Jason Max Ferdinand
Jason Max Ferdinand, Professor – Conductor – Composer – Speaker, is an inspirational musician, leader and teaching mentor whose gifts are sought after by choirs and orchestras in the USA and internationally. Since 2022 he has served as the Director of Choral Activities at the University of Maryland, having spent the preceding 14 years as professor at Oakwood University, conducting the renowned Aeolians of Oakwood University. He is the founding artistic director of The Jason Max Ferdinand Singers which since its inception in 2021 has performed to enraptured sell-out audiences. In 2023 they performed at the ACDA National Conference in Cincinnati which included a surprise appearance from Jacob Collier. This followed their appearance on Saturday Night Live with Coldplay and Jacob Collier. They made their debut at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, London, in 2024. Jason publishes with GIA Publications, including Teaching with Heart: Tools for Addressing Societal Challenges Through Music, and The Jason Max Ferdinand Choral Series.
Arianne Abela
Filipino-American conductor Arianne Abela is Director of the Choral Program at Amherst College where she directs the renowned Glee Club and Concert Choir, and teaches voice and conducting. Abela is Artistic Director of Kaleidoscope Vocal Ensemble, professional chamber group that celebrates racial, ethnic, and gender diversity. In addition to performances and artistic residencies, the ensemble engages in creative educational outreach to audiences and students, particularly in communities of color, and promotes the study, research, performance, and recording of music from various eras with special attention to the intersection of arts and social justice. Kaleidoscope Vocal Ensemble has been the headliner for PODIUM national conference, ACDA Southern and Midwestern Division conferences, and performed with Folger Consort, Les Delices, and on the Chamber Music at Beall/Oregon Bach Festival series. With her own physical limitations, Abela is an advocate for musicians with physical and learning disabilities. She has presented nationally about advocacy, inclusion and awareness for a more accessible musical world.
Abela served on conducting faculty at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI, and is founder of the Detroit Women's Chorus and Detroit Justice Choir, ensembles dedicated to social-justice and community empowerment. She directed Detroit's historic Fort Street Chorale, conducted choirs at University of Michigan, and the UMS Choral Union. Focusing her efforts on community building through song, Abela founded The House of Clouds and has worked closely with Musicians Take a Stand to organize over a dozen benefit concerts for charities and various causes across the country.
In the realm of opera, has guest conducted opera productions with Vancouver Opera, Re:Naissance, and Michigan-based opera companies including Detroit's OperaMODO. Recently, she conducted the world-premiere of Tawnie Olson's award-winning Sanctuary and Storm with Vancouver Opera and Re:Naissance.
In 2012, Abela was featured conducting on NBC's Today Show and was a semi-finalist in Season 8 of America's Got Talent as director of Connecticut-based 3 Penny Chorus and Orchestra. The ensemble later recorded for the soundtrack of Hollywood film Walk of Shame starring Elizabeth Banks.
Abela received her doctorate in conducting from the University of Michigan with Jerry Blackstone and Eugene Rogers, holds a master’s degree in choral conducting from Yale University with Marguerite Brooks, Jeffrey Douma, and Simon Carrington, and bachelor of arts from Smith College. Originally from the San Francisco bay area, she sang with the San Francisco Girls Chorus for many years.
