Choir Fam Podcast

“We were doing some Anglican chant, and we went on to the Hogan ‘Ride On, King Jesus.’ It was as if it was the first time we had ever seen light. It was a revelation for me and for the singers and led to a lot of rebranding of who we are, our values, whose music is important, and the right balance we should be striving for. I felt like I had finally found a place where I could express my full musical identity because it had been fragmented in every other professional setting.”
Arreon A. Harley-Emerson graduated from Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland, with bachelor’s degrees in Music Theory & Composition and Vocal Performance (opera). He received master’s of music degrees in Choral Conducting and Vocal Performance from the University of Delaware School of Music and is a doctoral candidate and University Fellow at the Boyer School of Music and Dance at Temple University in Philadelphia. He has had the opportunity to conduct in venues such as St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, The Kimmel Center for the Arts in Philadelphia, and the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore.
Mr. Harley-Emerson has held a number of teaching and artistic director positions. He served as Director of Music and Operations of the Choir School of Delaware from June 2013 through December 2022. In this position, he was responsible for the musical components of the renowned Choir School program as well as serving as Executive Director, managing the day-to-day operations of the organization.
An avid researcher and presenter, Mr. Harley-Emerson has contributed a chapter to The Oxford Handbook for Choral Pedagogy entitled “The Gang Mentality of Choirs: How Choirs Have the Capacity to Change Lives.” He also has a TEDx Talk with the same title and contributed to the research literature regarding culturally responsive choral and classroom practice.
Committed to the principles of Access, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Restorative Practice (ADEIBR), Mr. Harley-Emerson has established a thriving consultancy to assist arts and culture nonprofit organizations in remaining relevant in the 21st century. His work includes longitudinal studies, strategic planning, Board Excellence training, resource and asset development, and board diversification. Mr. Harley-Emerson currently serves as the National Chair of the American Choral Directors Association’s Diversity Initiatives Committee. An active member of the Wilmington, Delaware community, Mr. Harley-Emerson is on the Delaware Arts Alliance’s Board of Directors, where he serves as President of the Board and chairs the Advancement Committee, which is tasked with fundraising, membership development, and DEIB.
To get in touch with Arreon, you can visit his website, equitysings.com. You can also find him on Facebook (@EquitySings) or Instagram (@equitysings). Learn more about Arreon's pro choir, Elevation, at elevatevocalarts.org.
Choir Fam wants to hear from you! Check out the Minisode Intro Part 2 episode from May 22, 2023, to hear how to share your story with us.
Email [email protected] to contact our hosts.
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Photo in episode artwork by Trace Hudson

