women’s leadership retreat

Every few years at different locations around the country, mirabai provides a Leadership Retreat, a professional development opportunity choral singers, conductors, and educators.

This event brings together singers, conductors, and educators in a retreat-style event to sing, learn, network, and refresh. Participants will sing with mirabai artists, observe rehearsals, refine leadership skills, and interact socially in an effort to support and uplift the work of women in choral music.

past retreats

mirabai Story Tellers event flyer

Sessions included:

  • Sandra Snow, Paralysis to Catalyst: incorporating Social Justice in Choral Programming

  • Becky Marsh, Reaching & Teaching Students with ADHD in the Ensemble Setting

  • Johnny Nichols Jr., Celebration or Appropriation?

  • Sam Bullington, Non-Hierarchical Rehearsal Practices: Lessons from a Transgender Choir

  • Elizabeth Fisher and Clelyn Chapin, Lessons We Learned in GALA

  • Moira Smiley, Community Sing!

  • Jen Sengin, Connecting to the Sound: Exploring the Conducting Gesture to Enhance Musical Expressivity

  • Colleen Chester, Songs of HERstory: Choral Music Highlighting the Lives of Historically Significant Women

  • Sharing the Music: How to Create an Effective Music Selection Committee

  • Jen Sengin, Empowering Our Singers: Non-hierarchical Ways to Cultivate Artistry Within the Choral Ensemble

  • Katy Green, Harmonizing Identity: Crafting Programs that Echo the Soul of Our Choral Members

  • What Your LGBTQ Singers Need from You: A Panel Session

  • Cera Babb, Singer Interaction in the Choir

  • Meghan Eldred, Empowering Your Treble Singers Through Quality Repertoire: A Reading Session

Sessions included:

  • Sandra Snow: Keynote address

  • Rachel Kabodian: Guided Meditation and Massage---Ground and Relax and Meditation and Massage---Activate and Energize

  • Andrea Ramsey: Who Do You Think You Are?

  • Elizabeth Hogan: Elevated Harmonics - A Holistic Approach to Creativity

  • Lindsay Kesselman: Cry, Shout, Seize, Take, Love, and Tell the Truth: This is No Time for Singing

  • Catherine Goode: BINGO! Being Inclusive - Not Gentlemen Only: An Introduction to Women Composers

  • Jennifer Sengin: Building Community: Making meaningful connections in a virtual or virtual-hybrid choral music classroom

  • Becky Marsh: "When a Woman Takes Power": Talking & Singing the Tough Topics

  • Alyssa Cossey: Amplifying Womxn’s Voices in the Reimagined Choral Ensemble

  • A panel discussion about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

mirabai Virtual Leadership Retreat flyer

Sessions included:

  • Sandra Snow: side-by-side singing with mirabai

  • Barb Lamont: Yoga for Choir

  • Voice building and reading sessions with mirabai artists

  • Andrea Ramsey and Elizabeth Hogan: Storytelling and Share

  • Kristin Zaryski and Carolyn Cruse: Meaningful and Musical Strategies for Increasing Musicianship

  • Kelly Miller: Teambuilding

  • A community concert featuring mirabai artists and surrounding Orlando singers

mirabai Women's Leadership Retreat flyer