Leslie Blackwell
Celebrating the Men’s Ensemble performs at national convention
Oral Moses retires from School of Music
O
ral Moses retired from Kennesaw State University’s School of Music in December 2012 after 28 years at KSU. In addition to his impressive career as a professor of voice, Moses, a bassbaritone, has also had an impressive career of personal research and performance. His research interests include African-American music and Negro spirituals. His CD, “Deep River: Songs and Spirituals of Harry T. Burleigh,” was showcased in a PBS documentary on American music. He says, “As an artist, my greatest personal accomplishment is to know that I’ve made a contribution to the world of music in some way. As a teacher, my greatest accomplishment is seeing my students go on to realize their goals.”
David Caselli
Moses plans to continue teaching part-time and stay active in the education of his students. He also hopes to spend more time on his research and performance opportunities, and he jokes that the busiest people in the world are retired people. “But you never know,” he laughs, “I might end up on some Greek isle for a while.” 2
18
Spring 2013
Valerie Dibble
T
he Kennesaw State University Men’s Ensemble travelled to Dallas, Tex. in March 2013 to perform at the National American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Convention. “This was an amazing opportunity for our students and our university,” explains Leslie J. Blackwell, director of choral activities at KSU and conductor of the Men’s Ensemble. The KSU Men’s Ensemble was selected through a blind audition that was judged by a panel of nationally recognized peers and choral conductors in the field, and submissions included a scope of three years of performances and recordings. According to Blackwell, approximately 250 choirs submitted for the convention and the KSU Men’s Ensemble is believed to be the only male collegiate choir chosen for the honor this year. 2