“If people think you value them, they will do anything in the world to make the music for you."
André J. Thomas is an Associate Artist with the London Symphony Orchestra.
Thomas is Professor Emeritus of Music at Florida State University. He was visiting Professor of Choral Conducting at Yale University from 2020-2022. He also served as faculty member at the University of Texas, Austin.
Dr. Thomas received his degrees from Friends University (B.A.), Northwestern University (M. M.), and The University of Illinois (D.M.A). He is in demand as a choral adjudicator, clinician, and director of Honor/All-State Choirs throughout North America, Europe, Asia, New Zealand, Australia, and Africa Dr. Thomas has conducted choirs at the state, division, and national conventions of the Music Educators National Conference (NAFME) and the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). His international conducting credits are extensive. They include conductor/clinician for the International Federation of Choral Musicians' summer residency of the World Youth Choir in the Republic of China and the Philippines. He was also the conductor of the World Youth Choir's winter residency in Europe and a premier performance by an American choir (Florida State University Singers) in Vietnam.
He is a highly respected guest conductor who has led numerous prestigious orchestras and choirs around the world, including the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in England, the Berlin Radio Choir and the North German Radio Choir in Germany, the Netherlands Radio Choir, The Bulgarian Radio Choir and Orchestra, the Seoul Metropolitan Chorus, Ansan City Choir, Jeju Provincial Seogwipo Chorale in South Korea, the Charlotte Symphony, China's People's Liberation Orchestra, the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, and the London Symphony. He also served as the Artistic Director of the Tallahassee Community Chorus for 31 seasons.
Thomas has also distinguished himself as a composer/arranger. Hinshaw Music Company, Mark Foster Music Company, Fitzsimons Music Company, Lawson Gould, Earthsongs, Choristers Guild, and Heritage Music Company publish his compositions and arrangements. Dr. Thomas has produced two instructional videos—What They See Is What You Get on choral conducting, with Rodney Eichenberger, and Body, Mind, Spirit, Voice on adolescent voices, with Anton Armstrong. His recent book, Way Over in Beulah Lan': Understanding and Performing the Negro Spiritual, has quickly become a significant source in this area of study.
Various musical organizations have recognized Thomas. The African Diaspora Sacred Music honored Dr. Thomas as a Living Legend. In 2011, Chorus America recognized Thomas' dedication to and accomplishments in the choral arts, presenting him with its Distinguished Service Award. In March 2017, ACDA presented Thomas with its highest honor, the Robert Shaw Award, and in November of 2017, NCCO (National Collegiate Choral Organization) presented Thomas with its Lifetime Achievement Award. In January 2019, he was inducted into the Florida Music Educator's Hall of Fame. In 2022 he was presented with the Award of Excellence from the Southern Region of ACDA. Yale University School of Music presented Thomas with the Samuel Simons Sanford Medal, the most prestigious honor conferred by the Yale School of Music.
He is a past president of the Florida ACDA, a past president of the Southern Division of ACDA, and the current Past President of the National ACDA.
To get in touch with André, you can email him at [email protected] or find him on Facebook (@andre.thomas.52).
Choir Fam wants to hear from you! Check out the Minisode Intro Part 2 episode from May 22, 2023, to hear how to share your story with us.

"Education is an opportunity for self-reflection, a beautiful time to look inwards and ask 'Who am I? Why am I here? Do I really want to be here?' Those answers for me have been, 'yes, I really want to do this. I want to effect change in this world in a positive way.'"
Dr. Raul Dominguez was recently accepted as a Fellow for the Cleveland Institute of Music's inaugural Future of Music Faculty Fellowship, sponsored by the Sphinx Organization. He is also the founder of the Choral Conductors Colloquium which provides its 900+ subscribers with opportunities to learn from choral music’s finest conductors; subscribers are made up of choral musicians representing every continent (except Antarctica) and 54 different countries. Next fall, Raul will continue his role as the Associate Artistic Director of the Denver Gay Men's Chorus and serve as the Director of Choral Activities at Regis University in Denver, CO. His primary research focus is the choral music of the United Mexican States.
He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting and Literature from the University of Colorado Boulder (CU), where he studied with Dr. Gregory Gentry, and a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from Ithaca College, where he studied with Dr. Janet Galván. Prior to Ithaca, he was the Choir Director at Clear Lake HS in his hometown of Houston, TX, for four years. He earned Bachelor of Music degrees in Vocal Performance and Music Education from Oklahoma City University, where he studied with Dr. Randi Von Ellefson and Judith Willoughby.
To get in touch with Raul, you can find him on Instagram (@raulconducts) or visit raulconducts.com.
Email [email protected] to contact our hosts.
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Photo in episode artwork by Trace Hudson from Pexels

