Choral Conversations: Rebuilding the Choral Art for Justice and Equity

Based on decades working in a variety of choral settings, from professional to the marginalized, André de Quadros will discuss his trajectory as a choral educator and leader. He calls for a new normal in choral music, founded on radical compassion, dialogue, and community engagement. He will base his presentation on race and incarceration, forced migration, peacebuilding, Islam, and the co-creation of repertoire and practice.

Dr André de Quadros is a professor of music at Boston University with affiliations in African, African American, Asian, Jewish, Muslim studies, prison education, Forced Migration and Antiracist Research. As a choral conductor, artist, scholar, and human rights activist, he has worked in over 40 countries in the most diverse settings including professional ensembles, projects with prisons, psychosocial rehabilitation, refugees, and victims of sexual violence, torture, and trauma. His work crosses race and mass incarceration, peacebuilding, forced migration, and Islamic culture. He directs Common Ground Voices (Jerusalem), Common Ground Voices / La Frontera (Mexico-US), the Manado State University Choir (Indonesia), the Muslim Choral Ensemble (Sri Lanka), VOICES 21C (USA), and the World Muslim Choral Ensemble (Sri Lanka). He is the creative director of The Choral Commons. In 2019, he was a Distinguished Academic Visitor at the University of Cambridge.