The KSUCAC Mission Statement
To present a wide variety of sacred and secular choral music of high artistic quality. The Choir fosters lifelong musicianship in its members, and strives to enrich the lives of the Kennesaw State University community and beyond.
The Kennesaw State University Community and Alumni Choir began in 2007. This all-volunteer, non-auditioned choir now averages about 70 members who come together each season to share the joy of music with the local community. Members represent KSU alumni, faculty, staff, students, and members of the surrounding community, including Cobb, Cherokee, Bartow, Paulding, and Fulton Counties. The KSUCAC represents a wide variety of musical talents and experiences, and is open to all who wish to share the joy of music.
Ryan Fellman – Artistic Director
Dr. Ryan R. Fellman, Interim Director of Choral Activities at Kennesaw State University, is an emerging leader in the field of conducting. At KSU, he conducts the Chamber Singers, Chorale, Men's Ensemble, and teaches conducting. A recent graduate of Michigan State University, Fellman studied under the mentorship of Drs. David Rayl, Sandra Snow, Jonathan Reed, and Derrick Fox. He served as assistant conductor for several prominent university ensembles including the University Chorale, Choral Union, Singing Spartans, and the Opera Theatre program. His instructional roles included teaching class voice and choral conducting courses to undergraduate music education students. Prior to his tenure at Michigan State, Fellman earned a Master of Music degree in choral conducting from Ithaca College, studying with Dr. Janet Galván. During this time, he co-conducted the IC Campus Chorus and assisted with other distinguished ensembles such as the Treble Chorale, IC Chorus, Madrigal Singers, and Ithaca College Choir.
From 2013 to 2019, he served as the Director of Choirs at Oñate High School in Las Cruces, New Mexico, significantly expanding the program's enrollment and fostering collaborations with notable choral artists and composers. In demand as both a conductor and clinician, Fellman has conducted choirs across Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Texas, and Wisconsin. He was selected as a conducting fellow for the Chorus America Choral-Orchestral Conducting Academy and has guest conducted Sinfonietta Memphis in 2022 and 2023. Additionally, he was chosen for the inaugural cohort of the Choral Executive Leadership Academy by Chorus America. Fellman's professional engagements also include roles as music director for musical theater productions, community choruses, and church choirs. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Music Education from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, where he sang in The Concordia Choir under the direction of Dr. René Clausen.
Fellman's scholarly pursuits center on his passion for Latin American choral music, exploring its presentation, performance, and preservation. His research on Mexican choral music was highlighted as a featured interest session at the 2023 National ACDA conference in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is scheduled to present "Adding Strings-Subtracting Stress" at the upcoming ACDA-MI Fall Conference. Outside of his career, Fellman enjoys traveling and spending time with his beautiful Heeler-Lab companion, Shadow.
Sherri N. Barrett – Principal Accompanist
Sherri N. Barrett received her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Michigan and her Master’s Degree in Piano Performance from the University of Tennessee. She studied with Eugene Mancini from the Cleveland Institute of Music and Arthur Rivituso from the Juilliard School of Music. Ms. Barrett has recorded two solo piano albums entitled From His Hand and At Peace.
She has been an active soloist, accompanist, and adjudicator in the Atlanta area for over 35 years. She has performed both in the United States and Europe as soloist, in chamber ensembles, as accompanist for various choral groups. She maintains a large teaching studio; several of her students have won international piano competitions. She also serves as the pianist for First Redeemer Church, along with the Kennesaw State University Chamber Singers, Men’s Ensemble, and Chorale. Ms. Barrett is a member of the National Music Teachers Association and the International Music Fraternity Delta Omicron. Ms. Barrett has served as KSUCAC’s principal accompanist since the choir’s inception in 2007.
