Intentional Diversity in Church and Choral Music: A Panel Conversation

How can people of faith walk the line between embracing diversity in our music, without appropriating other cultures and identities?

All are welcome to join us for Zoom panel conversation to consider this question, and others, on March 22 at 7:30pm.

As Christians, it is part of our baptismal covenant to “persevere in resisting evil,” and to “strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.” In our current context, this includes acknowledging the sin of racism, and working to overcome it in all that we do – in our actions and service, and in our prayer and music. This panel conversation is particularly inspired by our efforts to be thoughtful about how we honor music from racial and ethnic backgrounds that extend beyond the Anglican origins of the Episcopal Church.

Our hope in hosting this conversation is to be more intentional about what we sing, and how we sing it. Even as we recognize that there are no universal answers to questions about diversity and appropriation in music, we hope to listen and gain more perspective so that we can continue to sing and make music in ways that are life-giving and liberating.

Moderator: The Rev. Canon Ranjit Mathews | Canon for Mission Advocacy, Racial Justice, & Reconciliation, the Episcopal Church in CT

Panelists:

Nathaniel Gumbs | Director of Chapel Music, Yale Divinity School, New Haven, CT

Dr. Sandra T. Montes | Dean of Chapel, Union Theological Seminary, New York, NY

Walden Moore | Director of Music, Trinity Church on the Green, New Haven, CT

Janet Yieh | Director of Music, Church of the Heavenly Rest, New York, NY