“Being text-focused has been really beneficial and a change from the way I’ve seen concerts programmed in the past: ‘Do the keys align? What is the soundscape?’ Those things are important, but for these concerts, the message that we’re putting out there has to be priority. We are choral musicians, and we have words and stories to share, and those have to take precedent.”
Dr. Alexander Lloyd Blake works as a conductor, composer/arranger, vocal contractor, singer, and music activist. Blake is the Founding Artistic Director of Tonality, an award-winning choral ensemble focused on spreading a message of unity, peace, and social justice through a culturally diverse choral setting. He also serves as Principal Associate Conductor of the National Children’s Chorus.
As an arranger, Blake’s “Wade in the Water” was a featured arrangement at the 2013 North Carolina Music Educators Association convention and is published with Santa Barbara Music Publishing. His choral arrangements are published by Alliance Music Publishing and Walton Music Publishing. Other musical activities include an opera conducting premiere at the 2019 Prototype Festival in New York City, preparing choirs for live performances with UCLA Center for the Art of Performance, and vocally arranging for a nationally televised performance during the 2022 MLB All-Star Game.
Recent film and TV credits include singing on the soundtrack of Jordan Peele’s “Us,” Disney’s “Lion King,” and Pixar’s “Spies in Disguise,” and leading sessions for Warner Bros "Space Jam: A New Legacy" and Netflix film "Escape from Spiderhead." Blake also worked as the choral contractor and vocal arranger for Andy Grammer’s performance at the 2019 ARDYs (Radio Disney Awards). Blake recently prepared singers for the 2020 Grammy Awards and performed at the 92nd Academy Awards.
Blake completed the Doctorate in Musical Arts degree at the University of Southern California in 2019, the Master of Music degree at the University of California Los Angeles in 2014, and the Bachelor of Arts degree (cum laude) in Vocal Performance at Wake Forest University in 2010.

To get in touch with Alex, you can find him on Instagram: @alexanderlblake. To learn more about Tonality, look for @ourtonality on Instagram or Facebook.
Choir Fam wants to hear from you! Check out the Minisode Intro Part 2 episode from May 22, 2023, to hear how to share your story with us.
Email [email protected] to contact our hosts.
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Photo in episode artwork by Trace Hudson

"We’ve found other ways to make music by centering on the creative process and composition – collective composition in particular. Bringing young people together to meet across difference and to put music at the center as a tool for them to engage in dialogue has just been greater than I could have imagined."

Alysia Lee receives national recognition for advancing access, equity, and decolonization with leaders, organizations, and communities. Her methods center on youth, anti-racism, creativity, and justice.
Alysia is the inaugural President of the Baltimore Children & Youth Fund, the bold hyperlocal grantmaker stewarding public funds to support the success of Baltimore’s young people. Lee is the Founder and Artistic Director of Sister Cities Girlchoir (SCG), the El Sistema-inspired, girl empowerment choral academy in Philadelphia, Camden, and Baltimore in its tenth season. SCG is an award-winning and trendsetting choral education program with performance credits from Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, and numerous school and community stages.
Lee has an emerging voice as a choral composer. She is the series editor of Hal Leonard’s Exigence for Young Voices, the new choral series uplifting Black, Brown, Indigenous, and Asian composers for young choir ensembles. Her piece ‘Say Her Name’ is published by Hal Leonard. She has recent composition commissions from Baltimore Choral Arts, Portland Lesbian Choir, and GALA Choruses. Lee is also a Board member of Chorus America and a National Advisor to ArtsEdSEL. Lee is formerly the education program supervisor for Fine Arts Education for the Maryland State Department of Education across five arts disciplines: music, dance, visual art, theatre, and media arts.
Recent recognitions include awards from The Kennedy Center, The Knight Foundation, National Association of University Women, Stockton Bartol Foundation, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, and BEQ Pride. Recent speaking/facilitation engagements include the U.S. Department of Education, The Kennedy Center, VH-1 Save the Music, Carnegie Hall, Arts Education Partnership, TEDX, many colleges and universities, and national and state professional associations.
A Baltimore native, Lee is an alumna of Maryland public schools (Baltimore County Public Schools). She earned her graduate degree from Peabody Conservatory. Alysia also completed Executive Education programs at Harvard University and La Salle University.
To get in touch with Alysia, follow her on Instagram: @alysiadlee.
Choir Fam wants to hear from you! Check out the Minisode Intro episode to hear how to share your story with us. Email [email protected] to contact our hosts.
Podcast music from Podcast.co
Photo in episode artwork by Trace Hudson from Pexels