KENNESAW, Ga. | Jan 30, 2026

Notwithstanding the joy of performing timeless music in front of appreciative crowds, Kennesaw State University juniors Trey Stannard and Nadia Wilson are looking forward to Spain’s food.

That’s just one part of an important couple of months for KSU’s Chamber Singers – chosen to perform at this week’s annual conference for the Georgia Music Educators’ Association in Athens before heading to Spain over Spring Break for a seven-concert tour in March. The group performed their program Thursday for the conference.

“I was a picky eater for 18 years of my life, and I recently just tried a bunch of cool things,” said Stannard, a music major with a focus on vocal performance. “So, all the world is open to me when it comes to my taste buds and all that. So, trying the food in Spain looks very interesting to me, but I’m also looking forward to performing this great music for those audiences.”

An audition-only group that accepts students from all over campus, the Chamber Singers last performed at GMEA in 2017. It’s a privilege afforded to just a few groups from around the state, putting KSU’s vocal ensemble in rarified air.

Every year, dozens of academic and community music ensembles apply for the chance to perform at the annual GMEA conference. Successful performers are selected through a blind adjudication process by a panel of musical colleagues based on musical skill and the advancement of their genre. Considered the premier annual event for professional development and attended by music educators from across Georgia, the conference showcases the work of musicians from Georgia and beyond. The Georgia Music Educators Association has the fourth-largest membership among state music education associations in the U.S.

Director Ryan Fellman said these accolades feed into his vision for the chamber singers that aligns with KSU’s vision for boosting its national profile – positioning KSU as a place where students want to study vocal music and sing a wide variety of styles.

“We try to vary what we give the students because the majority of our students major in music and so they’ll eventually go off into the world to share what they’ve learned here, which we hope is a broad menu of things,” he said. “For those who don’t go into music, we hope they’ll continue to be lifelong singers in other parts of the community. So, we’re trying to set them up for success and for them to be as marketable and flexible as possible for when they go out into that world, whether or not they plan to be professionals.”

This is where Spain’s cuisine comes in. As a historic crossroads for all cultures, Spain has taken a little bit from everywhere to become a foodie haven of the kind that KSU’s singers look forward to sampling. The same holds with the singers’ upcoming program.

For this week’s performances in and around Athens as well as the Spain tour in March, they’ll perform pieces composed by Spaniards to engage the local populace there, as well as gospel, traditional folk, and classical pieces from around the world. Wilson admitted she couldn’t choose one favorite from the proposed setlist.

“My favorite thing about our pieces is that they're all so different, and they complement each other so well,” said Wilson, also a music education major. “We've got a really great set, especially for GMEA of amazing pieces that are so different. But we have a piece in Old Church Slavonic that I really love. I have some Slavonic roots, so I really enjoy doing that. And we're doing this French piece that I think is such a good combination of a beautiful piece that you just want to melt into, but also just like this really fun dance to groove along to. I don't feel like we're stagnating in one style.”

Similarly, Stannard credited Fellman with expanding the choir’s collective appreciation of music in the preparations for these performances, not just expanding each singer’s vocal repertoire, all the while focusing on creating art through music.

– Story by Dave Shelles

Photos by Katherine Seghers

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to its more than 51,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university's vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties, and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.