Mariana Farah, currently associate director of choral activities at the University of Kansas (KU), was recently elected president-elect of ACDA’s Southwestern Region (SWACDA).
Farah teaches courses in graduate choral literature and conducting, directs the KU Concert Choir and Women’s Chorale, and helps oversee all aspects of the choral program. Born in Brazil, Farah received her Bachelor of Music from the Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Master’s degree from the University of Iowa, and her D.M.A. from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Her choirs have successfully performed at the Missouri and Kansas Music Educators Association conventions and at the 2008 and 2018 Southwestern ACDA conferences.
Reflecting on her vision for SWACDA, Farah says, “I believe that we can only achieve excellence through inclusion and the recognition of talents that come from various traditions and customs.” She continues, “I am certain that we can expand our reach and impact by increasing our efforts to engage with underrepresented choral communities in the U.S. and abroad. I know that SWACDA can be a model for how far our organization can go! It is my goal to continue to honor our responsibilities toward choral excellence while looking beyond boundaries and improving our relevance.”
The Southwestern Region of ACDA represents approximately 2,500 members in the states of Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Farah will serve as the region’s president-elect through June 2020, and will then assume the presidency through June 2022.
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