chamber Ensemble, a group that has appeared as featured performers at state, regional, and national conferences of the American Choral Directors Association. Dr. Snow is the Director of the American Institute for Choral Teacher Education and is a recipient of the Michigan State University William J. Beal Award for Outstanding Faculty, among many other prestigious awards. The Hodgson School is happy to have her as the 2018 Gerald S. Mayo Visiting Conductor.

Funding for Dr. Sandra Snow’s residency and this culminating collaborative concert was made possible by The Gerald S. Mayo Choral Fund which recognizes and honors Gerald’s life-long interest in, and devotion to, choral performance. Established by the Mayo Family, The Gerald S. Mayo Choral Fund provides financial support for visiting guest artists in the choral conducting or choral performance field in offering master classes, special performances, and seminars for UGA singers and conducting students. 

The concert is presented admission-free. For those unable to attend, the evening will be streamed live on the Hodgson School website by visiting music.uga.edu/live-streaming. Financial support from this and other endowed choral area foundation funds is vital to the annual operation of the UGA Choral Department and its many artistic, educational, and outreach initiatives. Audience members who have enjoyed the evening of music and would like to learn more about giving, may contact Sara Emery at 706-542-4232 or semery@uga.edu.