Alcorn’s Schaffer chosen for 105 Voices of History HBCU National Concert Choir leadership team
Alcorn’s Schaffer chosen for 105 Voices of History HBCU National Concert Choir leadership team
Alcorn’s Director of Choral Activities Donna Schaffer has been recently chosen to serve as a regional conductor on the HBCU National and Regional Conductors team to train and present the 2012 HBCU National Concert Choir. Ms. Schaffer, Larry Macklin, senior, vocal performance major, and alumnus Dwayne Griffin ’11, will participate in the 5th Year Celebration of 105 Voices of History, the nation’s first and only HBCU National Concert Choir. The concert will be held September 21, 7:00 p.m., at the Andrew Mellon Stage, a prestigious venue in Washington, D.C.
“The Alcorn family is proud of Donna Schaffer for being selected out of 105 schools to serve on the leadership team,” stated Alcorn President M. Christopher Brown II, who will attend the concert and the President’s Roundtable Discussion on “The State of Student Health on HBCU Campuses” and “Accessing and Maintaining Corporate Partnerships in a Challenging Economy” that will be held prior to the concert.
“In her capacity as a regional conductor, Ms. Schaffer travelled to Tennessee and Alabama to prepare students for the national concert,” said Dr. Larry Konecky, chair, Department of Fine Arts. “And, just recently, she held a rehearsal here on campus, for 19 students including students from Jackson State, Grambling State, Alcorn and New Orleans.”
Donna Schaffer, a versatile and accomplished musician, joined Alcorn State University in 2009 as a instructor of music and Concert Choir director. Her professional experience includes founding and operating Summit Studious in Manchester, Connecticut, serving as music director for Shreveport Opera in Shreveport, Louisiana, director of the Natchez Music Festival in Natchez, Mississippi, and music director of the Children’s Associated Summer Theater in Manchester, Connecticut. Schaffer holds a master’s degree in music from the University of Connecticut and a bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Michigan.
To read more about a National Initiative for Program & Leadership Growth the “105 Voices of History” for HBCU Choirs, visit https://www.hbcuchoirs-105voh.com .
