Renata Berlin Assistant Professor of the Practice in Music | Director of Choral Activities

At Davidson, I have the pleasure of leading our three choral ensembles (Davidson Chorale, Davidson Chamber Singers, and Choral Arts Society Davidson) into their 133rd season. I believe the collegiate choral singer should explore the full and growing breadth of choral literature in an environment that challenges the mind and ear, and cultivates lasting friendships with those in the ensemble. I studied choral conducting and music education at DePauw University, the Eastman School of Music, and Boston University. Highlights of my career include teaching the choral arts in the music department at Princeton University (a fitting precursor as tigers are a type of wildcat). Uniquely, I spent four years living in Ethiopia and Tanzania; my work directing the Ethiopian Peace Choir was recognized by two U.S. Ambassadors for the Secretary of State Award for Outstanding Volunteerism Abroad. The choir of 80, the first of its kind in the Horn of Africa, brought together multiple ethnicities together to promote unity and develop musical literacy.