Feiszli Receives Presidential Award for Outstanding Professor

Feiszli holds a bachelor of music education in voice from Mount Union College, a master of music in music history and literature from the University of Akron and a doctor of musical arts in choral music from Arizona State University. In 1983, he joined the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, where he oversees the music program, directs three choirs and teaches applied voice. He is active as a tenor with Dakota Voices, his six-voice professional vocal ensemble. From 1994-1999, Feiszli also served as chair of the, then newly-formed, Department of Humanities at the School of Mines.

 

Students and alumni under his direction have appeared to acclaim throughout the United States and Europe at professional music conventions, the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.; and in concert tours and competitions in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland and Italy.

 

Feiszli’s teaching moves seamlessly into his scholarship. In addition to traditional areas such as publication and external funding, he is recognized internationally within his discipline for the practical application of scholarship in rehearsal, performance and dissemination. His scholarship includes invited choral and solo performances, invited lectures, published articles and musical compositions, commissioned compositions, and compositions or arrangements created for public performance.

 

Feiszli also serves as director of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) ChoralNet, the premier communications and social networking site for the global online choral community. Founded in 1993 by Feiszli as an e-mail distribution list, it developed into an independent non-profit corporation supported by the major choral associations of the world. He served as the president and chief executive of ChoralNet for 17 years and recently engineered the merger of ChoralNet with ACDA, creating the most comprehensive and innovative source for information and collaboration between choral directors, with more than 15,000 registered members from six continents. Furthermore, ACDA has appointed Feiszli director of its International Conductors Exchange Program, an initiative that develops exchanges between US conductors and those from other countries.

 

In addition to this award, a number of organizations have recently honored Feiszli’s outstanding service, including the South Dakota Music Educators Association (SDMEA) with the Meritorious Service Award, and the South Dakota American Choral Directors Association (SDACDA) with the 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award.